For Martha Karen Halverson, 1916-2017. My name is Marit Martha. I am the daughter of Martha Karen’s oldest daughter, Martha Jeanell. Among the Marthas, I am the third. And I’m honored. In grandma’s eleven-pearl necklace of grandchildren, strung one-by-one by age, I am also the third, and in that, in being one among her grandchildren,…
Read moreThe Process is Important.
My whole life I have been trained to set a goal, aim for it, and make it happen. In school. In sports. In business. Lots of us have. That’s how we roll as a society and a culture. As a world. If you’re going to race an Ironman, for instance, you pick a race first….
Read moreIn memoriam: my mom’s 20 laws to live by.
My mom passed away suddenly a few weeks ago. At the service to celebrate her life, I shared these words. Mom has taught me so much in my 44 years. Some things she has told me outright. Some she has taught by example. Some I have picked up through attentive observation, in the way that,…
Read moreSo much to learn in the not knowing
For so many people I know, this Spring is a time of change. In a big way. It’s like the Universe gathered us all together on a massive oriental rug, asked us to mingle, and then, just when we were getting comfortable, yanked that rug right out from under us, sending us all flying. Not…
Read moreThe Parable of the Pine
On the day of the completion of her studies to become a physician, a young woman was called to meet with the elders of the village. “In honor of your accomplishment, we wish to give you a gift,” one of the elders said to her. “We give you this pine.” The woman stepped forward and…
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