A Lesson in Letting Go From My Mother

This delicious essay is a paean to a mother who nourishes and nurtures, is selfless, gracious, and wise. . . even when a domestic ritual changed forever. The source of many happy memories for the writer as a teen was watching her mother make fresh roti (Indian bread). There was a process she followed -- one that was methodical, careful, and slow, that included plenty of leisurely talk while calmly juggling several tasks at once. An essential instrument in this process was her chokla, the round, marble surface on which she shaped the dough. This particular chokla was a special piece with a long history. Its surface helped shape nourishment that over the years filled many souls and lifted many spirits...Read on to learn the fate of the chokla and the insights it revealed.

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