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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency services Judge backs Medford marijuana dispensary ban Crater Lake may soon have China connection Suspected Jackson County car thief arrested in Eugene on similar charges Medford kicks off summer with RecFest events Saturday Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Suspected Jackson County car thief arrested in Eugene on similar charges Forgery, identity theft charges brought against suspect who fought with police Ashland police hope to crack down on rowdies Peavine Creek Fire fully lined Politics and Elections Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline opponents rally in Medford BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Freddie Gray's death Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Medford School Board, Position 6: Curt Ankerberg vs. Janet Lightheart Arthur I. 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Suzette Martinez Standring: The maternal staircase By Suzette Martinez Standring More Content Now MailTribune.com By Suzette Martinez Standring More Content Now Posted May. 5, 2015 @ 12:56 pm By Suzette Martinez Standring More Content Now Posted May. 5, 2015 @ 12:56 pm » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> My grandmother, mother, me and my daughter are steps in a maternal staircase. Like many women, I wonder at the DNA winding through the generations that hold traits of adventure and endurance as well as flaws of pride and impulsiveness, and who-knows-what-else that is yet to surface with life. On our staircase, faith is the banister, occasionally creaky but heavily leaned on. My grandmother Rosario, a village beauty in the Philippines, had nine children by a Spanish Catholic priest who never left the priesthood to marry her. No other man was ever reported in her life, even after he was sent to a faraway diocese. “Not choosing her above God” or “not stealing him away from God” were reasons shared by an elderly cousin as to why the couple never married. Folks, I shouldn’t even be sitting here. The youngest of Rosario’s nine children was my mother, Josefa, who was schooled largely in a convent in the Philippines by Belgium nuns. World War II destroyed her future promise of options and she felt lucky to marry my dad and come to the U.S. at the age of 30. Her extraordinary kindness was powered by faith but she was plagued by religious guilt. She thought it was a sin to even get mad. I witnessed her anguish of second-guessing the state of her soul, which led to her nervous breakdown. That imprinted me with the belief that religion was bad for your health. In my teens, I abandoned religion. Instead I hailed from the school of I-Create-My-Own-Reality. Ever a seeker, I embraced many spiritual disciplines. I raised my daughter to be open-minded and questioning, and she is. So imagine my shock when Star came to Christianity as an adult. After all, I had my prejudices. Yet for her, coming to faith was not a ticket on the guilt trip. Rather, hers was a liberation from fear, ego, and pretenses. Her peace and confidence made me curious. Study instead of sound bites made me realize what I didn’t know could fill a book (The Bible). God’s celebration of individuality led to my own full immersion baptism eleven years ago. My granddaughters believe in a loving, protective God. Yet they know God is not a lucky talisman nor does he play favorites. Always prayers are answered, and sometimes the answer is no. Their stories are yet to be written. On our maternal staircase, a banister winds through doubt, betrayal, presumptions, rescue, hope, and love, and not always in that order. Yet God remains a constant, generational thread, frayed but resilient. It must be in our DNA. Email Suzette Standring at [email protected] or visit www.readsuzette.com. The Art of Opinion Writing, won a First Place in the 2015 New England Book Festival. She is syndicated with GateHouse Media. By Suzette Martinez Standring More Content Now MailTribune.com By Suzette Martinez Standring More Content Now Posted May. 5, 2015 @ 12:56 pm » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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