Friday, October 26, 2007

Courtroom Interactions

When I attend trials or hearings, I try to stay in the background as much as possible, not approaching family members because I figure they must be going through some of the worst days of their lives, on both sides, and I don't want to intrude.

So, I was so pleasantly surprised and humbled today when Sharon Cave stopped by me, smiled and said, "I figured you'd be out working in your yard today! It's such a beautiful day." We talked a minute about yardwork and she returned to her seat.

The only other time I'd spoken to her was during Colton Pitonyak's trial, because I often sat by the Statesman reporter, and Sharon greeted him and then introduced herself to me. She, and all the Cave family, seems so gracious and genuine. Maybe I can be braver yet still respectful in these situations in the future.

While my right to attend criminal trials is implicit in the guarantees of the First Amendment, I don't want to intrude.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

You do a great job on your blog.. and I always watch your gardening tips! You are very respectful of the families involved and it is much appreciated..
Happy Gardening!

Iris said...

Thanks so much!!

We still haven't graduated to trying any real food gardening (other than basil, sage, rosemary, and thyme) but intend to after we get the other stuff completely under control.

But I'll continue to post my trial-and-error gardening tips! I think some of the neighbors think we're a little nutty, but we just consider water a precious resource in Texas and want to figure out a way to make drought-tolerant landscaping look nice but not be allot of extra work. (Not sure that made allot of sense, but it's late.)

Anonymous said...

My heart goes out to Sharon Cave and her family. To have to go through this again and again - it must be torture. She has maintained her dignity and shown so much grace under pressure. I hope she can feel some peace someday.