Kathy Vikre

Love, Mom Kathy Vikre

Thanks to her mother's steadfastness in letter writing, Kathy Vikre received news from home once a week for nearly forty years. Within handwritten letters that began with "Dear Kath" and ended with "Love, Mom," Kathy's mother shined a light on her Catholic beliefs, compassion, and boundless energy. But what her daughter did not know is that one day the letters, which numbered over one thousand by the end of her mother's life, would provide both a lifeline and a happy ending to her story. Within a touching presentation that intertwines excerpts of her mother's letters with details of her own journey through life, Kathy shares a personal look at motherhood and survival that reveals a glimpse into the joys, struggles, and relationships between parents and their children in the years after the Second World War. Decades later after her mother died and Kathy slipped into the darkness of an old depression, she discloses how the process of re-reading her mother's letters helped guide her inward to eventually rediscover her faith and a renewed happiness in living. Love, Mom shares a poignant snapshot into the lives of a mother and daughter through personal stories and letters as they experienced delights, challenges, death, and a rebirth.