In the second part of Kathy’s fireside loungeroom chat with Sheila and Wayne, we hear a more relaxed and heartwarming conversation that transports us to a realm where time seems to stand still and where the raw emotions of a close-knit invisible village come to life.
The beauty of this conversation lies in its authenticity. As Kathy, Shiela, and Wayne recall what has happened in Matthews Cottage, you will hear genuine laughter, and concern and may get a bit teary-eyed about what they had experienced and gone through as critical characters in Kathy’s invisible village.
The invisible village at Matthews Cottage symbolizes a safe haven, a place of acceptance and belonging. The emotions shared here remind us of the power of love and care, which can mould a childhood into something truly magical.
This episode is an invitation to reflect on our own invisible villages and the cherished moments that define our own personal journeys.
Quotes
“It’s so hard to compare something else because it just wasn’t what we had at Matthews Cottage which was a family and we did so many amazing things together.” -Kathy Hoolahan
“There were so many incredible happy highlights. And there are some really sad moments and why I’m telling my stories is I hope that it will vibrate for many other people and give them inspiration or reflection on the power of their invisible village and the role they play.” -Kathy Hoolahan
TRANSCRIPTION
00:00
A warning to listeners or our readers. The following content may at times include details about abuse, rape, suicide, domestic violence, and other types of trauma that may be emotionally confronting or triggering.
Kathy Hoolahan 00:15
Welcome to Raised By an Invisible Village where we unbundle the incredible power of the people who influence our lives. I’m Kathy Hoolahan, your host, who will be guiding you on a very personal transformative journey. My personal story of uncovering the diverse characters that made up my invisible village who together enable acceptance, growth and success.
Kathy Hoolahan 00:46
In part 2 of our continued fireside lounge room chat, we were so much more relaxed in our conversation. As by now we had been talking for over an hour, forgetting that there was a camera and microphone. The rawness of emotion and the realness of our invisible village at Matthew Cottage was coming to the surface.
The normalizing of child behavior with our little 6 year old foster sister becoming jealous of other babies coming in and out, to the joy of being on numerous camping trips all together.
We all cherished this time of our lives, and whilst there is a sadness that separated us in the end, the time that we had together has to this day been made up of amazing memories.
On this visit to Canberra, we spent almost every day for 2 weeks with Sheila and Wayne. An incredible opportunity to spend quality time and share so much of our history together in Matthew Cottage, but also to chat and catch up on other parts of our lives where we weren’t together.
It was also on this visit that I finally met Tracey, Sheila and Waynes eldest daughter. What a blessed feeling to have not only met her, but their other daughter Alison, (who I had previously met) call them sisters. A sense of comfort to know how deep those feelings are to have so many that there were and continue to be in my invisible village.
I hope you enjoy part 2 of our very relaxed, candid and emotional conversation.
Kathy Hoolahan 02:04
Interview transcript not available
Kathy Hoolahan 27:07
Thank you for listening to our conversation. Both Sheila and Wayne were incredibly nervous and expressed how they were so concerned about not wanting to let me down. So how incredibly grateful I was when we arrived to start recording, they both had jotted down notes in preparation…… Our conversation went for over 2 hours.
And even at 50 years of age, Sheila was still concerned that my going back in to my past would impact on my mental health.
This journey back in time has helped me relive so many wonderful memories, some of which I had forgotten. But the one thing that I had always held in my heart, was the amazing phase of our lives that Sheila and Wayne had given all of us kids. Our very own village of safety and acceptance.
I invite and welcome you into the next episode of my story.
I hope you enjoyed this episode of the series raised by an invisible village. And these real life stories have provided you with the opportunity to reflect about your own invisible village, a moment in time to uncover those who accept you support your growth and celebrate your success and the recognition that you also are a character in someone else’s invisible village, and how important our roles are as mentors, influences and champions. I’d love to stay connected and encourage you and others to join me by subscribing to my podcast channels. Together we can continue to recognize the power of our invisible village or acceptance, growth and success.