Done All I Can Do

I've finished... I've done all I can do. The rest is up to God... and the judge of the federal court in Albequerque.

This summer I received a summons from the Federal District Court in Albuquerque saying I'd been randomly selected as a possible juror in a case this fall. It's a murder trial that will last 6 weeks.

I sent in a request for excuse along with the short questionnaire stating that since Albequerque is a 6 hour drive from my home, I can't serve at this time because I am the sole caretaker of two babies while my husband is on shift work. He works 12 hour shifts, 2 days then 2 nights.

2 weeks ago, I received the full questionnaire in the mail along with a letter stating that the court knew it was inconvenient for everyone to serve. It said that excuse requests must be accompanied by proof of the claim, and that it must truly be an "undo hardship" to be excused.

So I've done all I can do now, first and foremost pray to God for intervention. I also asked for guidance from many friends including a local attorney. He advised me to seek a doctor's note from my own doctor or from the twins' pediatrician.

I actually went to the doctor this week and she wrote me a not for high anxiety and said she didn't feel I was fit to serve at this time. It's true. I haven't been sleeping well and have been crying a lot since receiving the questionnaire.

I also included a personal letter stating again that I have 2 babies, and with my husband's shift schedule it would be a hardship for me to be gone. I figured that each shift would require 80 hours of childcare, and 6 weeks even paying minimum wage would cost us about $4500. I also attached copies of the twins birth certificates to prove they existed, and a copy of Barry's schedule for those 6 weeks signed by his supervisor.

I answered the questionnaire honestly, realizing that I am probably what both lawyers want on the jury.

Please continue to pray for my situation.