Our Freedom's...

The flag and our freedom has always had a tender spot in my heart. For over twenty years of being the wife of an Air Force man has brought with it a high awareness of the constitution - although I admit I can't recite it :O)

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This week brought me another alertness and opportunity to serve our freedom's. Saturday I received in the mail a summons to jury service. I think, "oh my gosh - it says I have to appear for jury duty on April 2nd... don't they know my grand-daughter will be here to visit?" I mean I don't get to see her all that often and I had plans to go over and visit with them. She's here from Washington state. Anyway I determine that maybe being out of town would be a good excuse, so I decide I'll call Monday morning and see if I can get out of it.

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( Yes, I know - this doesn't sound like alertness or opportunity to serve does it? Be patient...)

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Monday I call as planned. She said, "if you cancel now then the next time you're summoned you will have to go no matter what or you could take a chance of being held in contempt. But we do have an opening tomorrow if you would like to take it - then you won't have to go on the 2nd." I decided that would be a good deal...

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So off I go on Tuesday (yesterday) morning. I got up at 5:30 and got ready to go to Florence, AZ to the courthouse. All the way there I was worried that if I got selected for jury service there was a possibility that I would be tied up with jury service through the whole week that said grand-daughter was here! Now that would not be appreciated!!! I got there and was ushered into a roomful of others waiting to see if they will be selected. We watched a video, were given a pep talk, and ushered upstairs on the elevator ten at a time. We went into the courtroom and filed in and sat on the benches. There must have been close to 100 -125 of us waiting to see if we would be selected in the one court room. I was not selected... they chose 24 to start with and after lunch they were going to whittle them down to 13 to be on the jury.

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But as I watched the video downstairs and watched the proceedings I realized a couple of things: One that our country has a great constitution and many great freedoms and that we quite often take them for granted. Another is that it is a privilege to be able to sit on a jury and help keep the laws of this great nation. But lastly and maybe the funny thing is - I wouldn't have even qualified for this case anyway because: I have an Uncle who served in the FBI for many years then became a lawyer. I have a nephew who now is in the FBI. I have a nephew who is on the Boarder Patrol & a son-in-law also. I have a cousin who is a Judge in Phoenix. I have a friend in Hermiston who is a Judge. I have a friend and neighbor who is a police officer here. And lastly and probably most importantly is that my husband was head of Security for 25 years and was, just before he retired, instrumental in working with the Border Patrol and FBI in capturing drug runners - he was even driven off the road by some on his way home from work one time.

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Lots of family and friends of mine are and were directly involved in protecting the laws of this great Country - the United States of America. So they probably wouldn't have selected me on this jury this time anyway if I had been one of the first names called up to be interviewed...

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I love our Country, our flag, our constitution! Enough soap box...

~ Joyce