by Kathie England

Perspective

Ants! Last fall our home, starting in our kitchen, seemed to be invaded by ants. We have lived here for nearly 30 years and ants have never been a problem. Before Christmas, we even hired a pest control company to help eradicate them. But, they have returned and we have found them in our guest bathroom and laundry room, as well as the kitchen (so far).

They’ve become almost a daily annoyance for us!

Then last Monday, March 14, I received an email from a former client. She was born in Kyiv, as were her parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. She described what’s happening in her homeland as though 9/11 was being re-lived every day for the past three weeks. People ripped from their home! Kids spending terrifying nights in cold underground shelters, hungry and afraid!

Perspective! That’s the word that came to mind! Our ants are so trivial compared to what the people of Ukraine face daily. More than 3 million people have become refugees. More than 6 million have been displaced from their homes. (That total number is about one-quarter of the population of California.) And yet, the people of Ukraine continue to defend their land and fight to preserve democracy!

I made a small likeness of the blue and yellow Ukrainian flag with the word PERSPECTIVE typed across the middle to remind me of how minor all my complaints are every day!! It sits on my desktop next to the photo of a small Ukrainian girl carrying a small Ukrainian flag with the following words above her picture, “I’ll pay a little more for gas for her…”

I made a donation to Mercy Corps and even to the group my former client is supporting in Ukraine. That effort seems so small!

Then last night Bob found a picture that provides a powerful image illustrating the number of children in Ukraine who have been killed so far. Take a look at this link.

My former client wrote: “The Ukrainian people are strong, they have resolve, and they will win this war, but they need our help.”

Who can we be? We can be people with PERSPECTIVE! As we live in a warm home, with plenty of food, and more ants than we’d like.

May we each embrace PERSPECTIVE in our own lives, find hope, and offer whatever form of help we can to the brave people of Ukraine!