Many, many families have evacuated the northern and southern parts of Israel. An extended family from an area closer to the northern border is staying at a home a couple of doors away, and several days ago I went to welcome them and invite them to bring their young children over to see our animals and/or play.

Late this afternoon, two of the mothers came with one young boy. We were chatting when dd6 came over and asked them where they’re from. “XXX city”, one said.

Dd6 exclaimed, “Me and my brother are also from there!”

Then dd6 said to the woman, “I know you from there!” (She is very good with visual details.) The woman paused and looked at her closely, then at ds6, then back at dd. In disbelief she responded, “Yes, you do know me from there!”

She glanced at me and in an undertone said, “Are they living with you now?” I nodded.

The twins wanted to show her the swings and have her push them, and since I didn’t want to discuss anything referencing their placement while they could hear, we didn’t continue talking at that moment.

When the children switched to riding scooters and were making too much noise to hear what we were saying, she told me that she manages the daycare they attended the year before last. That year was the first time the daycare participated in a program servicing children from high risk homes, where children are placed at the recommendation of social services. This woman knew the complexities of their background and their behaviors; she knew their parents and even their grandmother. who had periodically come to pick them up. They attended this daycare for a year, until the day they were removed from their parents’ home and moved to a different city.

She described how extremely neglected they were and said she was so glad to see how happy and calm they looked now.

I was glad for the twins to have this small point of connection with someone from their past.

Isn’t it amazing what a small world it is?

Avivah