Thanksgivings

We had two Thanksgiving Days this year. Back in September our church had one together. There was a special church service, with a focus on thanking God even in the midst of darkness. Also, we wanted to remember and thank the people who are defending us. So, after church we had lunch together, and then we sold deserts to raise money for something Den’s brigade needed.

I made a lot of pumpkin pie for that sale, but our kids said that we still needed turkey, so this year we actually celebrated American Thanksgiving in our family on the same day as people in America did. We woke up that morning to another big attack (hello air defense explosions!) and went from “just two hours without electricity, that’s not bad” to emergency outages and then three hours off and three hours on for the rest of the day and night. Still we pulled together all the special foods. We actually started off with pie for lunch, since Asya had an orthodontist appointment and Bogdan had art class, then we had turkey and everything else late in the evening when they came back. It was a lovely holiday, and we thoroughly enjoyed the good food and time together.

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving (or two).

Concert

Last week Bogdan played in his first concert since... 2019? For our older kids music school concerts were a constant part of life. They probably could have taken part in them in their sleep. Bogdan hasn't had that experience much at all. His music school career was just starting when covid hit, then war. He has kept up with individual lessons, of course, and our Kherson music school does video concerts and contests, but that's a very different experience.

When we first arrived here in Ivano-Frankivsk, the music school that was across the road from our apartment loaned us an old bandura for him. It was all unofficial, and they were so kind to us. This year they have traded out with him to let him use a nicer instrument, and they have also taken him into an ensemble group. He's still officially at Kherson Music School #4, and his regular lessons and theory classes come from there, but he gets to play live every week with a group here now, too. Last week they performed in their first concert as a group.

They played third, about nine minutes into this:

It was very wonderful to be at a concert again, not just because of all the cute little kids and beautiful music, but because it almost feels like normal life. The concert was in honor of the Day of Dignity and Freedom.

I'm editing to add quotes and link here:

Lately, I’ve seen more comments on social media from foreigners doubting the horrors of Russia’s war against Ukraine, looking at photos and videos from Kyiv, Lviv, or Odesa, where dressed-up crowds attend concerts or sit at cafe terraces, appearing so normal.

Sleep or no sleep, makeup or blood and bruises, our reality is never normal. Not in the last 1,000 days. The truth is, the only way for the world to preserve its normalcy is to help us recover ours.

and

The only thing I can count on is how I will try to bring kindness and goodness into the world.

--1,000 days of full-scale war: Reflections from the Kyiv Independent team

 

And for anyone who didn’t recognise Bogdan, this proud mother will help:

11.11

Here we are at the second anniversary of the happiest day I've ever experienced. Remembering that day still brings me great joy. We've turned it into a holiday for our family, and we're remembering with everyone from Kherson.

There is a lot more pain mixed in, as time goes on, though. Kherson is still being terribly bombed. In fact, that just gets worse and worse with more and more weapons added to the mix. And the left bank of the Kherson region is still occupied and suffering greatly. Also, at first I might not have thought as much about the sacrifices made to get the city back, but now we remember the heroes who died, too.

I've been reading Testament of Youth for AmblesideOnline's Year 11, too, and I just actually realized that November 11 is also Armistice Day. Maybe I knew that before? The complicated mix of feelings is that book and at that time is very similar to what we feel here and now, I think: joy, pain, grief, hope.

Today I noticed this sign on the closest store and wrote in our family group, asking if they thought the store was also remembering the occupation of Kherson:

"No eggs"

Anyway, we're celebrating here with good foods we associate with Kherson and our experience of occupation, and with gifts of books to remember how much we read in November 2022 when there was no electricity and (almost) no connection with the outside world. 

 Happy Liberation of Kherson Day! And may all of Ukraine be free very soon!

Still here

I've been meaning to come back and say that it looks like we can stay in this house, thank you for praying. There are still many details to be worked out, though.

We've already moved on to the next problem, too: there is a young couple living above us in this house. They moved in at the same time as we did. Now he's been taken by the army. Please be praying for him, for them, for us. They don't know if she can stay here now; we are trying to help, if we can. 

Now what?

One month ago today I wrote that we were in the process of moving. Since then, we've really been enjoying this new house. It's so nice here that sometimes I feel like we're on vacation. But now our landlord has died, and we don't know what will be next. Will wrote more....

Praying for Kherson

It has been almost two years since that wonderful day when Kherson was liberated from occupation. Life there has not gotten easier, though. In fact, it has gotten worse. Artillery from across the river pounds the city all the time. Glide bombs and Shahed drones started after liberation, and in recent times little drones have really started terrorizing the people, going on "human safaris" to hunt them down. Still, our part of the city has been relatively safe. Strikes there happen, but not daily. Until recently. Now the city war administration is seriously endangering the people with plain stupidity (or worse). The leadership of our church has asked everyone to fast and pray today for safety, for the church, for the whole city. Please join us in prayer.

The verse the pastor gave today is:

Settling in, birthdays, Kyiv

We've been in this house for two weeks now, and we're loving it. The quiet and the yard and good places to walk (without crowds!) are amazing.

Also, Asya's birthday was a week ago. She actually wasn't here with us on the exact day, but before she left, we celebrated with her, and now she has returned to us. Her Kherson friend who has lived in Poland, then Zhytomyr, and now Kyiv, came to spend her own birthday with Asya. Their birthdays are only a few days apart, and they sometimes celebrated together when they were little. This year they were together again, and we actually did what Asya wanted last year: Papa cooked meat on the grill, and we had dinner outside.

Actual birthday in Kyiv

The plan was that Ira would spend a few days with us, then the girls would go to Lviv together for a day, then Ira would head back to Kyiv. Asya already had a ticket to go to Kyiv on Friday, because she needs a new passport, so they would be seeing each other again soon. However they begged and begged for Asya to go earlier with Ira, and we gave in. That means Asya got to be in Kyiv for the whole week, helping our friends move to another apartment and spending time with Ira and other friends.

Will and Bogdan went to join Asya on Friday-Saturday. We had thought we would take a whole family trip to Kyiv for the passport and to see all our TCI friends, but when we found out that Asya only needed one parent with her at the embassy (little kids are required to have both with them, but big kids don't have to), I stayed back with Leo. Will, Asya, and Bogdan had a busy weekend in Kyiv, and Leo and I had a quiet time here. Mostly we just enjoyed the quiet and saw lots of rain. I also had several Zoom calls and time to think, read, and write.

 

Now we're back together. The travelers are tired, I'm well-rested, and the dog is overjoyed.