It’s 11:00 a.m. in Przemysl, Poland. My family and friends in America are preparing for a Thanksgiving feast. I’m certain they all have things that make them feel thankful.
I always thought that I was thankful, but that word seems so relative and hollow now. I was thankful for my family, my friends, my good health, my job, my home and all of the things money can buy. Blah blah blah.
I was in Lviv, Ukraine on Tuesday. The next day an area I walked through was hit by several Iranian drone missiles.
Did I really just live this? Did I really walk past a building that was destroyed the next day by a missile? Is this REALLY HAPPENING???!!!
Yes, it is. It really really really is.
I’ve spent the last two hours washing off groceries that were dropped off at the shelter by a volunteer who found them in a warehouse. Many of the cans were a year or more beyond the “use by” date. Nonetheless, it was food, so it was cleaned off and stacked on the shelves to be used by the “whenever” date.
I was reminded of a scene from the Walking Dead where Carl was eating pudding from an old rusty can with a big smile on his face.
Over the last week I’ve met people who are truly thankful. Thankful for their very lives. Thankful to have made it out of their home, which was hit by a drone missile while they were sleeping. Thankful to have made it safely across the border, even though they are hurt, cold, exhausted and traumatized – and have nothing. They are thankful to still be together. Thankful for a bottle of water or an expired can of chicken. Thankful for a can of bread. New arrivals are thankful to pitch in building the new beds that your donations paid for. Although they will only sleep on them for a night or three, they are thankful to also be helping others who come after them.
Today, I am thankful for the tireless volunteers I’ve met here. While there are too many to name, I need to really shine a light on Jay, Dave, Kate, Steven and Hessel. Not one of you is Ukrainian, yet you have selflessly put your lives on the line to step in to give these families just a little bit of hope that this nightmare isn’t the end of their story.
On Thanksgiving Day in America I am asking you to help me continue to help. What we are doing here has a direct and immediate life saving impact. That means food, water, warm clothes to prevent freezing to death – truly the most very basic needs we all have as human beings.
Today, I am more thankful for my very life than I have ever been before.
There are lots of ways to donate, but know that all monies no matter how they are received will be used for beds and mattresses and other supplies – including a new sink I purchased yesterday and electrical equipment to allow more more cooking area at the Hope Organization’s Shelter. To make your donations tax deductible, you can make them through Volunteer Housing Initiative. You will have the opportunity to add a comment to tell them you want your funds to go toward this effort.
Or, you can donate directly to me via Venmo to @MtgMistress or by PayPal through this site.