“Two years ago I finally located my youngest sister through a registry. She didn’t remember me. My brother had already died of an overdose. My other sister wanted nothing to do with the past. I was too late for my own family.”
My voice stayed steady even though my hands were not.
“When I saw these five children’s faces in the emergency placement registry, I recognized the exact look in their eyes. It’s the same look I had when they put my brother in a different car and drove him away. I can’t undo what happened to me. But I can stop it from happening to them.”
I turned slightly so the judge could see the siblings behind me.
“I’m not rich. I’m not married. I don’t have years of parenting experience. What I do have is a house with enough space, a job that allows me to be home most afternoons, completed training, a finished home study, and one absolute promise: I will never let these children be separated from each other.”
I faced the bench again.
“That’s why, Your Honor. Because I already know what it costs a child to lose the only family they have left. I won’t watch it happen a second time.”
The silence that followed was heavy and complete.
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