The driveway is clear after two weeks of snow cover. The Old Man loves the sight of the concrete. I have a Subaru that is supposed to go through the deep snow. It was a challenge. Jonathon’s car was snowed in for a few days until he and Jennifer dug it out. Snow is a good time for reflection. Not just of shadows but inner shadows as well. We are conscious beings. ‘I think, therefore I am.’ Our world is so much larger than our present concerns. I saw this reality in New Orleans in the French Quarter. People who had decided to lean on the angels instead of their own understanding. So much of our understanding of relationships is transactional. You scratch my back, and I will scratch yours. I love those who love me. What have you done for me lately? Friends who you seldom hear from call you when you can be of service to their needs.

Our conscious self has an ongoing dialogue in our heads. The worries of the present, the past, and the future play out in our discussion with ourselves. How can we better our lot in life, we ask? Who must we kiss up to to gain favor in the workplace? Will a gift suffice, or shall we compromise our principles to ensure we keep our jobs, which we desperately need? People are fine until they interfere with the bottom line.

So it goes as we seek understanding. How did a piece of flesh that we call the brain develop a sense of self or consciousness? Evolution is not a complete answer. We know who we are and what we as individuals are about, and it did not come from a bit of grey matter. Dead Brains have been rigorously tested and revealed no mysteries. The soul has not been tested, weighed, or sliced into thin sections to observe under a microscope.

MJ, Aaron Jonathon, and the Old Man walked the joyful streets of the French Quarter. People greeted us with smiles of acceptance and love. We sat at the Carousel Bar in The Hotel Monteleone and felt at home. The bartender told us that he sees a lot of people, and he could tell that we were good people. We felt the joy surmounting sorrow. There was victory over suffering. Hope beyond the chaos of our current government.

So it seems we are so immersed in process and procedure that we have forgotten what we are seeking. What of kindness? What of empathy? How do we claim the title of Christian when Jesus preached to love each other and to welcome the stranger, the homeless, and the hungry?

‘I have been invited to partake of a King’s Cake by my new friends in the French Quarter,’ Chet proclaimed with joy. ‘The King Cake is a traditional New Orleans delicacy associated with Mardi Gras, typically a ring-shaped pastry or brioche dough covered in purple, green, and gold icing or sugar. The cake is part of a celebration that begins on January 6th (Epiphany or King’s Day) and lasts until Mardi Gras Day. A small plastic baby is traditionally hidden inside the cake, and the person who finds it is said to have good luck and is responsible for providing the next cake.’