I know what it means to miss New Orleans

In case you don't know there is a song that goes "Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?" I can certainly answer "YES!" to that. I find that everything reminds me of New Orleans. When I was first in NOLA it was striking to me that in nearly every conversation anybody had it always eventually connected to Katrina. Now that I have left the Crescent City in nearly every conversation I have I make a connection with something I experienced in New Orleans.

Last night when we went out as a local community in anticipation for our lay volunteer's year ending. We dined at a restaurant in New Jersey which had old European decor. There were several flags with symbols that might appear on a coat of arms. The flag I could most clearly see from where I was seated, was gold with purple trim had a green Fleur De Le on it; of course that reminded me of New Orleans. After we ate we decided to walk along the Camden Water front which reminded me of the River Walk in New Orleans. The ferry that takes commuters across the Delaware River resembled the boat that ferries people across the Mississippi River from Algiers to the French Quarter. At some point in order not to annoy my community or appear to be as obsessed with New Orleans as I really am, I decided that I did not have to state aloud how everything we passed, including a broken lamp post, reminded me of New Orleans.

I miss New Orleans so much, only because it was such a wonderful experience. While I have moments of grief, sadness and longing, ultimately the primary emotion is gratitude because I truly appreciate the opportunity I had to go there, the people I met, the experiences, all that I saw and learned.