Dancing Into Their New Home

Maria was dancing as she stepped out of the car. She had a curly-haired boy in hand and a blinky-eyed baby on her hip. Other children burst forth from open car doors. At first, Maria looked like a thousand other mothers who walk with dignity bearing the daily weight of family responsibilities. A single mother with seven children under her wings, Maria was caring for her five children and providing a home for two teenage girls who had recently lost both parents to death and to deportation. But there in the middle of the street, Maria started to dance.