From Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 508):
Let them vanish like water that runs away;
when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted.
Psalm 58:7
As a kid, I heard WWII stories and wondered how people lived during those days. Were they always mourning? Did they wear only gray clothes because they had no joy in life? Did they eat only bread and water? I had lots of stereotypical images in my mind and couldn’t believe people could laugh, get married, or have children during the war.
The war in Ukraine started over nine years ago, and the past 500+ days were bound to happen sooner or later. How does one cope with something like this? How do you keep on living when someone is dying for you?
I’ve seen this question addressed by several people over the last couple of days. One said it took her a few burnouts to start learning to appreciate life in the moment. Another shared her experience of having a wildly fun time with the families of the killed defenders. She said they were running around with the kids, laughing and making memories.
We need to learn to LIVE during the war. We must learn to allow ourselves simple pleasures. We must fill every moment with life because we are living it not just for ourselves but also for those who cannot do it now.
Over the past nine years, there wasn’t a day when we didn’t pray for our defenders. I know it for sure because our son was born right when Russia started hostilities in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, so our bedtime prayers always included intercession for our soldiers. We followed the news, we were wondering what may lead to escalation, we were offering support to the internally displaced people, but we kept on living and enjoying life. That’s what helped us survive these 9 years, but it’s a skill we must relearn after 500 days of full-scale war.
We must remind ourselves that our mental health matters, and we must care for ourselves if we want to be able to care for others.
We must remind ourselves that our children have only one chance at childhood and our parents are not getting younger, so we must focus on making their days memorable.
We must remind ourselves not to postpone our dreams, even if they are small and insignificant. I remember ordering watercolors online during one of the massive missile attacks last fall because I suddenly realized that I would be disappointed if I died without trying to paint with watercolors.
Our enemy would want to see us defeated, cast down, and hopeless, so we must resist. We must live full lives to be a good home front for those on the frontline. We must live full lives because many Ukrainian children, including our son, don’t know what it’s like to live in a peaceful country. I know we are never able to forget about this war, but we surely cannot let it destroy us.
Whatever battles you are fighting today, allow yourselves to live. Do it for the sake of those who cannot do it themselves.
Voice of Ukraine 
3 responses to “7/17/2023 – I know we are never able to forget about this war, but we surely cannot let it destroy us…”
Reblogged this on dean ramser.
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The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
John 10:10
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Bill Mauldin, on living in the army in WWII
“No normal man who has smelled and associated with death ever wants to see any more of it. In fact, the only men who are even going to want to bloody noses in a fist fight after this war will be those who want people to think they were tough combat men when they weren’t. The surest way to become a pacifist is to join the infantry.
I don’t make the infantryman look noble, because he couldn’t look noble even if he tried. Still there is a certain nobility and dignity in combat soldiers and medical aid men with dirt in their ears. They are rough and their language gets coarse because they live a life stripped of convention and nicities. Their nobility and dignity comes from the way they live unselfishly and risk their lives to help others.”
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