Jury Duty--Serving Justice, Serving the Community
I'm sitting in a plain, uninspiring room, yet it's only now that I am inspired enough/have enough time to finally update again. This is a common theme in my life (not jury duty, but the lack of time). It's Jury Duty Day, everybody! And as annoying as it is to have to check whether or not I'm being called in for almost a week (and therefore not really know how my days are going to go for that amount of time), I'm mildly excited. Only mildly (in case I don't get chosen).
The thing is, I actually WANT to serve on a jury. I'm pretty sure teaching is one of the few professions that will actually pay you while you are gone (and so the $15 a day that they pay you is not prohibitive), and I've always wanted to be 12 angry men. I'd be a great juror, I think. I'm extremely ethical (though I'm sure the judges & lawyers would not always agree with my ethics). I have a strong sense of justice (though I think our system does a poor job at dispensing justice--I won't tell them that). I can't be pushed around by other people. And, damnit, I think it would be FASCINAtTING to be involved in a case.
But, I want it to be a murder case. Or some other high-stakes, high-interest case. This is much more selfish than civic-minded ness, I know, but still. With my luck, I'd actually get chosen to sit on a jury, and it would be about insurance fraud or something equally mundane.
A couple days ago, I was in a funk. Something about how the fathers of my children make them cry, and I feel so helpless and angry and hurt. But I was reminded how good I have it and how important it is to look beyond my own wallowing by a destitute young couple and their baby.
I was waiting in the car while Chris was getting food from the grocery store. He gets in and tells me about how, as he was walking in, a woman started to ask for...he (nicely) cut her off and said he had no cash on him (which was true), and she said, "No money...food?" (she had an accent like she was from Eastern Europe--English was not her first language). He looks at her. REALLY looks at her. And the man she's with, and their barely-walking baby. It was impressed upon his heart to do something (and I am so grateful to be with someone who has his heart). He goes in to buy us food and buys a huge sandwich (really, 3 full sandwiches long) and some baby food for the baby. He hands it to them on his way out.
As we're sitting in the car, and he is pointing them out and telling me the story, we see them stop asking for money/food and start eating. The baby is jumping up and down over the baby food. They were obviously truly hungry, and I want so badly to do more for them. My throat is thick just recounting this. He had gotten cash while in the store, and he gave me $10 to give to them. They were so grateful.
Still. I wish I could do more. In repayment for the reminder that my life is beautiful. That doing what we can for our fellow humans is a fulfilling duty. That there is more outside my narrow world. Maybe it's strange, but I have this overwhelming feeling of love for these people. I want to find them again. To give them more.
For now, my more is in the form of jury duty. But I want to find some sort of charitable activity this summer. I want to help.
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