What a great day! My
last day on the bench was truly memorable.
I adjourned court early to get to a cake and coffee reception at the
Courthouse. It was so very nice to have
so many people stop by, sign the guestbook, and wish me well as I retired.
Then, off to Winthrop
for the after-hours open house. Oh, my,
what a memorable event! Of course, Patty
was there, with my three children and seven grandchildren. Five of my seven siblings, an aunt and uncle
and several cousins came out, too.
Former law clerks, court administrators, attorneys and probation
officers stopped by. Lions Club members,
brothers from the Masonic fraternity. I
had friends from my technology days for the State Court system come to my event
– one all the way from Atlanta, Georgia and another from Sacramento, California!
A Minnesota Supreme Court Justice came out to present me
with a certificate of appreciation from the Supreme Court, and another from the
Governor. The Chief Judge of the First
Judicial District also presented a
certificate. I received a certificate
proclaiming July 10, 2014, as “Judge Thomas G. McCarthy Day in the City of Duluth”, signed by Mayor
Don Ness, my nephew. Wow!
My talented grandsons provided music for the evening,
including one of the true highlights of the night for me: My entire family singing “Puff the Magic
Dragon.”
Back in the olden days, before Gameboys and portable DVD
players, families had to entertain themselves on road trips. The McCarthy family would play the alphabet
game, the “I see …” game and several
other road games. And we would always
have a sing-along. And the sing-along
would always include “Puff”.
Puff is not only the official McCarthy family song, it is a
song of transition. Little Jackie Paper
got tired of playing with painted wings and giants’ rings, so he didn’t come to
visit Puff any more. What an appropriate
song for a different kind of transition!
A transition from a professional life that I truly loved to a new stage
in my life and a new set of priorities.
The weekend was spent with grandchildren. In a way, it was not much different than a
normal, long weekend from work. As I
write this during the weekend, I wonder how it will feel come Monday morning,
when I stay home and Patty goes off to work.
Not bad, I’ll bet!
I have been so blessed in so many ways. I can’t wait to see what the next stage
brings!
* * *
* * * *
Next week: Choosing a
jury
