Jury Duty

So, last Monday I had to report for Jury Duty at 8 a.m. sharp. This meant leaving at 7:20 so I could get all the way downtown and park. I arrived on time and sat around for over an hour with the other 270 or so lucky people who had been called in. We were divided into 3 groups for the 3 judges hearing cases and sent to our courtrooms. My group actually waited in the hall for another half hour or so before we were let into the courtroom. We were seated on some long wooden benches (with no padding), and crammed close together so all 70+ of us could fit. Then the fun began! The lawyers got to ask us all sorts of questions and then everyone would reply. This lasted for about 2 hours until we were allowed a lunch-break. Being 30 weeks pregnant, I was SO uncomfortable by then! My legs were falling asleep and everything hurt. After having lunch and walking around, I felt much better. Of course, then I had to go back in for "Round 2" of questioning. This round lasted for 3 hours, and I was seriously about to cry I was hurting so badly by the end of it. Luckily, I was not one of the 12 people chosen to sit on the jury and I was so relieved! This trial was for a man accused of strangling his girlfriend until she passed out and forcing entry into her home. They expected the trial to last for about 4 days, and I just couldn't figure out how I could sit through 4 days of court, not to mention what would I do with my 5 children? Most of the kids were sick last week too, which would have made things even more interesting if I had been gone. The Jury Selection process was interesting, but I strongly feel that I need to be spending my time here at home taking care of these kids right now. I will not shirk my duty when I am asked, but I am glad I was not asked to do more this week. Maybe at a later point in life I will be asked to do Jury Duty again and will be able to do it without hesitation or complaint, but for now I am so grateful that my prayers were answered! Perhaps I am selfish and should complain less, but this is my honest report on my experience (for whatever it is worth!). :)