The Promise on the Courthouse Steps

In 2019, a couple in Grand Rapids, Michigan, finalized the adoption of their son, Marcus, a seven-year-old who had been shuffled through four foster placements in three years. When the judge asked the standard question — "Do you understand that this commitment is permanent and irrevocable?" — the father leaned into the microphone and said, "Your Honor, we understood that the moment he walked through our door."…