Grace for the journey

Everyone has a story to tell.

Grace for the Journey: Letting Joy, Peace and Self-Control Bloom in Your Life

Through others’ stories, we can reflect on our own lives. Bev Martinson shares how her diagnosis with a chronic health condition hurled her into a life-changing journey, both physically and spiritually. After 20+ years working in health promotion, her focus on wellness became personal. Bev reveals lessons she is learning to self-manage her health, and live with more joy and peace.

Bev Martinson grew up on a small farm in northern Minnesota 15 miles from Grygla, population 211.  She moved to the Fargo-Moorhead area where she attended college, got married and raised two children, Sarah and Michael.  Bev has a master’s degree in communications and worked for 20-plus years in health promotion and community organization.  Most of her work was funded by grants for research, education and direct services through public health and universities.  In 1997, she started a small business named Reach Partners to provide these services by contract rather than as an employee, and to provide services to multiple agencies.  Bev’s changing health prompted her to reduce her workload substantially in 2005.  In 2007, she quit working to support her mom-in-law through hospice care.   By 2010, she and husband, Jay, had moved to their lake home in the township of Barnes in the northwoods of Wisconsin, population 610.  Bev’s time is now filled with family, friends, faith, travel, volunteer work, and living as healthfully, as possible.