Imagine a faraway place with forested mountains, mountains so tall that they connect with the sky in the most enchanting way. The view is so inviting and so charmingly peaceful, you wish you could capture the idyllic scene and carry it with you throughout your life. I miss the Ukrainian sky, especially at night — it was filled with my grandmother’s stories that guided me so well through life and all its tribulations. My grandmother could predict the weather for the next day with the accuracy of the most experienced meteorologist, just by reading from the sky. — ” You can trust the sky – it never lies, just lift your head and the sky will tell you the rest”, my grandmother would explain in her calm and relaxed manner. 

The sky in Ukraine is no longer peaceful:  “When I walked out from the bomb shelter, I was horrified to see our sky – it was covered with red, ominous stains!” my mother was telling me through her tears. “What will tomorrow bring?” kept asking my 75-year old mother, exhausted from sleepless nights.

On the night of February 23rd I was awakened by a call from my mother. “Putin is bombing Ukraine!”, she exclaimed, trying to keep her voice from shaking. She had been following the news, of course, but she never believed the Russians would actually attack their cousins in Ukraine.

Ever since the Russian tanks crossed the border and the shelling began, I have been thinking of ways to help the children who were forced to flee their homes and seek shelter, leaving their friends, pets, and toys behind. I thought of my niece and nephew, Vladyk and Alina, and imagined what could have happened if they were less fortunate.  We formed America Cares for Ukrainian Children as a way to join together with our friends and neighbors and help the most innocent victims of this cruel war.