The Cottage Doors
To buy a work of art made by Mickey Martin, of Statesboro, go to www.etsy.com and type “TheCottageDoors” in the search bar. You can also contact her at Deal’s Mobile Home Movers on U.S. Highway 301 South, across from Rozier Ford, at (912) 681-6683 or her cellphone at (912) 682-9685. Martin says 5 percent of all her sales this year will go to the Wounded Warrior Project, which helps injured military service members transition from active duty to civilian life.
Mickey Martin’s mother died of heart disease last year. Martin, overwhelmed by a sense of despair, decided to do something positive to restore her attitude toward life.
She was watching a program on NBC one day featuring Ann Curry. Curry proposed “26 Acts of Kindness” following the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy in Newtown, Conn.
That morning Curry asked, “What can I do?” She described her idea for Americans to do something good and helpful for the families of the Sandy Hook victims. People responded to families in Newtown with an outpouring of love and support. That compelled Martin to do something positive in the world for others — a “random act of kindness,” she called it.
Before Sandy Hook, Martin had already begun designing gift baskets, wall plaques, doormats, decorative home wall hangers and other items for sale. While home for Thanksgiving, her son, Dan Martin, helped her create a website on www.Etsy.com, a merchandising website catering to creative artists.
Once the website was ready for business, Martin decided she should give 5 percent of her earnings for all of this year to a national charity. After watching a documentary on the Wounded Warriors Project a few days later, she found herself leaning in that direction with her contributions.
“I watched this soldier, who had only one arm and one leg, do some pretty remarkable things. He had such a fantastic attitude towards life and impressed me tremendously,” Martin said. “The program made me feel selfish, and I knew then that I wanted to help support these soldiers who had given their best for our country.”
Martin’s boss, Jeff Deal of Deal’s Mobile Home Movers on U.S. Highway 301 South, allows her to display some of her work for sale at the office. “Instead of sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves, we need to look outward and do something positive for others. Just say a kind word, do a good deed for someone in need, or create something as I have to help others,” she said. “We can all make a difference if we’ll stop looking inward so much, and concentrate more on the needs of others.”
Martin’s challenge to the Statesboro area is for people to find ways to reach out beyond themselves and touch at least one other individual for good.
“You’ll be blessed 100 times over,” she said.