My mother and I share a traveling bug to see new places.  We have gone on ambitious road trips, e.g. Albany, Ga., to Memphis, and Albany, Ga., to Key West.  She was the passenger and I was the driver with all the directions and plans.

Recently, she would raise the possibility of another grand trip.  This spring, ideas were tossed around for a Canadian jaunt to the Bay of Fundy and religious shrines.  But my mother’s health concerns sunk that plan.

The focus turned toward day trips.   You can read about the three we went on:

• June 26: National Shrine of the Divine Mercy.
• July 10: Shrine of Our Lady of the Island.
• July 16: Three religious sites in Washington, D.C.

Immediately, after my D.C. trip, my mother raised the idea of visiting Teddy Roosevelt’s home in Oyster Bay, N.Y.  But she decided not to go through with it.  She favors religious sites now.

The only time she wouldn’t let me drive is when she and a friend go around the neighborhood distributing Holy Communion.

Meanwhile, my mother was so used to me backing the car out of the driveway that when I needed help shuffling cars, she had trouble getting her car out of the driveway.  I had to jump in and back the car out.

Oh, well.

I appreciate spending time with my mother and being her chauffeur.  It’s a tiny way of giving thanks for all that she has done for me.