My mom was first elected East Ridge City Court Clerk in 2014. At 13, I didn’t understand what that really meant.

I just knew my mom worked at the courthouse.

And for years, I was there with her.

I ran around the courthouse. I sat in the courtroom. I watched people come through those doors. I watched my mom sit behind that desk and somehow keep everything moving. Back then, I was just her daughter hanging around while Mom worked.

I never could have imagined that those years would shape the person I would become.

Today, I am a Deputy Court Clerk. 

And I can say without hesitation that I found my love for the court system because of her. I watched my mom do this work, and she made me want to do it too.

But there’s something else that has happened as I’ve gotten older.

I’ve come to understand just how hard her job really is.

When I was 13, I saw a woman sitting behind a desk. Now, after working in the court system myself, I see something completely different.

I see the responsibility.

I see the pressure.

I see the knowledge it takes to know what you’re doing when people are depending on you to get it right.

I see the patience it takes to deal with people who may be scared, angry, confused or overwhelmed.

And I see how much of the job happens in moments that most people will never see.

The courtroom doesn’t stop because the day is difficult.

People don’t stop needing answers because the office is busy.

And mistakes aren’t just mistakes when you’re dealing with someone’s court case, their money, their records or their ability to move forward with their life.

That responsibility is real.

And my mom has carried it for 12 years.

She’s done it through busy days, difficult situations, changing technology, changing procedures and countless people walking through those courtroom doors. I’ve watched her solve problems that I wouldn’t have known where to begin with.

I’ve watched her figure things out.

I’ve watched her keep going.

And now that I’ve spent years working in the court system myself, I understand something I couldn’t have understood as a kid: Experience in this job isn’t something you can fake, rush or learn overnight. You earn it. You build it one courtroom, one case, one problem and one person at a time.

That’s what my mom has done.

For 12 years. She didn’t just occupy that office. She learned it. She improved it. She took ownership of it. And she showed up for it. I’ve heard people talk about the Court Clerk’s position as though it’s simply another city office.

But I’ve grown up watching that office. I’ve worked in the court system myself. And I can tell you firsthand: there is so much more to that job than what the public sees from the gallery.

It’s a strange feeling to realize that the woman I used to watch from the courtroom as a little girl is part of the reason I found the career I love today. She didn’t just teach me about the court. She showed me what it means to serve people. She showed me what it means to keep showing up. And she showed me that sometimes the most important work is the work nobody notices until something goes wrong.

So, when I say I’m proud of my mom, I’m not just saying it because she’s my mom. I’m saying it as someone who grew up watching her. As someone who now works in the court system. And as someone who understands, more than I ever could at 13, exactly how much it takes to sit behind that desk and carry the responsibility of that courtroom.

Twelve years ago, I was the little girl running around the courthouse while her mom worked. Today, I’m working in a courtroom myself. And somehow, all these years later, I’m still watching her. I’m just old enough now to understand what I’m looking at. And I’m incredibly proud of what I see.

-Her daughter, Gracie Longwith