We spent last week in Louisiana. Much of my family met Beatrix for the first time. It was instant love and quite special. Beatrix and I spent lots of time with my mom and sister. We also visited a good bit with my brothers and their families. Beatrix has many adoring older cousins.
Being with my mom and sister and watching them love and nurture Beatrix reminded me of what it must be like to live in tribal communities or in families which are multi-generational, like the Amish. I love many aspects of Amish culture by the way. There was so much sharing of duties and love. When one arm grew tired another was eager to take over and cuddle. Beatrix spent not a second out of sight of a loving adult's gaze and was most of the time in the arms of her wiser and protective clan members. Even during her wee hour feedings, mom woke up with me and soothed Beatrix while I fumbled in the kitchen getting her milk warmed up.
Pre-adolescent, grade school girls are quite an asset to the family, I learned. My nieces were little mamas in the making: holding Beatrix, entertaining her, and making sure she was well taken care of. They were so good with her. And so are preschool age boys. Simply amazing - the amount of nurturing and responsibility young children really are capable of handling. They revel in the empowerment and practice for the real thing with the comfort of adults close by.
For many reasons, I'm happy to return home to Austin. But for the intimate relations of living amongst my large family, I sorely miss my birth land.
