Friday, November 14, 2025

Far from here


Facebook sends me videos of people filming in Ukraine. I don't know why, but I click follow on every one of them because it interests me a lot. The videos are very up-to-date, it's happening right now.

Most of them are filmed by men who are going through villages and towns and rescuing people from their homes. Most of the people being rescued are adults and elderly, they leave the house with one or two bags, bags they packed before leaving the house that they won't be returning to. Most of them leave with one or two dogs and sometimes one or more cats, Ukrainians don't leave their animals behind, as much as they can.

Around them you see ruined houses, neighbors' houses that were burned down in shelling, and those who somehow survived are leaving now.                                                                                                                   Maybe I'm drawn to it because I know this place of fear. That feeling of having to act here and now and not having much room for other emotions besides the intense need to be focused on what's right to do here and now. I look at the faces of the old people leaving their homes with their bags and I think I recognize the same feeling.

It's quiet here now.

In the pictures you can see the beautiful and fragrant soaps that my granddaughter makes. It's not the subject of the post, but there's something wonderful about other good things we have here.

 

15 comments:

  1. So much devastation everywhere, I feel a quiet despair with our World.
    But I am happy to see your photos above, and know that there is still something good happening amidst the bad.

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  2. I'm so happy that the children have developed such mental resilience, they are busy with trivial and "normal" things, as if everything is fine here. It's truly a great blessing.

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  3. And where can these people go with their lifetime in a bag. Those tragic figures would be difficult for me to watch. I hope it never happens to you.

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  4. I also hope I never have to pack a bag and leave here (in the last two years I've almost always packed a bag with important things but I've never actually done it).

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  5. We need beauty to offset the misery and horror.

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  6. That's what we try to do here most of the time.

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  7. Such a relief to have your post show up in my blog reading list today, Yael! I've been seeing a message that your blog could only be read by invited people. Sending love to you and your beloveds as always.

    Matthew Cohen is a Ukrainian-American who plays the viola in the Formosa Quartet. He is the son and nephew of two of my dear friends. Hope you enjoy listening to this:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGMPP9GKopg

    It is a joy to see the soap the children made.

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  8. am,Thank you for the kind words as always. I closed my blog for a while, the invite-only message was incorrect, I just muted it for a while. I will of course look at the link you sent on YouTube. Thank you again.

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  9. Firstly I must say how pleased I am to hear that your life is calmer now. I hear stories from Ukraine almost every night on The News. It seems as if Putin is using fellow humans as 'target practice'. Totally senseless and evil.

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  10. I think too little media deals with the terrible daily lives of the people there. Just today 400 drones with deadly explosives exploded over Kiev.

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  11. I'm glad to see you back in blogland. Thank goodness for quiet, and yes, for the beautiful soaps!

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  12. I have just caught up with you again! Stay positive Yael and just keep on having fun with your family.

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  13. I'm glad to see your blog again and am happy to hear you and your family are safe.
    I feel so bad for Ukraine and wonder what will happen to them. Our awful president is not helping at all.

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