Are We More Alike Than Different?

We are waiting on a grandchild named Moses, and he’s coming at the end of October.

Late one evening recently, his mom and dad arrived from North Carolina clutching photos from his ultrasound. Both parents-to-be were still in awe at seeing his head of hair on a high-tech television monitor.

A few days later, aunts, cousins and neighbors who had known his dad since he was a little boy gathered for a baby shower.

I wonder how long women have gathered with the pregnant women to offer support and advice?

Did the Hebrew women gather at the Nile River thousands of years ago to share their stories? Did the Egyptian women join them?

And where were the grandmothers? Were they right in the center of the conversations, or were they off to the side watching their other grandchildren?

My daughter-in-law grew up in the Hispanic culture, and we’ve talked about the differences we see between Anglo and Hispanic. There are many, but I think the similarities are greater.

It seems to me that in every gathering of women the conversation always heads back to their families. Women of every age have sacred memories of their children that are deeply etched into some part of their brains.

They seem to be able to recall the tiniest details about their precious children when they were younger. And, it seems to me, they love to share those memories.

They remember their babies cooing, their toddlers walking, their children’s first days of school, and how barren the empty nest is.

And, sometimes, if you ask them they will tell you how they pray for their children.

I’ve noticed that as I age my prayers get narrower. Now I pray for the health of those I love who are in my generation, and I pray for blessings on my children.

And, of course, I pray for my sweet grandchildren.

I’m sure that the grandmothers of Moses, Aaron and Miriam did the same.

There is one thing that I’m sure of:  grandmothers around the world in every culture want the very best for their grandchildren.

Israeli and Palestinian grandmothers. Russian and Ukrainian grandmothers. Anglo, Hispanic, African-American, Jewish, Arab and Asian grandmas all want the same thing here in this country.

It’s pretty simple. We want our grandchildren to live their lives in a world filled with peace and kindness.