Mother o’ Mine
Feb 01, 2022 06:00AM ● By Paul Chen
My mother passed away a little over a week ago. She lived in Atlanta, and I am the only one of three siblings that live here, too. Declining health—from sciatica, to spinal stenosis, to cancer, to Parkinson’s—was her companion for 13 years, and I was her caretaker.
It almost goes without saying that work is a real struggle right now, so in lieu of words from me, here are a few from Kipling. Ideally, parental love is unconditional, and for the most part, I knew I could count on Mom. ❧
Mother o’ Mine
If I were hanged on the highest hill,
Mother o’ mine, O mother o’ mine!
I know whose love would follow me still,
Mother o’ mine, O mother o’ mine!
If I were drowned in the deepest sea,
Mother o’ mine, O mother o’ mine!
I know whose tears would come down to me,
Mother o’ mine, O mother o’ mine!
If I were damned of body and soul,
I know whose prayers would make me whole,
Mother o’ mine, O mother o’ mine!
– Rudyard Kipling ❧
Paul Chen has been owner/publisher of Natural
Awakenings Atlanta franchise since January 2017.
He is a practicing Buddhist and a founding member
of East Lake Commons, a cohousing community
