A Fly On The Wall

I escorted my wife to a special event last week at the 17^th Street Grill in Tustin. It was set up by my daughter Nikki, who is a Deputy DA with the County of Orange. There were about 30 lawyers and District Attorneys in attendance, along with two highly esteemed Superior Court Judges. They were all enjoying appetizers and cocktails on the patio, while jockeying for shade in the 92 degree heat. All of the men and women were dressed up and looking sharp in their work attire. I felt lucky (and comfortable) to be able to wear shorts and a golf shirt because I was basically just a fly on the wall.

The purpose of these monthly events for the OC District Attorney’s Office is to bring attention to, and raise money for, important local charities that serve the community. This particular event was focused on a charity that creates fully loaded suitcases of clothing and essentials for children entering the Orange County Foster Care System. A charitable cause created by my wife and daughter, called “My Own - A Case for Kids”

I’ve never spent time with a group of attorneys, prosecutors, and judges before, so I thought they might be kind of stuffy and seriously intimidating. But what I expected was not what I got. The women were smiling, happy, and super nice. The men were also smiling and happy despite sweating as they carried in dozens of donated suitcases filled with clothes and essentials.

What surprised me most was when one of the Judges got up to speak to the group. She was composed, articulate, and very sincere… and she absolutely commanded the room with her presence. Judge Maria Hernandez spoke about her 10 years of experience in the Juvenile Court System and how tragic it was to see so many young children suffering and traumatized. In fact, she made the statement twice that, “Children that are traumatized, will traumatize… unless we give them the help that they need.” I’ve always pictured Judges as super serious tyrants that hand out jail time to criminals. I never expected to meet a Judge whose obvious care and concern for children practically had me in tears. I might have just been a fly on the wall, but her heartfelt speech touched me deeply and inspired me in two very unique ways.

First, I was wrong to judge judges the way that I judged them. And second, if I ever start feeling sorry for myself, all I have to do is picture an 8 year old little girl who has lost her home and her parents, carrying her only belongings in a trash bag, and I will realize how fortunate a fly I really am.