Derek was 37 when he first saw her. It was a cloudy afternoon during a local outreach event at the edge of town. Volunteers had gathered at a foster care picnic to play with the kids, hand out sandwiches, and take photos for brochures that never really changed anything.
That’s when Derek noticed her. A little girl around 8 years old sat on the edge of the field alone. Her shirt was a faded pink, slightly too big for her small frame. Her hair, light brown and straight, was tied into two short pigtails. She had light skin and features that set her apart. The other children laughed and ran circles in the grass, but she stayed on the sidelines, grinning at no one in particular, her fingers tapping an invisible tune on her knees.
He watched her for a while. No one spoke to her. Some glanced her way, then looked off just as quickly. And still there she was, smiling. Derek didn’t know her name, but something about the way she beamed at the sky pulled him in……Read Full Story Here…………………..
