Cold weather has settled in for a winter’s nap. Christmas has come and gone, and the New Year is growing older. Thoughts of Valentine’s Day and Easter are dancing in our heads. One week ago, we were on Amtrak returning from New Orleans. The holiday we had experienced left us happy and full of wonder. People danced and sang for the joy of art. Hope reigned in the teeth of fear. Life thrived without a authoritarian influence or government. People reached for Heaven while their feet stood on Earth.

When I was a child, television and magazines advertised X-Ray Glasses. These glasses gave you the ability to see the bones of those you met. I think we had a bit of X-Ray spectacles on in the French Quarter. All was not as it seemed. There was a story behind the story. Spirits were watching the dancing, singing, and music. There was a stairway for the young and an escalator for the Golden Year Crowd between Heaven and Earth. Angels and humans ascending and descending while the jazz music played and the congregation danced.

‘I have never seen anything like this nor felt like I do,’ Jane said. ‘There is a joy and peace here that is encompassing,’ Jane continued. ‘The lovely woman singing on the corner has a voice like rushing water and a face of perfect joy,’ Jane observed. ‘I spoke to her before she began performing and she told me of the many hard years of her life, the suffering and tears,’ Jane noted with tears in her eyes. ‘Her singing is directly from her experiences,’ Jane whispered. ‘She told me that she found peace in the French Quarter among kind people,’ Jane said. ‘Here are the Seekers, the woman with the intoxicating voice told me,’ Jane said. ‘People do not judge each other, they seek to help and to live in harmony with Heaven,’ Jane mused.

‘I have been the Head Bartender at the Carousel Bar for the past ten years,’ Ezra said. ‘I see a lot of people, and many are unhappy or searching for peace outside their minds,’ Ezra continued. ‘Some seek the answers to their lack of place and unhappiness in another drink,’ Ezra noted. ‘They look for outside magic when magic comes first from within,’ Ezra explained. ‘Other people experience the leaping of their souls when the spirit hits them, and they rejoice for the communion between them and the angels,’ Ezra laughed with joy. ‘When you are touched by the spirit of God, you experience something extraordinary,’ Ezra smiled. ‘Then you see what it is all about and why you’re here,’ Ezra danced behind the bar.

‘The man danced in the street in a state of bliss,’ Chet said. ‘He was in another world,’ Chet continued. ‘The spirit of his art captivated those who watched him,’ Chet noted. ‘He seemed to be praying through his dance,’ Chet explained. ‘There are many ways to talk to God,’ Chet smiled.