"She was always able to find the silver lining in everything, even when nobody else could see it" says my guest, author Kate Moses of her mother Kathleen. As a budding creative in the 1950's, Kathleen often "felt trapped and felt she had to conform as a woman," says her daughter. Kathleen felt the pressure to fulfill her social obligations in addition to caring for her family yet wanting to express herself creatively.
HERE WE ARE IN SEASON 4 OF SHLTMM AS I’M WORKING MY WAY TOWARD 200 INTERVIEWS WHERE MY GUESTS OPEN UP ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP OR LACK THERE OF WITH THEIR MOTHER/ OR SIGNIFICANT MATERNAL FIGURE. I’M FILLED WITH AWE EACH WEEK WHEN HEARING THESE PERSONAL STORIES AND THE IMPACT THEY’VE HAD ON MY GUEST’S LIVES.
THERE ARE WONDERFUL JUBILANT STORIES, MOM’S ON THE PEDESTAL AS WELL AS STORIES OF PAIN AND SUFFERING. YET I’M CONTINUOUSLY TAKEN BACK BY THE SURVIVORS OF THIS WORLD. SOME THRONE TO THE WOLVES AT A YOUNG AGE AND STILL HEAR TO TELL US ABOUT IT WITH A SHRUG AND A SMILE.
OFTEN, AS A CHILD, ONE DOES NOT TRULY GRASP ALL THAT MOTHERHOOD ENCOMPASSES. FOR SOME, REALIZATION MAY COME TOO LATE. OTHERS PERHAPS MORE FORTUNATE, HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET TO KNOW THEIR MOTHER AS “AN AUTHENTIC INDIVIDUAL WITH UNIQUE EMOTIONS, PASSIONS AND INTERESTS IN ADDITION TO CARING FOR THE FAMILY.
KATE MOSES IS AN AUTHOR AND A MOTHER. SHE’S WRITTEN MANY AWARD-WINNING BOOKS AND ESSAYS, MANY ON THIS TOPIC ENCOMPASSING THE STRUGGLES OF MOTHERHOOD OR MUSE.
AGAIN, WE DON’T ALWAYS IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZE THE GIFTS OF OUR MOTHER. YET AT TIMES, CHILDREN CAN GET CAUGHT IN A PUSH PULL RELATIONSHIP WHEN SOMETIMES THEY WANT TO RUN YET FEEL THE NEED TO PROTECT, SHOW COMPASSION WHEN LEAST LIKELY INCLINED TO AND ACKNOWLEDGE THAT MOTHER’S INITIAL INTENSIONS DIDN’T ALWAYS WORK OUT THE WAY THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO.
Kate has been writing about mothers and motherhood, among other topics, for decades. Her mother passed away December 25, 2022. Kate felt that this opportunity to reflect on her mother's legacy was timely. She loved her mother and is in awe of all of her complexities. There's one incident that Kate shares in our conversation, had the outcome changed, who knows who Kathleen would have become.
I can't thank Kate Moses enough for her candid reflection of her relationship with her mother. They were the best of friends and then had to learn to let each other grow in their own way.
You will thoroughly enjoy reading Kate's work. Titles are listed below.
Website:www.birdsandmuses.com
http://www.katemoses.com/site/about/
Twitter: @birdsandmuses.com
Instagram: @birdsandmuses
Instagram: @kate_moses_writes
BOOKS:
Wintering: A Novel of Sylvia Plath -POET, KILLED HERSELF IN 1963
“MOTHERS WHO THINK” ANTHOLOGIES OF ESSAYS ON MOTHERHOOD EDITED BY CAMILLE PERI AND KATE
“BECAUSE I SAID SO” ANTHOLOGIES OF ESSAYSON MOTHERHOOD
“CAKEWALK” MEMOIR 2010
"How Mom and I Outran the Tornado"