Trip to mom's should help calm fears

I am on my way to my mother’s today. I have to see for myself what she is talking about when she says a tree fell down. I can’t get a straight answer as to whether it is the entire tree or just a major branch. I do know that it didn’t fall on the house.
I talked to my brother, David, yesterday and he assured me that he and my other brother, Michael, would take care of the cleanup eventually. I still don’t know if there was any damage they haven’t told me about or even who the tree belongs to. I don’t know if it is a maple or mulberry as I am getting conflicting reports.
Incomplete information is one of the problems of living as far away from them as I do. It is also one of the perks. Michael and David get to deal with disasters and I don’t. All I have to do is listen to the panic on the phone as Mom tells me about the latest problem. Then I have to decide if it is a minor thing that can be ignored or if I need to go down there to smooth things over.
I live in fear of the possibility that one day it will be me who calls my daughter in a panic. I am terrified that I might turn into a woman who is afraid of everything. I am apprehensive that I might someday become the person who wishes a downed tree had fallen on the neighbor’s fence because it is ugly and she wants it replaced with something nicer.
In the mean time, I will make the long drive to check out the damage and spend the day with her. Even if I have no intention of cleaning up the mess, I can provide a distraction for a few hours.
I am a little uneasy about making the trip to Ohio. The last time I went down for the afternoon, I ended up sleeping on her couch for two nights. I had to go shopping because I hadn’t brought a change of clothes. Worst of all, our yard and most of the town had turned into a lake while I was gone.
Once I finally returned home I had to rescue a jade plant from the middle of the intersection and a kalanchoe from behind the garage. Thankfully, the inside of the house was as dry as the outside was wet. I am trusting that the rain clouds will not have another major hissy fit this afternoon. I am expecting the drive home to be uneventful and dry.
When I talked to David yesterday, he told me he and his wife had bought a new car. It only had 10,000 miles on it. That may be the lowest mileage of any vehicle he has ever purchased. It is a hybrid and he wants to show it off. I assume this means I will get to see him while I am at Mom’s.
The possibility of seeing one or both of my brothers is a bonus. Sometimes it is tiring to be faced with an entire afternoon of gloom and doom.
It didn’t used to be this way. A trip home used to be filled with laughter and fun. Now, it is a matter of calming fears and catching up on chores that Mom can no longer do herself. Laughter is getting rarer and rarer and it makes me sad.
I know that this is a normal progression of life, yet it bothers me. Years ago, when lightning struck our cottonwood, it was just an ordinary thing. Today, a downed tree is a major concern. I miss the days of yore, and I know Mom does, too.
I’m on my way to Mom’s today. Maybe I can alleviate her fears for a few hours. Maybe I can even make her laugh.