About
Hi, I'm Gina Martin, and I want you to know that you matter. It's that simple. I can tell you that my own path to that realization has been long, arduous, and recent. It began with a parent-child dynamic that left me feeling somewhat devoid of parental approval, but we deal with that, don't we.
The Preacher's Wife
The next thing a good east Texas girl is expected to do is get married and start a family, so I did. I married a preacher and became, "the preacher's wife", had a couple of kids, and life looked good, at least to those sitting in the pews. Well, let me tell you a little story about being a preacher's wife that most people don't know.
She occupies the second most visible position in the church. It can also be the loneliest one, too. If the preacher presents his wife to the congregation as, "my wife", the congregation will dutifully follow suit and only interact with her from a distance, just as he has done. If he publically addresses her by name they will feel "permissioned" to more fully embrace her as one of them. Guess which treatment I got! It's a strange dynamic but it left me feeling sequestered in a very dark and lonely place and that was the last thing I needed.
My Great Awakening
I suppose that point in your life where real self-awareness puts in its appearance is different for everyone. My own Great Awakening began prior to our divorce. I felt empty and began to realize that my own potential, outside of motherhood and being a wife, was an empty shell and I was angry about that most of the time. I realized, like a lot of women do that I seemed to exist primarily for the interest of others and that's a fine role to play but what about me? Am I not entitled to a life of happiness beyond my immediate family's needs? I think I am. I know I am! I exist!
Taking Charge
I decided I wanted to go back to school and pursue something for myself and so I did. My end-game changed a few times, I developed interests along the way about things I never knew I was passionate about, and I even learned to cry.
Supervised by Kathleen Mills, M.ED., LPC-S, CEAP
My Christian Faith and My Professional Practice
Whenever you cultivate a thought,
Remember it will trace
With certain touch in pictures form
A story on your face.
Whenever you dwell upon a thought,
Remember it will toll
Into your being and become
A fiber of your soul.
Whenever you send out a thought,
Remember it will be
A force throughout the universe
For all eternity.
~unknown poet
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