Is this the reason I have the travel-bug?

 Why do I want to travel?

Why do feel an urge to explore different countries?

Why does my heart skip a beat when I hear people talk about Paris and London?

Why does the thought of a car trip to a new destination excite me?

Why do I daydream of Irish castles and Scottish hills?

Why can't I just be happy with where I am?

^^^^^These questions have been bugging me for a while. At first, I didn't really have an answer. Then, I truly thought about it......and came to this conclusion: it's because of Mom-mom.

For those of you who don't know, Mom-mom was my dad's mom. She died of cancer on January 1st, 2010. She was an amazing woman, full of love for her family and Jesus. Her laugh was contagious, her smile warm and gentle. She was funny, too, and always had a new story to tell.

She also loved to travel.

When I was little and before she got sick, Mom-mom and Pop {my step-grandpa} would take vacations to all sorts of places. And no matter where she went, Mom-mom always made sure to bring something back for me.

Russia: Matryoshka nesting dolls and a necklace
Hawaii: shell necklace and hula outfit
London: A little doll that looks like a guard at Buckingham palace
Holland: A wee pair of wooden clogs on a keychain
Jamaica: A soft little doll
Germany: A necklace that has German lace in it
France: A minature replica of the Eiffel Tower

All these items have a special place in my heart. And not just because they were brought back from different countries......because Mom-mom picked each item out speficically for me.

As she started to get more sick, my family spent a lot of time at her house. She recounted each vacation she and Pop took. Finally, I asked her to write down all the places she had been around the world. She smiled and said that she would have a list in a few days.

Sure enough, by our next visit, Mom-mom had written down every country she had traveled too. As I ran my finger down all the names, I made a promise to myself: Someday, I would walk in Mom-mom's footsteps and go everywhere she had gone.

A few months later, Mom-mom had gone to join Jesus. For quite a while, the things I missed most were her laugh and hugs. Then, in the back of my mind, I remembered something:

Whenever she returned from a trip, Mom-mom would say to me, "I cannot wait until you are older and you can join me and Pop on a trip!" I would get so excited and be like, "Yeah, me neither! I wonder where we'll go?"

This is what I miss most about Mom-mom: the chance to travel the world with her, to experience all sorts of new sights with her. I'll never eat with her in a Parisian cafe, or take pictures of Big Ben, or look at the beauty of Ireland together.

So I think that is why I have such an urge to travel: because of what Mom-mom and I never got to do together. And because of that promise I made that night, that I would indeed walk in her footsteps.

Maybe in the new Heaven and the new earth, we'll have different countries. I hope so, for I really don't want to miss out on an adventure with Mom-mom......an adventure we never got to take here on earth.