On the final day of our grand journey we packed up early and walked down to Brennan’s where we had a breakfast that literally satisfied us until dinner time after we had returned home. I stuck with the traditional brunch that I have eaten there since my honeymoon…a salad, eggs Benedict and bananas Foster. As usual nothing disappointed me. It’s always a sure bet to get a wonderful meal and outstanding service at Brennan’s. 

I remembered our many visits there as I enjoyed my food. I was so young and inexperienced on my honeymoon that I almost felt overwhelmed. I had never been in such a luxurious place before. I did not even recognize the names of the food but I quickly understood what a remarkable place it was. We would later take our daughters and our grandchildren there and they would quickly adapt their palates to world class cuisine. Of course, bananas Foster would always be their favorite dish. Surely the flaming presentation helped to make its appeal. 

My favorite visit to Brennans was after hurricane Katrina when the city was still limping along and hoping to recover the glory of days before the storm. We were there with two of our grandchildren on the first morning when the restaurant had managed to book every table for the entire day. It had been two years since that had happened and the staff was overjoyed. When our waitress asked us where we lived, she became rapturous upon learning that we were from Houston. She spoke of how our city had been so kind to so many people in the terrible aftermath of the destruction of New Orleans. She literally began to cry as she thanked us and the people of our city. I cried as well. 

I always want to linger a bit longer in New Orleans but it was time to go. I had math classes scheduled for the following day and my father-in-law was eager to return to our home once again. We bid adieu to the French Quarter and drove around the city before finally heading west on our final leg.

The drive home down Interstate 10 was messy in spots but no worse than usual. At one point a billboard suggested that we tune our radio to a local Cajun station and the programming we found there was a hoot. The DJ spoke Louisiana French and the music was all sung in the local language. We got a kick out of hearing it and immersing ourselves in local culture one last time. Our last stop for gasoline led to meeting a wonderful woman with a heavy and lilting Cajun accent. She was adorable and instantly became one more memorable moment of the trip. 

After fourteen days away from home I had made many observations about our wonderful country. While we may at times appear to be bitterly and politically divided the truth is that there were incredibly good and welcoming people wherever we went. When we just accept people as they are, not as we want them to be, life is so much more pleasant. I suspect that we are all just passing through this life wanting to enjoy the best versions of existence. In the United States there are so many opportunities to lead comfortable and rewarding lives. 

Our country looks to me to be doing way better than most people are apt to believe. Life appeared to be mostly very good in state after state. If the trucks on the road were any indication our economy is buzzing. The same thinking goes for crowds in restaurants and stores and hotels. There is a vibrance all around and most people seemed to be genuinely happy in spite the struggles that we humans always have to endure. 

There were even migrant workers staying at one of our hotels. They got up early each morning and rushed off to work. At night they left their dusty boots outside their doors. They were quiet and obviously determined to work hard to have good lives. There was so much work to be done everywhere and signs of prosperity and rebuilding were quite encouraging. Virtually every single highway was being repaired or expanded. The infrastructures of the nation were enjoying major upgrades. So too were houses and buildings being erected. What I witnessed was a vibrant effort to move forward after the trials of the pandemic. We are adjusting and working toward a more normal way of living after a rare and tragic event. It takes time to overcome the hard times that affected the entire world, but here in the United States our progress is evident in spite of the great losses we have shared with the rest of the world. 

I know that not everyone is benefitting from the recovery equally. We still have those who are struggling mightily with addictions, mental and physical illnesses and the grinding hardships of poverty. I saw those things as well. I only wish that instead of allowing politicians to enrage us by blaming their opponents for everything that is bad, we would finally understand the importance of working together to make progress in eliminating the ills that seem to always be with us regardless of who is in charge. 

We still have much to do and we have the human and material resources to do remarkable things as long as we are willing to be inventive and patient. It’s up to us to include the ideas and enthusiasm of the young in our quest. We must demonstrate a growth mindset with the understanding that we will have both success and failures. It takes time and effort to accomplish great things. Our focus should be on building a better future, not carping about our differences. This country and our world is truly worth compromising and sacrificing to save. I hope we are up to the task.