i need your grace to remind me to find my own

forty minutes into my drive to pick up my mom from the airport in new orleans, i remembered that i had forgotten my camera at home. boo.
so, for this trip, i will give a synopsis in word rather than picture.
new orleans is, in general, an interesting place. there are all kinds of people: from local street performers just trying to make a buck to tourists who enjoy the bars and a feeling of anonymity. (most of them are accountants, i'm sure of it). depending on where in new orleans you are you can experience a hundred different vacations. there's the cute part of town, a quick drive down magazine st. where you can find local restaurants, antique stores, and of course the comfort of a starbucks. in the french quarter you can find voodoo shops and tourist traps along side some of the most historic and famous buildings (and bars) in our country. it's a beautiful, strange, enchanting, and foul place. it's bourbon street and beignets, it's coffee and bloody marries.

the most general of descriptions would be 'diverse' in terms of culture. there's creole, and italian, and there are blacks and whites and people who've spray painted themselves silver.

to me, new orleans is like one of those small snow globes your aunt brings you as a present from her vacation in montana. you can see our whole world in new orleans.

it's a mixture of tourists and locals; dives and five stars.

walking the streets of new orleans reminds me just how small i am, and just how infinitely big the Lord is. on his heart and mind is not just the issues that concern my heart but also the concerns and passions and desires of everyone around me. every person on the street has an issue. my God knows that issue, and resonates with that issue, regardless of who the person is.
and he loves them, because they belong to him, they are his children. i am humbled that the Lord knows my heart, but i am amazed that mine is just one of billions.
new orleans reminds me of grace. i have a hard time grasping the concept, but my heart loves the feeling. and my heart loves new orleans.