COMMUNITY VOICES receives bookings through the Denver Musicians Association and by word of mouth. Additionally, one of her daughters serves as her booking agent, while her other daughters and grandchildren are her “roadies.” Birsa remains dedicated not only to mastering her instrument but also to championing the musicians around her. She understands the countless hours of practice behind every performance and the steep cost of pursuing serious musicianship — professional accordions alone can exceed $60,000, with sound equipment adding even more. To her, supporting live, local music is a way of honoring the people who devote their lives to creating it. More than seven decades after she first picked up an accordion, Birsa continues to perform, teach, and refine her craft. Her commitment has never wavered; if anything, it has only deepened with time. In every performance, Birsa offers more than melodies, she offers a living connection to her Slovenian roots. Her music carries listeners into a world where heritage, memory, and artistry blend, keeping alive the cultural stories that first moved her as a child in Leadville. Birsa will be performing this month at the Georgetown Christmas Market, Dec. 6, as well as Denver’s ChristKindl Market, Dec. 17 and 22. JOANN BIRSA PERFORMS AT A LOCAL OCTOBERFEST EVENT | PHOTO BY GILES CLASEN HOMELESSNESS AND THE BIG BAD WOLF I LEFT HOME YESTERDAY, headed to my destination, and I forgot where I was going. A few moments JOHN ALEXANDER DENVER VOICE VENDOR later, I remembered where I was going, only to realize I had forgotten why I was going anywhere. Smile. Today, all is well. I did a lot of thinking when I got back home. I thought a lot about many days gone by. Many of those days were when I was homeless and on the streets. Doctors have told me that I am a senior citizen (old), that everything is falling apart, or that I’m just losing it. Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Parkinson’s. Old age is enough to make anyone forget anything. But, for me, there are two things, no matter what, I will never forget. 1. Being homeless on the streets and the lack of understanding, and 2. Compassion or lack of compassion that society has towards homeless people. Society as a whole seems to believe that homeless people are homeless by choice. Homeless people are lazy, shiftless thieves with no morals, no ambition, or anything else worth mentioning. A homeless person will never be anyone worth talking about. These beliefs are far from the truth, as the earth is from the sun. (The earth is 93 million miles from the sun.) Every year, people buy and exchange gifts for each other. Christians all over the world cook, feast, and visit in celebration of the biggest holiday for the most famous person who ever lived, Jesus Christ, because that day, Christmas, is Christ’s birthday. I am sure that when the angels told Mary that she was pregnant, Mary was happy and went about making plans for the newborn baby-to-be. Mary was not burdened with concerns for a place to stay or a room for the baby because, at the time, she was not homeless. Joseph, a carpenter, was not homeless either. According to the Bible, Mary and Joseph started making plans and rejoicing in the arrival of the Baby Jesus. On further reading, we find that Mary and Joseph are now on the streets, homeless, while running for their lives. They end up hiding in a barn, while Mary lies on the dirt floor, about to give birth to Jesus. What happened? Circumstances that were beyond their control! There are as many different circumstances as there are people. So, what were those circumstances beyond Mary and Joseph’s control? The circumstances were King Herod’s new law and his new army carrying out his orders. King Herod had declared that all children two years old and younger were to be killed on the spot. There was no voting on the matter. There were no appeals filed, no waiting on the outcome of signed petitions. … When the words crossed the King’s lips, they were law! This law, made by the King and enforced by the King’s army, created the circumstances beyond Mary and Joseph’s control. You can search every galaxy in the universe and every homeless person you can find, and I will show you a person faced with circumstances beyond their control. Just ask the Three Little Pigs. Now, these pigs each had money and good credit. They had the houses they designed and built with the material of their choice. One of the building choices was straw. One little pig built his home with toothpicks or something like that. The third pig built his home with bricks. (“Their money, their choices.”) The point being made is that none of the pigs was homeless. They all had their own homes. So, what happened? Circumstances beyond their control! One little pig had just come home after going to the market. He was getting ready to cook some dinner when there was a big, loud knock on the door, followed by threats of destruction, violence, and killing. But, before anyone knew what was going on, this little pig ran out the back door and over to one of the other pigs’ houses. Lucky for him, he knew a shortcut, but before he could catch his breath and tell the other pig what happened, there came, at the second pig’s door, the same loud knock, followed by huffing and puffing with threats of violence. Before they knew it, these two little pigs were running down the street, headed to the third little pig’s house, which was built out of brick. A home one day, homeless the next. What happened? The same thing that has happened to homeless individuals since creation. Circumstances beyond their control? Those circumstances for the pigs? The Big Bad Wolf! A person faced with circumstances beyond their control has about as much of a chance as a little pig does against a Big Bad Wolf! Now that you’ve read this, I hope you understand that when you see a homeless person, you will see a person who ended up in a situation because they faced circumstances that were beyond their control. December 2025 DENVER VOICE 5
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