On May 12, 2011, Carri Williams called 911 to report that Hana, her adopted daughter from Ethiopia, had passed out in the backyard. Hana died that night from hypothermia and malnutrition, In 2013, both Carri and adoptive father Larry Williams were convicted of manslaughter. They remain in jail.

Hana, on the other hand, remains in our hearts.

She was just 13 years old when she died, having been adopted in 2008. She weighed less at her death than when she arrived in the United States. She was horrifically abused, physically and emotionally, for most of those three years preceding her death.

Many of us here in Seattle and around the world think of Hana often, especially on these poignant anniversaries of her death. Much too young, much too soon. May all children be safe. May Hana never be forgotten.

That she died so close to Mother’s Day has always been poignant to me. I’ve written at length about Hana, including the trial and, more recently, visiting her grave last autumn. May you be at peace.