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THE LATEST FROM DAMSEL AND FOX

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𝕋𝕠 𝕓𝕖 𝕙𝕠𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕥, 𝕀’𝕞 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕤𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕙𝕠𝕨 𝕀 𝕞𝕒𝕕𝕖 𝕚𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕤𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕠𝕟..

I’ve been so packed to the brim with responsibilities that I wasn’t able to make myself, my family, my business, a priority..

I was listening to this podcast 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲, fresh out of the 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 launch, which spoke to my heart and reminded me that “𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬”. And when I heard that, it BROKE ME. No to taking my kids to the park, no to reading the book I want to read, no to date nights with my husband..

It was in this time of 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐭 working 2 jobs while raising 3 toddlers and trying to run a business (that I’m super passionate about) that I realized 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲. I can’t give 100% of myself to MULTIPLE different ventures. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 and these were the thoughts I was having as I created these styles.

So allow these styles to bless you and 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐝𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. You CANNOT spread yourself so thin that you forget to rest, dream, pray, and deeply love those you were called to love.

Have you ever felt this way? If so, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 “𝐧𝐨” 𝐭𝐨?

If you are feeling this way right now, please comment below or send me a message so I can encourage you..❤️

Photo cred: @mallorygregoryphotography
Top: @shop_amalavita

4.more.days. My new collection drops THIS FRIDAY

4.more.days.

My new collection drops THIS FRIDAY and will only be available for 1 week! Proceeds from 2 of the styles will be used to combat human trafficking.

You do not want to miss the 🔥🔥 that is this collection!🙌🏻

Give this post a double tap and tag a friend below who you know will want to be a part of this collection🥰😎

Photo cred: @mallorygregoryphotography

Let’s talk about burnout.. We’ve all felt

Let’s talk about burnout..

We’ve all felt it. We add so much to our plate because at the time we agreed to it, all of it really and truly seemed manageable.

Then we slowly start to watch our free time slip away. Our nights are spent trying to push all of tomorrow’s tasks to the side so we can get some decent sleep for once, and then doing the same in the middle of the night when we (inevitably) wake up and struggle to get back to sleep.

This season of life for me has slowly been becoming this more and more. The funny thing is, a year ago (right before the world shut down), I had just gotten to a point where I was taking bigger things off of my plate so that I could focus more on my marriage and kids. Do you ever do that? Whittle down your plate to your most important things, then slowly add on more until you’re right back where you started?

Ok, ok, perhaps I’m not the most perfect person to give advice on this topic;). But here are some things I’ve been journaling about and realizing about myself in regards to this topic, while also trying to keep in mind that my word of the year this year is “diligence”.

1. You are human. You can’t do everything.
2. If your workload is bringing depression and stifling your ability to create and rest, then you have too much on it.
3. Even if you can’t step away from things RIGHT NOW, sit down with a friend and write out a detailed list of all your responsibilities. Then order them in regards to priority.

It starts with realizing #1 and #2. Lives like this are not sustainable. As the Russian Proverb says, “If you chase two rabbits, you won’t catch either one.”

Even if your season of stress and an immense amount of responsibilities can’t end right when you want, #3 is the start of an actionable step to realizing what your true priorities are.

Did any of this hit home with you? Give this post a like if you relate!

Photo cred: @mallorygregoryphotography

March Subscription Box alert!! These rustic beaut

March Subscription Box alert!!

These rustic beauties will be going out to YOU subscribers on the first of March!

Only $12.99 per month for pairs that are typically $18 or over plus shipping! Free shipping on your first month and you can unsubscribe at any time!

Have you subscribed?!

𝕀’𝕞 𝕘𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕣𝕚𝕕 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕁𝕦𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕖 ℂ𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟..

That’s right, this collection expires tonight at midnight! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to support @lovejusticeintl which combats human trafficking!

Later today I will be sharing a little more about this organization and why I chose to support them with 25% of my proceeds.

In the meantime, this collection so far has hit a fundraising mark equivalent to rescuing 𝑭𝑶𝑼𝑹 lives from human trafficking! I am stunned and in awe of this. One is meaningful enough , but 4? Unbelievably powerful ❤️

Do you still need to shop? Let me know below and check back today to read more about Love Justice International!

Photo creds: @mallorygregoryphotography

THE TULIP IS BACK but quickly about to go back out

THE TULIP IS BACK but quickly about to go back out of stock for good!!

*disclaimer: I was not able to get the exact leather back in stock to remake this design. But I did get my hands on a leather that is very similar, is the exact same shade, but has a texture to it. Y’all don’t seem to mind though because you are still grabbing them up🤣. Swipe through to see.

I designed this style shortly after my experience as a juror on a criminal trial and there are a few symbolic meanings that come from this concept. Here are a few common meanings for tulips!

•The most common meaning is perfect or deep love.

•Tulips are one of the first flowers to bloom in the spring, and can represent rebirth.

•Victorians often associated tulips with charity.

I chose a Rose Gold leather that would shine and remain sturdy and steady through much use. I also wanted a shade that would go with many different outfits for the wearer.

Do you still need to shop the collection?

Photo creds: @mallorygregoryphotography

The Justice Collection goes AWAY in just 3 days! H

The Justice Collection goes AWAY in just 3 days! Have you shopped yet?

Photo creds: @mallorygregoryphotography

𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙧 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨

𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙧 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙄 𝙢𝙚𝙩 @courtney_caron !

Somehow through networking with Mal, we got connected and I shared my story with Courtney. Courtney is currently full-time support-raising to love and serve refugees overseas! After I shared my story with her, and that I was looking into what organizations to team up with, she said “Hannah you should look into love justice”

It turns out Courtney had GONE OVERSEAS to Nepal with love justice and helped minister to these rescued lives FIRST-HAND!

Since Courtney is a clay earring maker on the side, I knew the perfect touch would be to have her serving hands help design and create this clay pair. Go give Courtney a follow and read on here for the story behind the Rahab!

If you aren’t familiar with the story of Rahab, check out Joshua chapter 2. Essentially, Rahab’s story is not a very happy or easy one. As my friend, Courtney, and I designed this pair, she reminded me of this story and the broken circumstances turned into glory and good. In the story, there is a prop of a scarlet rope. Because of this story, and because of that reminder, we decided to use a scarlet clay (with a woven texture), underneath a golden piece, which represents royalty and rounds off the entire piece.

These are currently available for PRE-ORDER since the first round of inventory is gone! Courtney is working to delicately craft more pairs, but there are only 9 left!

Do you need to grab a pair?

All the photo creds to: @mallorygregoryphotography

ℍ𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕒 𝕗𝕖𝕨 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕞𝕒𝕪 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔼𝕦𝕔𝕒𝕝𝕪𝕡𝕥𝕦𝕤 𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕥:

👉🏻It is a FAST-growing evergreen.

👉🏻The oil that comes from it has many uses including but not limited to: antiseptic, perfume, cosmetics ingredients, flavoring, industrial solvents!

👉🏻There are over 400 different species.

👉🏻It is now thought to be able to FIGHT infections!!

•••

Does any of this sound symbolic to you? Good, it’s not just me! To me, this earring represents 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 against human trafficking and sexual abuse. It also represents that 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 to join the fight, even if it’s just TALKING about it. 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤.😎 And finally, it’s a symbol to FIGHT against the injustice!

What amazes you about this symbolic meaning the most? 𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰!

Photo creds: @mallorygregoryphotography

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙥 2 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙘𝙠..😱

..and I’d love to tell you about the concept behind these designs!

𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙪𝙥, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝘿𝙞𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙨..

Blue is the color that represents Human Trafficking awareness, so I knew I needed to include that in the collection somehow. I love how simplistic this shade of blue looks on the wood cutout. It comes in two sizes, small, and large.

𝙎𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙥, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙉𝙚𝙪𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝘽𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙨..

The Belles are one of my most favorite sketch-turned-designs I’ve ever released. They have such a soft-spoken and feminine feel to them. I felt like this collection should have a genuine and soft neutral for those of you that aren’t into the flashy earrings😉Whence, the Neutral Belles!

I hope the soft-spoken nature of this design reminds you of the TERRIBLE and SCARY time victims have in speaking up against the abuse they endure!

The website is restocked for pre-orders! Thank you for your patience!!

Did you nab either of these designs up?

Photo creds: @mallorygregoryphotography

𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊

𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈?

But these do, friend, as you know from reading my story this week. (If you have not, scroll back a bit and catch up!)

It is with joy, excitement, (and a little bit of nervousness)😉, that I introduce to you 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕵𝖚𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖈𝖊 𝕮𝖔𝖑𝖑𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓!

Handcrafted with care, 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕, these 5 pairs of LIMITED earrings are meant to go out into the world as a remembrance of the story I have told this week. They are meant to symbolize the FIGHT against human trafficking and sexual abuse.

If you are buying for yourself, I encourage you to 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖. I’m all about intentional buying. “Money is powerful and how, where, and what we buy matters more than we think”- @theeverydaymae . Prepare your heart to spread the story behind he collection with each compliment on your pair.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕵𝖚𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖈𝖊 𝕮𝖔𝖑𝖑𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 includes:

~The Eucalyptus Spheres
~The Tulip
~The Neutral Belles
~The Blue Diamonds
~The Rahab (designed in collaboration with @courtney_caron )

25% of the proceeds will be donated to @lovejusticeintl , which combats human trafficking and ministers to the rescued!
*Available only through Feb. 2nd*

Stay tuned throughout this week to hear more about this cause and also the meaning behind each design!

Photo Creds and praises to: @mallorygregoryphotography

ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕀 𝕘𝕠 𝕓𝕒𝕔𝕜 𝕥𝕠 𝕒 𝕤𝕞𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕓𝕦𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕛𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 𝕒𝕗𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤?

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 and changed me and changed my faith in ways I never imagined. See for over a year I have had it on my heart to do some sort of fundraising effort to 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝘅𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗲. I just didn’t think I could do it in the little platform that I had. I kept feeling like I needed to 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.

I also have been given a huge passion for 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲’𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀, it just didn’t seem organic to tell this story of living through jury duty and this case of sexual abuse through an online earring boutique platform.

As I was searching for meaning in my business, the idea hit me like a freight train. I’m going to design an earring collection that will raise money for an organization that combats human trafficking. I’m going to be a 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘂𝗽. I’m going to do my part to 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗺𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝘅𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀. And I’m going to 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 as a springboard to launch it.

And so, folks, that’s what I’ve done. 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗢𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗪. 25% of the proceeds will go to @lovejusticeintl, an organization that fights human trafficking and also ministers to victims.

Worried because you aren’t an earring wearer, but still want to support? These earrings make great gifts, and I’ve designed packaging that explains the story behind the earrings.

I cannot wait to show you these designs

Are you excited? 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 about my story. I’d love to hear your thoughts/experiences as well! And 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄 for our collection release!

The prosecution made us aware that, by law in the

The prosecution made us aware that, by law in the state of Minnesota, a defendant accused of a sexual crime can be found guilty SOLELY based on the testimony of the victim with no other evidence. This pricked my heart for two reasons:

1.) What if the alleged victim had been lying? If so, we could be putting a man away without any other evidence.
2.) What if it had been a loved one of mine sitting in that seat? I would want them to have a fair trial. I would give this a fair chance in deliberation.

We were locked in a room and our devices and reading materials were taken away. I stared around at a room of 11 masked strangers. I knew nothing about these people or the lives they lived, yet together we would decide the conclusion of this trial.

No one wanted to be the jury foreman, which was understandable because of the weight of the case. So I volunteered, led the discussion, led the anonymous voting to see where everyone’s heads were at throughout the deliberation. There were 3 or 4 of us, myself included, that were pretty sure he was guilty, but needed some more discussion before we essentially signed away this man’s life. In other words, we wanted to be absolutely sure beyond a reasonable doubt. I cannot describe the immense weight we all felt in this responsibility. So much so that when we voted by paper anonymously one last time, and they all read “guilty”, I stopped and prayed hard with my heart racing, begging God to show me now if there was anything we were missing or doing wrong.

I quietly prayed for clarity in those hours of discussion, and ultimately, I signed the papers as the jury foreman for the verdict finding this man, made in the image of God, guilty. I remember the tears filling my eyes and looking around at the other jurors saying, “Guys this feels like too much. This is my name on here.” To which they all replied, “Hannah, your name on those papers is all of our names. We are 1 jury.”

“Ms. Eidem, I see you have the verdict envelope in your hand and must be the appointed foreman of this jury. Has the jury reached a verdict?”

“We have, your honor.” Hands and knees shaking, I passed the envelope to the bailiff.

(Cont. in comments)

Let’s just say a criminal trial during a pandemi

Let’s just say a criminal trial during a pandemic isn’t ideal.. *Trigger: sexual abuse.

To adhere to social distancing, we the jury sat in the gallery and no outside citizens were allowed. 3 or 4 to a row, each chair 6 feet apart. I remember the judge giving our instructions to read the truthfulness of their character and testimony on their face as they spoke. It was because of this that I asked that the witnesses wear face shields instead of masks. I don’t think that had crossed their minds until this.

As a crime junkie of sorts, having a genuine courtroom experience was so fascinating, despite the terrible circumstances. Opening statements, “objection: heresay”, “call your next witness”, “the jury is to disregard the last statement of the witness”. I digress..

Things in the courtroom were tense at all times. This man is on the spot and looking at close to 2 decades of punishment. Finding him innocent would claim a liar out of this witness.

I remember listening to the details of her story. Details of the intimate allegations. I remember going home that night after hearing her testimony, my mind weighted down with the pressure of this case. I came home and wept on my husband’ shoulder, not being able to tell him anything, but in my head thinking “what if I’m the only one that gives this man a chance?” Whether this man did these things or not, he is a creation of the God I worship. I didn’t want anything to impede my ability to give each side a fair chance.

I remember witnesses calling this girl a liar. In some cases like this, close family members testify against the victims of abuse. I remember a particularly intimate piece of testimonial evidence being argued over by the lawyers. There are no “bench meetings” with social distancing, but instead they had us all leave the room while they discussed the laws at play here. Ultimately, we were asked to not consider that evidence in deliberation.

I remember thinking “Wow, this prosecutor is ruthless and very good at his job”, although that wasn’t at all a factor in my decision.

And finally, I remember the weight of the moment when the judge handed the case to us, the jury. (Cont. in comments)..

The first words out of the prosecution’s mouth w

The first words out of the prosecution’s mouth were not what I expected. (Trigger warning: Sexual Abuse)

Though I had deduced that this case was a sexual crime of some kind, I knew there are many different avenues this could be. But when the state’s council stood up and uttered these next words, I felt my stomach clench knowing what I was in for. “This is a case of a [man], the defendant, abusing his position of trust by sexually abusing [a member of his family] over the course of many years.”

I could feel my mind trying to put a guard up to protect myself from allowing this to affect me emotionally. In the end, though, I knew that was pointless. This would affect me. And trying to hear the case from an unbiased standpoint would be draining.

I remember the room actually being a descent temperature. I remember watching the victim walking up to the witness stand with her face shield on. I remember the defendant with a face mask on sitting at the table barely moving throughout the entire week except to stand when the judge or us (the jury) walked into the court room. Since I was juror #1, I sat at the front of the jury. I could take ten steps and be directly in front of the defendant.

The case was of the defendant, being accused of criminal sexual conduct against a member of his immediate family. When on the stand, the victim alleged that the abuse began at a young age and continued until the report years later. This is the age range of my nieces.

The day we listened to her testimony was a gloomy one outside and in. She shared details of the alleged abuse, a timeline of events, the lawyers argued in court, the judge sustained and overruled, all as we 14 jurors sat and listened 6 feet apart from each other.

Could you do me a favor and tag a friend below and tell them about this story? I’ll share more about the courtroom experience tomorrow in part 5..

Photo cred: @mallorygregoryphotography
Sweater: @realdealsrochester

𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲? *Trigger: sexual abuse

Well that is what sitting through jury questioning is like.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 was a 2-question paper I received upon arrival to the courthouse: “Have you ever been a victim of a sexual crime? Has anyone in your family ever been a victim of a sexual crime?” 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁.. And since I am the rare case of a woman never having been directly impacted by this, 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗴𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝗜’𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗻.

I remember waiting. If you’ve ever sat through jury duty, you know.. I read 2 whole books during the wait.

𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙗𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙡𝙨’ 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨. Since their faces were masked, that sticks out in my memory.

I remember the woman that sat next to me (6 ft. away) during questioning. She had two kids at home the same age as mine. In the reading of the witness list, she realized she was connected to one of the witnesses and was dismissed.

Questioning was extensive. Each council party was allowed to question and the judge also questioned. Each juror in order was asked the same questions plus a few extra based on their questionnaire answers.

For example, since 𝗺𝘆 𝗨𝗻𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹, I was asked about whether or not that would affect my bias towards the the testimony of a police officer.

Since the defendant was a POC, we were asked about essentially our lifetime of experiences regarding race.

After hours of questioning and listening to each potential juror’s answers, we were sent for more waiting as they questioned.. 𝗮 2nd 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗷𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗿𝘀. After 2 days, they named the jurors and my name was 1st on the list. We were told to clear our schedule for the rest of the week and 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀..

𝐿𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓌𝑒𝑒𝓀 𝐼 𝒻𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹 𝒶 𝒿𝓊𝓇𝓎 𝓈𝓊𝓂𝓂𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝐼 𝓃𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓅𝑜𝓃𝒹𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜. (𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟐).

To clarify, yes, my jury duty wasn’t last week. What I thought was my jury summons was actually the secondary information packet. 𝐈𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬 that included my “when to call in” time along with my juror number and jury group. 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧, even though I thought I had done everything I was supposed to do through the instruction of my information packet (which stated that they would call me if I was supposed to come in), 𝐈 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞 (𝐚 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞-𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫) 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜.

It was a call from the jury manager’s office stating that I was supposed to report at 9am and the judge is waiting on me. Embarrassingly enough, I immediately started to cry on the phone to this woman trying to reassure her that I did everything the packet stated to do. She shared that it’s possible that it got lost in the mail or accidentally thrown away (I knew it hadn’t been thrown away by accident). She gave me a new time to call in for that next Monday, which gave me time to find childcare.

So as you can see what sticks out to me is that the circumstances for me 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭. In fact, as I was going through a stack of papers on my desk last week, I found that exact jury summons that I swore I had never seen. If I had seen it, I may have been on another jury or dismissed and unable to be on this trial. But God’s timing was perfect. And even though I struggled in panic on that initial Monday morning, God used it for a bigger purpose. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤..

Do me a favor and 𝐭𝐚𝐠 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰. Then come back tomorrow for part 3. ❤️

Photo cred: @mallorygregoryphotography
Sweater from: @realdealsrochester

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕜 𝕠𝕗 𝕁𝕦𝕣𝕪 𝔻𝕦𝕥𝕪? Are you 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝 by the term? Are you thankful that 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝?

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This was my third time in my 7 eligible years that I have been summoned for jury duty. The first was in my hometown of Lawrence, KS, where I didn’t even live at the time of my summons and I was 8 months pregnant, unable to answer the call. (Secretly, I thought it would have been cool). The second was when I had just had my second baby and I was in the midst of breast-feeding, therefore unable to answer the call.

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𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐲. Most likely these cases are not the exciting criminal/murder cases we see on TV. My grandfather, even, had been a juror on a civil court case as a juror deciding whether or not a truck manufacturing company was at fault for a man’s death. My grandpa being the good and Godly man he is took his civic duty seriously.

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I must admit my surprise when I shared with a few friends about my jury duty summons that they responded with 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭.. This is just a part of the work culture now, I suppose. Jury Duty is typically a complete hindrance and obstacle to us getting our work done and making the money we need. I get it. When I was summoned, it was not an ideal time. I had just started back at my job. Our family was finally starting to make ends meet again with my paycheck back to normal(ish). There was some part of me, though, that believed I should change my mindset about this opportunity. As a Christ-follower, shouldn’t I love justice and seek it for those unable to attain it? I began seeking prayers from close friends that the Jury Duty experience would fall into place. Something in my heart knew that I would be selected.. Though I can’t explain to you why..

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Do me a favor and tag a friend below that you think could be blessed by this story as I share it. Stop back in tomorrow for part 2.

Photo cred: @mallorygregoryphotography
Top from: @realdealsrochester

𝙄𝙣 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 8 𝙙𝙖𝙮𝙨, 𝙄

𝙄𝙣 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 8 𝙙𝙖𝙮𝙨, 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙮 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙪𝙨 𝙛𝙖𝙧..

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I have designed a unique collection of 5 styles. With the help of a couple other women in my life and 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙖, I will be releasing this meaningful collection to YOU! Each has a unique meaning and signifies something different. 25% of the proceeds will be going to an organization called @lovejusticeintl and the pairs will 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙫𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 7 𝙙𝙖𝙮𝙨.

𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩, 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 that I know I need to share with you. I’ve wanted to share it for a while, but I wanted to tell it in the right way so the message could come across in a positive and meaningful way. It wasn’t until over quarantine in early November (that’s right, my family went through a bout of COVID and are all better now, fortunately), that the pieces started to form in just how to go about it.

𝕆𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕟𝕖𝕩𝕥 𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕜, 𝕀’𝕝𝕝 𝕓𝕖 𝕤𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒 𝕓𝕚𝕥 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕞𝕪 𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪 𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙 𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕣𝕠𝕨.

𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 if you are at all interested or will be following along!

All the photo creds and praises to: @mallorygregoryphotography

Sweater from: @realdealsrochester

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