A Ukrainian Boy’s Birthday Wish Says It All
Let this story remind you how much is at stake in November this year.
There is no need to write much here. But let me share this evening’s experience with you. We were invited to a friend’s house for their son’s sixth birthday. They left Kyiv two days after the war started. They are our friends, and our sons are buddies. We were invited to celebrate his sixth birthday at their house. Their son made a wish when blowing out the candles on his cake that silenced the room.
As the candles flickered and the shadow dropped across his face, the gathered children waited for their slices of cake, and the parents stared on in loving anticipation.
“For the victory in Ukraine,” he said quietly but confidently. After a short pause of disbelief, all of us adults erupted in joy. The children stirred and smiled, observing our reactions, and the birthday boy blew out the candles.
At this gathering, two new Ukrainian families had recently joined this community in “migration,” and without asking the question, they went from “My name is so-and-so” to “We woke up on the 24th at 6 a.m. to the sound of artillery shells crashing down around our neighborhood.”
They told stories of how they packed the most essential things they could and then…
