I am on a “killer” two day trip. I left yesterday morning for Houston where I had a meeting at 1:00 pm. Since we are now on daylight savings time I stayed in Houston for mincha/maariv at 7:15 pm and then took a 10:00pm flight to Denver. This morning I left my hotel at 6:00 am to make a 6:45 am minyan so that I would be on time for my 8:00 am client meeting. I am scheduled to return on a 4:30 pm flight this afternoon.

I will definitely miss mincha and likely maariv as well since the flight is scheduled to arrive at BWI at 9:40 pm. There is a very slight chance that I could make kaddish at the Yeshiva tonight. But given the stronger likelihood that I will not make it I have asked a friend to say kaddish for me.

Houston was fairly “routine” since I was just there a few weeks ago. Denver has turned out to be a pleasant surprise. When I was last here a few months ago I had difficulty locating the shul in the dark and ended up davening at a Chabad shul whichI found because it had an illuminated roadside sign. This morning I planned on returning to that Chabad shul but since I arrived early I ventured out to see if I could locate the other shul. I succeeded and davened in the East Denver Orthodox Shul. It was a very nice minyan, well attended and efficient. One added benefit for me today was that they learned a halacha after Shachris and recited an “extra” kaddish.

This trip is likely my last “real” trip before I conclude saying kaddish. Next Monday night I have to be in Brooklyn to attend the chupah of a friend’s daughter’s wedding and that should not, hopefully, present much of a challenge. My remaining scheduled travel as of now is all after I conclude saying kaddish.

While I will surely not miss the stress and the extra days of travel, I will miss the satisfaction of fulfilling my sacred responsibility as a son and my daily connection to my mother a”h.