If you had the good fortune to know Kristi Cassin Martin, you remember her warmth and intelligence and the joyful way she embraced life. And if you didn’t have the pleasure, now you can know her though her collected writings.
When Kristi departed this earth in 2018, her husband Earle determined he would publish a collection to honor her memory. Life Is Rich: and other stories provides a beautiful window on Kristi’s life. It includes memories of her childhood in an artist’s home in Houston outside the Loop before there was a Loop, stories of generations of her family in their beloved summer community on the Great Lakes, meditations on her dear dog Nimrod, personal and profound experiences that she had at Christ Church Cathedral, and a variety of other vignettes — all recounted in a clear, engaging voice that is unmistakably and delightfully Kristi’s.
Pittman McGehee, a close friend of Kristi’s and former dean of the Cathedral, says in the epigraph, “Kristi Martin was woman who put nature’s color in art and word.” Her writing teacher Christopher Woods notes the sense of tenderness and empathy she captures in these pieces. But perhaps Earle describes the impact of the collection best: he “hopes you will come away with a happy sense of Kristi’s deeply loving person…a genuinely lovely human being…and perhaps through her writings get a fresh glimpse of your own life and the world around you.”
Published with thought and care, Life Is Rich reflects Kristi on every levels: the cover art and the illustrations that grace each piece are by her friend Roxanna Weiland. The colors that Kristi surrounded herself with, having lived her entire life inspired by her mother’s vibrant art, enliven the pages. And Earle has generously donated the books to the Bookstore, so that 100% of every book sold is a gift to the Cathedral that Kristi loved so much.
To make a donation to the Cathedral and receive a copy of Life Is Rich, click here.
What is the beginning? Love.
What the course. Love still.
What the goal. The goal is Love.
On a happy hill
Is there nothing then but Love?
Search we sky or earth
There is nothing out of Love
Hath perpetual worth;
All things flag but only Love,
All things fail and flee;
There is nothing left but Love
Worthy you and me.
—Christina Rossetti