Unexpected things picked up from missions

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When one spends several years as a missionary, one does not always realize what one picks up from another culture until some time has passed back in the home culture. In my case, I just saw something one of our daughters picked up during our years in mission. You see, we went to missions as adults. But, our daughters went overseas during their formative years. Thus, while we learned many customs and learned how to adjust to them, it was a little different for our daughters. Our daughters did not precisely learn foreign customs. For them, they learned two sets of customs as part of their formation.

One set of customs were the customs used around the house and when we were on furlough. They were the customs of the “home” country, a place which they remembered and in which they actually lived less than they did in overseas locations, until we returned permanently to the USA. The other were the “street” customs, the customs of the country in which we lived. Those customs could be and were, at times, quite different from the customs of the home. Thus, we were much more egalitarian at home than in some of the cultures to which we ministered. But when we went on vacation down to the beach, we were a bit more conservative than some of the “European” culture swimsuits that we would see.

But, as I commented earlier, customs were mixed and matched, so that both we and our daughters will often tend to follow the custom which makes it easier or is more comfortable. So, today we are visiting our oldest daughter and our newest grandchild, who was just born this past week. Since this is the second child, she is faced with both taking care of a two-year old and keeping tabs on a newborn. So, she is using the same solution as generations of Altiplano Quechua women. (Note: the Altiplano are the high plains of the Andes Mountains of South America, around 10,000 ft. altitude). She took a blanket, folded it correctly (as per Quechua usage), and slung it around her shoulder and waist to form a sling that allows her to carry her baby safely, while walking around the house, doing chores, and keeping track of her oldest child.

Of course, the Orthodox love Holy Tradition, but this is not that. Yet, it is a loving tradition that has been passed down by generations of mothers, so that baby can be with them, slung in such a way that they can keep track of baby, and in such a way that baby can be easily fed “naturally.” I guess, in that sense, one could say that it is a tradition that is holy, a tradition that strengthens the bond between mother and child, and one that allows for a mother’s constant watchcare. We need more of that type of tradition being passed down in the Church and in society, from mother to daughter, from father to son.