My name is NOT Martha
I was born in Italy and named after my father's mother, Marta. When I started first grade at St. Paul's Catholic School in Daytona Beach, my teacher, a Catholic nun, taught me to write my name as Martha. In those days, my parents would never have challenged a teacher, especially a nun. With all due respect to all the beautiful Martha's out there, I never liked the name Martha. For so many years, I wanted to "change" my name to Marta. But, I thought it would be a big hassle. Finally, when I turned 30, I asked myself, "How much longer am I going to wait?" So, I started the process of "changing" my name. Well, it was not difficult at all... because... it was not a "change," it was a "correction." You see, in Italian, there is no TH combination, and on my birth certificate, I am Marta. Of course, it was a challenge for family and friends to make the "change"... but, as time went on, I became Marta!