Marcia Gay Harden takes readers through The Seasons of My Mother in a moving new memoir sharing some of the many lessons that she learned from her beloved mother, Beverly Harden.
The Fifty Shades of Grey actress is the middle child of five children, and was born in La Jolla, California, to two Texas natives. Beverly was a homemaker, while Harden’s father, Thaddeus, who died in 2002, was a naval officer.
Harden was pretty much destined to become an actress, showing an early passion for performing and storytelling, due in part from the encouraging experiences of her childhood. The Academy Award winner boasts a strong appreciation for her mother, whose battle with Alzheimer’s disease has been a lesson in resilience and grace.
The Seasons of My Mother is a reminder that the degenerative brain disease hasn’t dimmed the light of her mother’s dazzling spirit, while unearthing some of the stories that shaped her identity.
Check out seven heartwarming revelations from Harden’s book below.
1. The Seasons of My Mother wasn’t always a memoir.
The project was originally supposed to be a calendar book of flower arrangements that morphed into a memoir after a “series of events” (including her mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis) changed Harden’s plans.
2. Harden learned a lot from her family’s world travels.
As a military family, the Hardens moved frequently and eventually landed in Yokohama, Japan, where Harden’s father was stationed. Located south of Tokyo, Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan and is known for its historical architecture and breathtaking botanical gardens.
3. It takes “courage” to become an actress.
Harden’s mother taught her daughter how to submerge herself in diverse environments, which ultimately helped her muster the “courage” to audition for various roles and taught her how to sink into the world of different characters.
4. Harden’s mother was skilled in the ancient art of Japanese flower arrangements.
While living overseas, Harden’s mother learned the art of Japanese flower arrangements, known as Ikebana. She even picked up an interesting hack of using vodka to help Wisteria flowers stay fresh longer. Years later, as Alzheimer’s began to set in, Harden asked her mother how she learned the vodka trick, to which she replied: “I know Wisteria love vodka because I have shared some with it.”
5. Cherished memories can be created anywhere.
During one particularly sweet passage in the book, Harden reflects on the “joyful chaos” of a happy memory of her mother teaching an Ikebana class to Harden’s friends and neighbors in Venice Beach, California, in 1998. At the time, the actress was preparing to give birth to her first daughter, Eulala.
6. It’s important to live in the moment.
One of the biggest lessons that Harden learned from her mother’s diagnosis is to “live in the moment.” Alzheimer’s often strips patients of their past, and living in the moment becomes their only option.
7. Alzheimer’s disease won’t be her mother’s legacy.
Harden doesn’t want her mother to be defined by Alzheimer’s disease. With The Seasons of My Mother, Harden hopes to show that her mother’s legacy is in the totality of a beautiful life, not in the diagnosis that has replaced pieces of her witty but soft-spoken disposition with the fragility of not being able to recall sometimes the smallest of memories.
Marcia Gay Harden’s mother, Beverly, loved arranging flowers – a skill she learned while living in Asia. It’s through that lens that the Oscar-winning Texan tells Beverly’s story of love, loss and eventual struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. Her new book is called “The Seasons of My Mother: A Memoir of Love, Family, and Flowers” (Atria Books), which she’ll talk about more tonight as part of DMA Arts and Letters Live.
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WASHINGTON (ABC7) — After her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2011, Academy and Tony award-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden assumed the role of memory keeper, and documents her rich collection with the new book, “The Seasons of My Mother.” The memoir of love, family and flowers details the complicated and tender bond between mother and daughter. Marcia joined Adrianna to discuss her journey writing the book.
By LAMBETH HOCHWALD
In 2007, when actress Marcia Gay Harden’s mother, Beverly, began showing signs of forgetfulness, Harden wasn’t sure what to make of it. The first incident occurred when the two attended a charity event in Canada and Beverly kept losing her passport, finding it and losing it again.
At a press junket and premiere months later, she acknowledged that she wasn’t sure what day it was. As time passed, those forgetful moments became regular occurrences and, in 2011, Beverly was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. This week, the Academy- and Tony award-winning actress’ memoir, The Seasons of my Mother: A Memoir of Love, Family and Flowers, publishes and, with it, comes a touching story of a mother and daughter, filled with childhood stories and memories. Parade sat down with Harden, a mother of three who is currently appearing on CBS’ Code Black, to learn more about the evolution of the book and how she hopes to help every family affected by Alzheimer’s.
