maura staker

I took this photo at Duck Harbor Beach in Wellfleet, MA July, 2012.

I was a therapeutic foster parent for this traumatized 11 year old child. She was in 10 schools in ten years and abused her whole life.

I live in New York but took her to Cape Cod for 5 days when she first came to live with me.

This was the day we arrived. We went to see the bay, the tide was out and it was late. She took her shovels, ran down to the water, stopped and stared in wonder. I stood behind her in awe. She was embraced by the universe.

I love this picture because so many children are abused and traumatized in our society and they are in our universe. We must acknowledge our troubled children and give them help.