I filled out the required forms and wrote a short letter to Benji and Grace.

I didn’t write that they owed me a response.

I told them who I was, where I could be reached, and that I remembered them with love.

I wrote about the old red truck and our parents’ garden, and I said that if they wanted contact, I would welcome it.

Then I sent the message through the proper channel and tried not to check the mailbox every hour.

Meanwhile, the children’s routines continued to grow.