Excited to share that Kathy Pease is the SDMWA Member of the Month for June 2022.
Please take a moment and read this interview with Janet Hafner, SDMWA Board Member and the generous, loving, and talented Kathy Pease!
JH: Kathy, congratulations!
KP: I am honored to be selected as SDMWA Member of the Month for June.
JH: Kathy, what was the process you followed to have a Ukrainian family live with you?
KP: Each night, my husband and I watched as the tragedy in Ukraine unfolded on the evening news. We were stunned by the constant examples of man’s inhumanity to man. We wanted to help and since we have a guest house on our property that often sits vacant, we decided we would offer it to a Ukrainian family. Our desire to help was tempered by concerns that we would not be able to meet a Ukrainian family’s needs due to language, cultural differences, our age and commitments we need to keep this year. We are both seventy-five and my husband is in the que for a second hip replacement.
We contacted a local church that put us in touch with The World Relief Organization that was placing Ukrainian refugees. We completed forms, provided references, etc. and two weeks later we had a mother and two sons (17) and (14) from Kharkiv arriving at our door.
All of our reservations were forgotten when we met this family. Their life in Kharkiv ended quickly in early March when they were given two hours to pack and prepare to leave their home. It took five days to navigate detours around familiar roads suddenly closed and to search for gasoline that was in short supply. They traveled to Poland, Latvia, and Turkey figuring out, on the fly, the correct paperwork required to enter our country. Two months after they left their home, they flew into Los Angeles. A week before arriving, they were informed their mother/grandmother had died. A few days after their arrival they were driven to our home by their friend. Their shy smiles greeted us and as I hugged them, my heart melted. There was no question that our guest house was meant for them. It was unclear if we could meet all of their needs, but we would do the best we could to help them.
Two days later we met with others that wanted to help. We were relieved to hear that Maranatha Chapel in Rancho Bernardo was starting a program to assist Ukrainians, the Slavic Services Organization agreed to help, and a long-time- friend of our new family, who immigrated to San Diego from Ukraine ten years ago, would help.
We were impressed by the strength, the courage, the “can do” attitude of our family. When I would ask what they need the answer was always, “We are fine”. They were safe, they had food, they were upbeat, but at night in the silence and the darkness, under the comfort of their quilts, they often cried for their losses as they prayed for the safety of their father fighting in the war at home.
That was three weeks ago, and a nicer, more appreciative family would be hard to imagine. Our “helper” network has been impressive. Through our team effort
the boys have had their English skills evaluated by the local high school, they have had the required vaccinations for school enrollment and Covid, they have a basketball and a hoop, they have bicycles, they have a dental evaluation appointment, they have shopped at Costco and the local market, they have been to the beach, they bought a car and insurance, they are enrolled in English classes, they have received checks and gift cards from my Facebook friends and along the way, they have enriched our lives.
JH: Wow! What an amazing story. Thank you, Kathy. How did you first discover SDMWA?
KP: Marni Freedman told me about this organization, and I joined in 2016. It has been a pleasure to watch it grow and flourish under the leadership of Laura Engel.
JH: Have you always been a writer?
KP: I have always enjoyed creating stories in my mind, but during those busy years with a growing family and a career, I didn’t put pen to paper. It has been great fun to have the time to write since my retirement.
JH: What impacts do you think writing classes have made on your writing?
KP: My writing classes with Marni Freedman had a profound impact on me. When I started taking her first class in the Memoir Certificate Program, I had written a few chapters of my memoir, Don’t Let The Kids Bite The Dog. Marni’s classes on structuring my story were critical to the development of my book. Marni is a gifted teacher and she inspired and encouraged me all the way.
JH: We’d love to hear about what you are presently writing.
KP: I have started another memoir about my first year of teaching elementary school. I had just graduated from college in the late sixties. In October, after two experienced teachers had quit, I was assigned to a racially diverse class of third and fourth graders that were mostly slow learners and behavior problems, collected in one class as was sometimes done in that day. The year resulted in some wins and losses and some humorous stories along the way.
I am also considering writing about our Ukraine experience.
JH: Who are your favorite authors? Favorite memoirs?
KP: I have enjoyed reading Educated by Tara Westover, The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan, Wait Till Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson and the Liar’s Club by Mary Karr.
JH: Any advice for new writers?
KP: Read, read, read. I don’t think the importance of reading can be overstated. I would definitely recommend Marni Freedman and Tracy Jones classes and/or critique sessions. We all have a story to tell and it is a real adventure to create a book. I learned a lot from both of these ladies and the other students in my classes. Their stories were varied and inspirational. Pick up your pencil, grab some paper, start writing.
JH: Great advice! Where can we find your blog/website or any other online links?
KP: Don’t Let The Kids Bite The Dog is available at Warwick’s.com and Amazon.com. All proceeds from the sale of this book are donated to Rady Children’s Hospital in memory of our granddaughter Emma M. Pease.
Thank you for a great interview, Kathy. We are honored to celebrate you as our June 2022 member of SDMWA.