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The oldest child, seven-year-old Ethan, sat protectively beside his younger siblings. He held his four-year-old sister, Maya, close, almost as if he believed it was his responsibility to keep her safe.
Nearby, three-year-old twins Leo and Sam sat shoulder to shoulder, holding onto each other for comfort. Their youngest sibling, fourteen-month-old Clara, slept restlessly in an oversized carrier, unaware of the uncertainty surrounding her future.
Looking at them, I noticed something that broke my heart.
They weren’t just scared.
They were trying not to lose each other.
In less than an hour, the judge was expected to approve a placement plan that would separate them into different homes.
The official language used by the system was “placement arrangement.”
But to me, it meant five children who had already lost everything were about to lose the only family they still had.Family
Three weeks earlier, their lives had changed forever.
The children’s parents had died unexpectedly in a tragic highway accident. Their deaths left no nearby relatives able to immediately take responsibility for the children.
The child welfare system stepped in, as it was designed to do.
But there was a major problem.
Finding a foster home for five young siblings together was extremely difficult.
The agency had begun preparing a separation plan.
Ethan and Maya would go to one foster family.
The twins would be placed somewhere else.
Baby Clara would be moved to specialized infant care.
Everyone involved believed they were making the best decision available.
But I couldn’t stop thinking about those children.
I didn’t know them.
I had never met their parents.
They weren’t connected to my family in any way.Family
But then I saw their photographs.
I had been at the local social services building delivering handmade wooden storage boxes for a community program. While waiting in the lobby, I overheard a conversation between employees discussing the upcoming court hearing.
A social worker was holding a folder.
Attached to the front were five small photographs.
Five faces.
Five children who had already experienced more loss than most adults ever face.
Something inside me changed when I saw them.
I walked over and asked a simple question.