This is the first New Year's Eve I am away from home. I have always rung in the new year with close family and friends in either Pennsylvania or our neighboring New Jersey. I have always heard my daddy's voice at midnight! This year is different; I'm not only in a different state but also time zone! I'm in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Staying up til midnight here is equivalent to staying up til one am at home! Needless to say I was exhausted come midnight. However watching the fireworks surrounded with my IU peers was nothing short of beautiful! I am so used to sharing hugs and kisses and phone calls at midnight but instead here we decorated our IU work crew shirts and watched out our windows over the seventh ward! We shared hugs but it was interesting for all of us!! As I watched I noticed how quiet it got! All of us momentarily fell into some sort of reflection mode. Well at least I know I did and here's why:
I always get nostalgic on New Year's Eve! I think about the past and the future! I smile and get scared, too. I always cry without a doubt on New Year's Eve. It's a thing I guess. But as I watched the fireworks, I couldn't help but think of two people: my grandmother Bea and the Air Force gentlemen we met in the French Quarter!
The Air Force man was just casually getting sno-balls with his family when we walked up next to him! Of course, because I am my fathers daughter, I started talking to him! We talked about everything from him growing up in NOLA to sno-ball flavored to the new year to him being in the Air Force! Suddenly I found myself thanking him for serving our country because I am a patriot through and through! But before I knew it, he was buying our sno-balls as a thank you for our service to his beloved city even after so many years after Hurricane Katrina! I almost cried.
My grandmother, Bea, who I describe as a fiesty Irish woman, was with me from the very beginning of this trip but especially at Mass last night! You see the reading was essentially the Irish Blessing! May The Lord shine his face on you always! I love that so much and I couldn't help but believe Bea's face was shining on me in this beautiful city! I also couldn't help but imagine her being here with me doing the same thing right next to me! Maybe she would have...maybe not! All I know is that I share Bea's spirit as so many have told me! They tell me I am just as likely to get arrested for the same reasons she did...I'll leave that to your imagination! But I know Bea would love this city as much as I do!!
As I thought of Bea and Mr. Air Force, my New Years resolution was confirmed! My goal for the year is to go out of my comfort zone and take more positive risks!! Bea and Mr. Air Force emulate both of those things!!! I couldn't have felt more blessed as I did at midnight last night during my reflection under the fireworks!! You see, I am all about spreading the love and in order to spread the love, I have to exit the comfort zone!! And in spreading the love I know I may be so vulnerable because the heart is human and because it is human it is fragile! But like father said at mass last night, the adventure of life is faith! Both Bea and Mr. Air Force emulated that as well!
And so for me this new year, I'll be allowing myself to be vulnerable upon exiting the comfort zone and loving! I know I am in for a huge adventure because of my faith! My The Lord bless you and keep you, my friends! Cheers to 2013!!!
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