At about 2:00 AM this morning, I arrived back home from my
study abroad trip to Italy. However, though I was happy to be home, there was a
noticeable presence absent in my welcoming party; it was my mom’s. Mom and I
were always close, but on May 31st (the day before I left for Italy)
she passed into eternity. My mom played many roles in my life, and on that fateful
day, I said goodbye to a friend, a teacher, a comforter, and of course my first
travel partner.
As I was unpacking this morning from my latest trip, and got
ready to put my passport away, I saw another passport; it was my mom’s. As I
look at the stamps in her passport, each stamp tells a story that always
involved the both of us. Together we have traveled tens of thousands of miles,
via trains, boats, planes, cars, and even on foot to over 25 countries on 5
continents.
It was my Wondering Jew of a mom, with her adventuresome spirit
who helped instill in me my deep love of travel, she always pushed me to go to new
places, and to try new things. She was the one who taught me how to pack, book
a flight, and maneuver through an airport; I owe so much of my travel experience
to her.
It is a hard thought for me to think that mom and I will never
travel on this earth together again. But just because she will not physically travel
with me again, does not mean that I will not carry her with me; no matter where
I go, she will always be in my heart.
So, I say: “Farewell, Mom; we’ll travel heaven together
someday!”
Mendenhall Glacier, AK (2015)
