QUALITY TIME...WITH ANNA

On Thursday afternoon at approximately 2:30 pm I was finally dismissed from jury duty after 3 days of service. I had to go back Wednesday at 1:30 pm because the lawyers and the judge were unable to finish questioning the first 18 prospective jurors on the stand. At 4:25 later that day, when the 12 jurors had finally been chosen, the judge advised us that they needed two altnernate jurors. Hence, therefore, thus, we were asked to come back Thursday morning at 10:30 am. We all got there that day and waited in the hallway until 11:55 am only to be told by the court clerk that we were being sent to lunch until 1:45 pm! At 2:00 pm we get in the courtroom, they question 5 more prospective alternate jurors and pick 2. I wasn't even sent to the panel for questioning. At 2:30 pm 5 of us were dismissed.

So I had a whole afternoon to myself after completing my jury service for the year. I really didn't mind all the waiting that this process involved. I basically read for 3 days, had lunch with Tita Cecile in Japantown and learned a plethora of information I probably wouldn't have learned had I not sat in that courtroom for 3 days. FYI, I have a new respect for lawyers. Can't even begin to imagine the amount of information they have to know and the weight of their jobs.

After I left the courthouse, I decided that the afternoon was much too precious to waste sitting at home napping or watching tv, so I walked a block down to see the Cathedral because in the year or so since it's been built, I never found the time to visit. I went to the gift shop first then headed to the church. WOW PRETTY!! I have to admit that at first glance, I wasn't really feeling the atmosphere there. Everything just seemed so streamlined and modern that it didn't feel like a place for worship and prayer. When I think of church I think of pillars adorned with gothic sculptures of angels or shrines of saints lined up against the wall. But the cathedral did something I think is absolutely beautiful. If you haven't been there yet, on either side of the cathedral, there is a tapestry mural of saints and random people lined up for something. I found out later that the mural is called the COMMUNION OF SAINTS and they're all walking towards the altar. It's absolutely breathtaking.

I stayed there for about an hour, prayed the rosary and just took some time for myself. I can't remember the last time I had any silent reflection time. That afternoon I went to confession. We're advised to go at least once a month and I haven't gone since September 2003! I stayed for mass after that. I had lots of quality time with God that day too, didn't I? It was a good day to say the least. I feel like everything happened the way it was supposed to. I hope that if you're like me, caught in the whirl of obligations to everyone but myself, caught in more than a few issues you can't seem to find resolutions for, you'll find a day like I did to rediscover the peace we always seem to be looking for.