Not a Complete Waste of Time

So, the court hearing!  What a waste of valuable time!  Let's start with the drive, shall we?  How about torrential downpour, at night, combined with fog so thick you could only see about a foot in front of you.  Treacherous doesn't begin to describe it.  At one point, the rain was so intense, we pulled into a church parking lot to wait it out a bit.  

We finally got to the hotel somewhere around 9:30ish (and for those of you wondering, my friend's teenage son, Kirk, stayed the night at our house and got the kids off to school this morning.  Kirk rocks) and were able to get a room.  Room was nice, but I was exhausted after the tension of the drive there in the terrible weather.  So we purchased a log from the front desk (all the rooms had fireplaces) and grabbed a few Coke Zeros from vending and I was asleep not long after that until the alarm went off at 6:30. 

When we woke up it was snowing and it looked a bit like this:



This frozen ice skating rink is the same lake we boat on in the summer.



It was beautiful for like a minute and a half and then it really started snowing and the sun temporarily vanished.

So, we got ready to leave and got breakfast and headed to the courthouse.  Court was due to begin at 9:00, but at 9:30, we were still sitting there while the lawyers messed around.  They kept calling Mr. F (the one who stole my tags and can I tell ya'll...I was really expecting this dude to be somewhere in his twenties but he was more like his fifties and old enough to know better) out of the courtroom and the last time he returned, the Brit heard the words "He's going to request a jury trial."  So when Mr F returned to his seat that last time, surrounded by FIVE other members of his family; his parents, brother or sister and wife and his girlfriend/wife/ho, he cockily wrapped an arm around his girlfriend/wife/Ho and turned around and looked at me.  Jerk.  I didn't ask to be there.  I just reported my tag stolen so I could GET NEW ONES!

I don't know much about court proceedings, but apparently, many times the witnesses don't show up, though I don't quite understand that as I was sopenaed and the letter plainly stated that if I didn't turn up, I could be held in contempt of court and possibly arrested.  So, when the witnesses don't show up, does this happen?  I would venture to say not if the defendant and his lawyer were waiting to see if I showed.  So, since I showed, Mr. F bought himself more time by requesting a jury trial.  I was rather ticked off because Mr. F was a rather smug SOB who obviously knows how to work the system.  When the judge asked him if he still got his mail at X address, Mr. F gave a little snort and said "Sometimes."  The judge then told him he may want to make it a point to check more often as he would be getting information on his jury trial.  Mr. F then said he was thinking about checking himself into rehab (the Brit thinks that was just for show), so obviously, his case starts with my stolen tags and maybe ends with drunk driving or something of that nature.

So, when they schedule his jury trial, we will have to go back.  I told the state attorney's office on the way out that I had a surgery scheduled that I was not willing to move for this jerk's trial and she said that if the two interfered, they'd have to move the trial.  I said "Good.  I'd rather like to inconvenience him for a change."  So far, he has inconvenienced me TWICE and he was the one who broke the law.  Something is just not right.

Anyway, on a better note, on the drive up, the Brit was listening to a book on tape through the car speakers and as we have pretty different tastes in books/television/movies I put my earphones in and listened to my ipod, just picking songs I really liked as opposed to using the Shuffle function.  One of the songs I was listening to was Mark Harris "Find Your Wings" which I love and want to use as the title page to scrapbooks I hope to one day do for the kids. 

One of the lines in the song struck me particularly last night:  "And may faith give you the courage to dare to do great things."

May faith give you the courage.  Wow.  I listen to some of these fear biters who talk about WLS and often some of the ones condemning it, are the same ones to say they are Christians.  Faith has been one of the greatest factors in my having surgery.  I told God early on when I started to pursue it, that if He led me to it, I knew He would lead me through it.  I believe that and so far, He is leading me to it.  There have been no obstacles to speak of.  I still have my pre-op clearance to go through and if He doesn't stop it then or place it on my heart for me to stop it, I believe God is going to lead me through it.

How does one have both fear and faith?  How can someone condemn others for having a surgery and still profess to believe in God?  Faith has to play into decisions at some point for those who believe.  Faith gives people courage to face all kinds of things; war, illness, parenting, losing loved ones as well as doing missionary work, or stepping outside of your comfort zone to do something for the greater good.  Is WLS stepping out of my comfort zone?  Sure it is.  But faith will give me the courage and trust in God will see me through it.

May passion be the wind
That leads you through your days
And may conviction keep you strong
Guide you on your way
May there be many moments
That make your life so sweet
Oh, but more than memories

I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings