Family

My mother grew up on the family farm in Minnesota. Years later, when I was a full time farmer, my mom would spend a month with us each year, teaching me all she knew. In a Norwegian/American family, hard work is a given, and my mother never stopped.

I was the youngest child, and my mom went back to work while I was at home. She was a nurse and, even though she worked long hours, she still cooked everything from scratch. Dad was hardworking, smart, and loved numbers, from the thousands of figures he pored over during the day, to his winning gin rummy scores at night.

My dad was a lifelong Republican. As a teenager, I was a staunch opponent of the war in Vietnam, and my dad was not at all fond of my war-protesting, anti-authoritarian ways. However, as the years passed, my father would come to visit us in Maine, helping me with the bookkeeping at my various small businesses and playing with his grandkids.

When I ran for the State Senate in 1992, the year before he died, he and my mom wrote me a check for $50. I was touched to see his barely legible signature--the only contribution he ever gave to a Democrat.

My three siblings were Roz, Ralph, and Bob. We lost Bob, who was closest to my age, shortly after his 40th birthday. Like many of the unbearable tragedies that mark all of our lives, Bob's discovery that he had melanoma and his death with many of us at his side were sad and life-changing events for all of us. It was an incredible loss for me personally. And it was an eye-opening view of the complete failure of our healthcare system: his insurance policy expired shortly after his diagnosis and no other insurance company would accept him. No doctor would treat him until he and his family gave up all their assets to be at poverty level and eligible for the state health care plan.

Losing my brother changed my life. Like millions of other Americans, he had to fight the health care system while he fought for his life, a tragedy that no one should have to endure. Yet years later, the situation is even worse.

My children are my closest family today, and I am very proud of them. Hannah, my oldest, represents District 36 in the Maine House of Representatives and serves as the House Majority Leader. Hannah lives on North Haven, where she grew up and where I still live. This past July, she married Jason Mann, a filmmaker from Rockland.

My daughter Cecily is also a filmmaker, and she also works at Nebo Lodge, our "family" business. Her good friend Colin (pictured standing behind Cecily) is a talented banjo player, and plays in our favorite band, the Toughcats.

My son, Asa (standing in the middle), is the youngest, but he's the first of my children to be a parent. Asa attended drama school after high school, spending three fascinating years in London. He now lives in New York with his three-year-old son, Smith. Asa is a great carpenter and works at everything from renovating buildings to running his own business, Banks Cove Boards.

It is a great gift when your children continue to be a part of your life as adults; I am very lucky.