Genevieve Kingston author of Did I Ever Tell You
In the podcast episode of "Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books" hosted by Zibby Owens, the guest Genevieve Kingston shares a deeply personal story about coping with the loss of her mother at a young age. Kingston describes how her mother prepared for her passing by creating a chest filled with letters and gifts for every significant milestone in her life up until the age of 30. This thoughtful preparation allowed Kingston to continue having a "conversation" with her mother long after her death, providing comfort and guidance through each new chapter of her life.
The episode explores themes of love, loss, memory, and the impact of parental legacies. Kingston discusses the emotional complexities of growing up with a terminally ill parent and how she has processed these experiences through writing. She reflects on the therapeutic aspects of storytelling and the profound connections books and writing have facilitated in her life. The conversation also delves into the importance of embracing both the joyful and challenging aspects of life and how these experiences shape personal identity and resilience.
Introduction and Background: Genevieve Kingston introduces her personal story and the impact of her mother's death on her life.
The Cardboard Chest: Kingston describes a cardboard chest her mother prepared, filled with letters and gifts for significant life events, which she continues to open as she reaches those milestones.
Writing as a Conversation: She discusses how writing her book was a way of continuing a conversation with her mother, exploring themes of family, memory, love, and loss.
Personal Growth and Challenges: Kingston reflects on the emotional challenges and personal growth that stemmed from her mother's terminal illness and subsequent death.
Role of Books and Storytelling: The conversation covers Kingston's connection to books and storytelling, including her experiences with audiobooks and the therapeutic role of storytelling in her life.
Impact of Parental Legacy: Kingston talks about the legacy of her mother's actions and how they have influenced her own path and identity.
Future Aspirations and Reflections: The episode concludes with Kingston discussing her hopes for her audience, her future projects, and her ongoing journey in storytelling and writing.
On continuing a conversation with her late mother:
"For me, writing the book in a lot of ways was like, it was me setting down my side of that same conversation, answering back, writing back to here's what's happened since you've been gone."
On the impact of her mother's gifts:
"And so it's a book that's about, it's about family and memory and love and loss. But I think more than anything, to me, it's about how we can hold and honor our parents' legacies while still carving our own paths forward in the future and finding out how, who we are and who we're meant to be."
On the emotional process of growing up with a terminally ill parent:
"I think that that's a real preoccupation when, when terminal illness is in a home, there's so much preoccupation with like, how should this time be spent? Mm-Hmm. Right. It feels so urgent to figure out the right way to spend the time."
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