Over fifty years ago, Kate Fields stood at the base of a beautiful totem pole in downtown Seattle as her two older brothers made their farewells.
It was off to World War II for them, to fulfill their boyhood dreams of flying.
They never came home.
Kate’s Irish immigrant mother never was able to surmount the grief of her tragedy, and her impatient daughter was unable to help.
Through the therapy of the years, Kate tries to come to terms with her grief and her guilt. Later in life, she finds healing in the commissioning of a Northwest Makah Indian totem pole — a memorial to the two young men who “flew west” so long ago. And when she finds the perfect and final home for the twelve-foot memorial, she also finds redemption and peace.
From the bottom of the pole I rubbed my fingers over the cedar carvings of two fierce warriors, one totem above the other with threatening bared teeth and scowl. Each was armed with arrows covering both sides of their totems. They represented strength and power, my brothers strong in the face of battle. Immediately above them was a totem of a long black and white whale featuring stretched, sorrowful tears. A totem of my mother grieving the loss of her two sons.
Throughout a demanding career as an Interior Designer, NWSID, Kate Fields has been a closet writer. Her humor, revealed in articles and short stories, has received acclaim and awards. Circles of Love, her first book, is a carefully researched work. Kate and her husband, Art, live in Banning, California.