I'm No Judy Flores

Stella Maris

I spent time this past couple of weeks speaking with older Chamoru women I know about, what seemed like, everything under Guam's bright sun.  I always find my conversations with different generations of Chamorro's special.  Hearing the experiences of others on this island always end up enriching my experience here.  I confided in some of them about feelings I have been having toward the Catholic faith.  Like many of the older women I ended up speaking with, I've grown up with an attachment to the Virgin Mary.  I don't think I'm ready to write much about how I feel on this subject.  I'm still sorting it out.  But one of the things I saw clearly was that through different stages of our island's history after contact with Spain, Chamorro women have reached out to her, requesting that she protect this island and keep what we love in tact.  When I went home, I tried to write a blog entry but realized I still had quite a bit of thinking to do.  I ended up organizing my thoughts with color pencils, water colors, and a big window in front of the jungle.  A picture I saw a few years ago of the Stella Maris has always been one of my favorite images of Our Lady.  She was cradling a Spanish ship in the water, with images of European culture and travelers behind her.  I always imagined her cradling a sakman instead.



I did this one after speaking with women who are from the MongMong, Toto, and Maite area.  All of them have Cancer.  They had spent many years eating kang kong near the river, eating fish from there, and washing their clothes.  Again, I really didn't know what to say after hearing all they had to share and ended up playing around with my color pencils.  I Saddok