Be Grateful

I hate Mondays. Always have and I always will. I hate Mondays as much as I hate sunrises. They're just bothersome.

I woke up early this morning to attend a meeting in Times Square, for a child client with KIND. KIND helps unaccompanied minors who have arrived into the U.S. by providing pro bono (free) legal representation. Since I can't practice yet, I decided to volunteer with this amazing organization so that I could help children seek relief in the United States. Each year, 8,000 unaccompanied minors enter the U.S. and my dream would be to work with these children. You can transform a life and pro bono assistance is needed to help them navigate the ridiculous immigration court system.

The meeting was at 9am at a fancy law firm in Times Square. I left the house with plenty of time to arrive. But, when I got off the train in Times Square, I became disoriented as to which direction to go, since the last time I went, I came out on another block. It was ten minutes til 9am, and I immediately pulled my phone out to "google map" the location, but reception in Times Square is awful and there's so many people around, that I just want to stab myself (or them)so that I could have a moment of peace and quiet. Apparently, I was only 465 feet away from the building, so I ran as fast as I could, entered the building then waited for 5 minutes for them to check me in. Fail. 9:05, I arrive to the office, wrong floor, then head back up to the right floor, ask the reception to please notify the attorney that I have arrived, and take a seat. She looks at me like I'm a moron when I asked her if the attorney knew I was there. 9:10, still no attorney, so I call him and leave a message with his secretary. The receptionist tells me that she's already called him and that I just have to wait. Fail. 9:15, they finally find me and we start the meeting. Fail.

I was upset with myself because I HATE to look unprofessional, especially in a setting like this. I apologized profusely and they were fine with it, but I wasn't. The meeting went well and was over faster than I expected. The client is an adorable young girl from Honduras and her story is amazing. She's amazing. She traveled for one month, through multiple borders and even survived being held by Los Zetas for 12 days until her mother could come up with the additional money to have her released. She's amazing and listening to her and her mother today reminded me to be grateful.

Yes, I had a crazy morning running around Times Square, but I wasn't running for my life. My volunteer work with KIND reminds me of why I went to law school and why I am going to pass that Bar. Because I want to help people like this little girl and her mom. This little girl spent an entire night running for her life, and she didn't stop until morning. You look at her, and she is as calm as a cucumber with no sadness in her eyes. When the attorney's told her she was a brave girl and then asked her if she was scared, she answered that she was always scared, but when you love someone and you want to see them, then you'll cross rivers, mountains and oceans to be by their side. Amazing.

What's more amazing is that nothing happened to her during that one month she traveled though the U.S., Mexico and Central America. Talk about true grit. She's simply an incredibly little girl and I feel honored to be working with her and her mother. She's absolutely magnificent and she humbles me. Just like my other KIND child, they both humble me and I love being a part of this process. We'll see what happens as we near their court dates, I might not love the process then, especially if a judge determines that they will be deported. I'm not too sure how I'll be able to handle that yet.

In the meantime... we are 29 days away from Bar Prep, and I am eagerly awaiting to study and get back on the horse!

I leave you with this video from KIND. :)

Happy (bleh) Monday! And remember... Be grateful today, for all the blessings in your life.