Reflection

It's funny how we wait for special times to reflect on our lives. Birthdays, anniversaries and the ending of a calendar year. When I was a little girl I would watch my Grandmother as she sat in her old metal chair in her yard. She would sit for an hour or more just looking out over the back pasture of her farm. I wondered what she was doing! Wasn't she bored? How could she just sit there for so long...doing nothing? One day, as our summer vacation was coming to an end, I asked her what she was doing. I will remember her answer for as long as I live. She said that she liked to sit outside where she could hear all of the nature sounds. She said that it calmed her mind so she could think back on how she had spent her time during the past day or so. She said that she saw herself doing or saying things that may have been less than kind and she would ask God for forgiveness. She said that she also saw herself doing or saying things that were very kind and she thanked God for giving her the chance to do or say those things and asked for more chances to do or say kind things. Then she said that she "played a movie" in her head of how my sisters and I had grown from little babies. She pictured how we would grow up and have families of our own. She said that she tried to imagine all of the things we would see and do in our lives. I was confused and thought that this must be what old folks do and went on playing around the farm that was full of adventures.

My Mom, the youngest of her 8 children, was the only one to truly move away from the small town. At the time we were living in a suburb of Washington DC and were lucky enough to see and do all kinds of cool things. She knew that my sisters and I would go places and see things that most of our cousins wouldn't. We would live lives that, in her mind, were filled with adventure! You see, my Grandmother lived on the same farm that she moved to when she turned 18 and married my Grandfather. Actually, they married before she was 18, on a roadside in Summerfield, North Carolina. My Grandfather asked that the reverend not send the marriage certificate to the courthouse until January 20th, 1918 which was my Grandmother's 18th birthday. The certificate was found in the archives and the note on the back read something like, "Mr. Davenport asked that I hold onto this until January 20th. The ceremony was held on the roadside in Summerfield and I lost track on this and only just found it in a desk drawer."

My Grandmother lived to be 99 years young and passed away a little over a month before her 100th birthday. As an adult I appreciate how smart she was. Not in the ways of the world, she never even learned to drive a car, but in the ways of the heart and mind. I try to make time to sit and reflect like she did. I hope one day I have a grandchild who watches me as I sit outside in my chair…reflecting. I also hope that child asks me what I’m doing so I can share what I learned from my Grandmother. I will smile because I will know that my grandchild thinks I’m nuts. I will pray that he or she will remember what I said and will come to appreciate the wonderful peace that reflection brings to the heart.

I’m just saying……….

The day after the verdict

Yesterday Casey Marie Anthony was found not guilty for the murder of her daughter, 3 year old Caylee Marie Anthony. Along with millions of others, I watched as the verdicts were read. Okay, so the DA failed to prove his case on the murder charges. Not knowing when or how that baby died would make it a difficult task. What I really don't get is how she was found guilty only of lying to law enforcement. If she was not guilty of the crimes that she was accused of, what did she lie about? Not only that, but the fact that she knew that her child was missing, for over a month, and didn't report it would indicate that she was guilty of something. Child neglect is what comes to my mind.

How will she move forward? I imagine that her father won't want to be too involved in her life, after all she did allow her defense team to accuse him of sexual abuse. I can't imagine she will have an easy time of it finding a job, though I bet she could make a small fortune on book and movie deals so a job may not be necessary.

Moreover how will we, as a society, move forward? Will we be jaded with regard to the justice system? Will citizens try harder to get out of jury duty, or perhaps stop trying to get out of it? Will Casey Marie Anthony try to find the real killer? I pray that soon the Orange County Sheriff's Office will find that Caylee was abducted and killed by a stranger, find that stranger and bring him or her to justice. Only then will I be able to feel good about all of those "not guilty" verdicts. I just saying.....

Where is the Justice in our Justice System?

Here, in the Tampa Bay area, we are constantly bombarded with coverage of the Casey Anthony trial. Having been summoned for jury duty 10 times and serving 5 times I am familiar with the routine. In fact I have summons number 10 sitting on my desk and I am scheduled to report on July 18th.

The first jury I served on was the case of a Police Officer who was working off duty at an office of the DMV. YIKES! He got into a scuffle with a man and was punched in the face. Of course he arrested the man for disorderly conduct and the charge of assault on a law enforcement officer (LEO) was later added. He was in court fighting the assault charge. Based on what? The fact that the officer was working a "side job" and therefore not really a law enforcement officer so how could he be charged with assault on a LEO? Really? These officers are on duty all of the time, are they not? Does and off duty cop not step in when he sees someone violate the law, whether the uniform is on or not?

We listened to 2 days of testimony. The Defense based its case on the fact that at the time of the assault, the officer was not on the City payroll, yet he was in uniform. Then the Defense argued whether or not the officer clearly identified himself as a LEO. Really? For me the uniform, gun and shiny badge would have been a huge clue. Closing arguments were made and we deliberated, briefly. Guilty on all counts.

I just can't wait to see what this next jury experience holds. I'll keep you posted.

Spring Training

It seems like forever ago when Buster Posey caught the last strike of the 2010 World Series! I have watched the off season wheeling and dealing. The deals that some teams have made clearly reflect the economy, as they buy generic or geriatric! Others throw a wad of cash and come out looking like geniuses.

I grew up a New York Yankees fan and was sad when we moved to Tampa Bay and found no professional sports at all! We did get the Rowdies, a very fun professional soccer team but the void left with no baseball or football was huge. The Bucs came along and although my heart belonged to the Washington Redskins, I adapted. College baseball became my fix. The USF Bulls had some success and it was a lot of fun to go to their games but it just wasn't the same. Then the Tampa Yankees became my dose of baseball. We saw many future stars get their start on the same field that the USF Bulls played on. This was well before Legends Field, now known as Steinbrenner Field, was ever thought of. My oldest daughter developed a crush on a teen aged Derek Jeter there. We watched Andy Pettitte grow into a pitching phenom and believe it or not, Mariano Rivera's English hasn't always been as good as it is now!

My first Spring Training game of the season is this Saturday. I find myself wondering what I will wear. I need to buy sunscreen. Is there room in my score book for more than a few games? How weird will it be to look up at the Boss's box and not see him sitting there, signing baseballs for the kids and giving them hats? I am certain it will be weird!

Is it Saturday yet?