"My son, my chosen and beloved: Share your wounds with your mother"

Lamentation of the Holy Cross Monastery from the "Lysagóra Songs"

My son, my chosen and beloved

Share your wounds with your mother

And because, dear son, I have always carried you in my heart,

And always served you faithfully

Speak to your mother, to make her happy,

Although you are already leaving me, my cherished hope

My dearest mother, I would have shared my wounds with you, but I knew that there was too much sorrow in your heart already. Now, I weep for us both as I ponder the sum of our sorrowful lives. 

The life you have lived is wrought with pain; pain which would have overcome a lesser person. But now I am left with these questions:

Am I the son you wanted? Have I met your expectations? And when you think of your son, do you feel overcome with joy? Does the thought of me bring a smile to your face? Are you proud of the man I have become?