Time flies even in winter. Soon it will be a month since Christmas. Time marches on. The French Quarter took a place in the Old Man’s heart. I did not expect it. We visited New Orleans in May 2013. It was horribly hot and humid. We took the streetcars from our Airbnb, and our clothes were drenched with sweat. The Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter changed our perspective and our level of enjoyment. The cooler weather and lower humidity helped make our recent journey more enjoyable. A wonderful way to begin the New Year. We want to do it again.

We spent our first day in the Quarter walking nearly five miles around the area. That may not sound like a lot, but for the Old Man, it was fierce. We watched a military ceremony at Jackson Square. The brass band was inspiring. A homeless man checked each outside trash can for food. There is joy and sadness living side by side.

People are reaching for Heaven. Their music is joyful. Their faces are happy with seeking eyes. There is a commitment to living life on their own terms. New Orleans is a diverse community. The spiritual etheral environment is compelling. Different is good, and the French Quarter proves it. We live in a homogenized country if we accept what many fundamentalists tell us. They tell us that we must be like them, and they have stolen the title Christian for only their narrow, biased views. Churches are loseing people because those who are looking for meaning and purpose do not see it in the gathering of politics/religion.

New Orleans is authentic. No masks of holiness over others. The common denominator is humanity. The point is love and acceptance. The Monteleone was our Cruise Ship of rest when the excitement became too much. I can see why Truman Capote and Eudora Welty liked it so much. The French Quarter is a release valve on the pressure cooker of life in Authoritarian Times. An oasis to be yourself and not fear the judgmental eyes of the religious and political elite. I am, in my unique humanity, so let us be friends.

Spirits watch their ancestors and their loved ones. Angels rejoice with the joyful noise of the jazz bands and singing. Ghosts dance alongside the party of happy people. There is a pulling away of the curtain that separates this world from the next. What is seen is beyond imagination or words.