OPINION: Thank you, Alaskans, for your kindness

Alaskans, I have so much to thank you for.

The past month has been one of the most difficult in my life. Losing my husband, Buzzy, has changed me forever. Having lost my mother earlier this year, it was hard to imagine what my life would look like now without them.

But in the darkest moments, you showed me such kindness and grace.

Immediately after the news broke, you were calling my office to share your condolences and prayers. Our senators and governor reached out personally, offering support for my staff and family.

In Bethel, you packed Buzzy’s funeral with more people than I could have imagined. In Anchorage, his 40-day celebration was just as well-attended. Buzzy was someone who made an impression on everyone he met — and it seems like he had truly met everyone! The amount of wonderful stories I’ve heard from Alaskans about their experiences with him have helped me to see the love that he inspired in the world, and that has been truly healing for me.

I am so thankful for the space that you have given me to celebrate Buzzy’s life with my family and for all of you who celebrated it with us. The warmth and generosity that you have shown represent Alaska at its best.

While my life will never be the same, I am still deeply honored to serve as Alaska’s Representative, and I want you to know that your voices are being heard in Washington, D.C. I have been back in the Capitol, working to represent you and pass a budget that protects Alaska from an unnecessary government shutdown, creates jobs, and invests in our infrastructure and families. With a new Speaker, we have a chance for a new start.

As I was in the process of returning to Washington, D.C., I was thinking a lot about why Alaska is different, and this is what I think. So many of the people who reached out to offer their support and comfort mentioned how they had gone through something similar — how they had known someone else who passed away doing something they loved in the great outdoors of our incredible state.

It made me realize at a deeper level something that I’ve always believed, which is that Alaskans care so deeply and naturally for each other because we face and understand so many of the same challenges. We know that we are a small population in a big state, and the neighbor we politically disagree with might also be the neighbor who we need to help pull us out of a snowbank or a river. That Alaska camaraderie is what has helped us establish a new model of politics, an “Alaska model” that prioritizes bipartisanship and unifying coalitions over division and blame-casting.

When I returned to Washington, D.C., I was expecting a return to the partisan atmosphere that has been all too common in our Capitol. But I was surprised by a wonderfully human moment — applause from both sides of the chamber as I cast my first vote for Speaker after taking time to grieve with my children.

It was only one moment, but that simple human gesture of kindness meant the world to me, and it showed me that a better version of Congress — a more Alaskan version — is possible. If we can return to seeing each other as people, not as partisans, then our government can start to heal from dysfunction.

Thank you once more to all those who offered their comfort and prayers. You have made a dark time just that much lighter and showed me again why I ran for this office in the first place.

Buzzy spent his life serving and advocating for Alaskans, building relationships and bringing people together. While he may be gone, that spirit endures in so many Alaskans, and it will always be my north star.

Mary Peltola serves as the representative for all of Alaska in the U.S. Congress.

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