Larry McDaniel joins Linda and Nancy on the Front Porch. We were thrilled to have Larry join us because not only is he LIKE family, he IS family! Larry is married to our dear cousin, Denise. We really wanted Larry to join us because he co-founded an amazing organization for foster children outside Columbia, Missouri – Coyote Hill (https://coyotehill.org/). Larry has worked for 30 years to develop “A Safe Place to Be a Child” for children involved in the foster care system. Coyote Hill provides residential care in seven homes on the property. His organization not only provides foster care, but also recruits, trains, and supports a beautiful network of foster families. Nationally, 50% of foster families quit in their first year of fostering; through the Coyote Hill program, only 2% quit during the first year). Coyote Hill recently also expanded to provide services for military veterans. This organization is making a difference in so many lives. Larry tells us about how care for children has evolved since the 1950s, the time period of The Lincoln Highway, particularly in recognizing and addressing trauma and attachment in children. Coyote Hill has adopted Trust-based Relational Intervention that emphasizes the importance of relationships children can depend upon. We talk about how many of the characters in The Lincoln Highway lacked a loving relationship with an adult, most poignantly the character of Duchess. Larry tells us that for all Duchess’ flaws, he became exactly who he was raised to be. Larry describes how Emmett and Billy brought to his mind the music of Proud Mary and the image of their being tossed along a raging river. He also describes Sally, his favorite character, who really embodies love and community. Larry shares a little of his personal history, stories about his wonderful family, and of course we talk about Denise (Hi, Denise – we LOVE you!).