Day 850. Life must go on

Now I am reading "The Museum of Abandoned Secrets". This is a novel by Ukrainian writer Oksana Zabuzhko. The novel's events tell the story of three generations and cover three eras: World War II, the 70s and the early 2000s. It is about love and betrayal, devotion and death, about war, the past, and the future. The book has over 800 pages, but I read it slowly so that I have time to absorb the meaning of all I read, understand it, realize, and remember. It is called mighty and powerful. For me, this is a novel of discovery.

This novel is recognized by Ukrainian and foreign critics not only as the most outstanding work of Ukrainian literature of the era of independence but also as one of the most important in the entire literature of Eastern Europe after the fall of communism.

Today is June 22nd, the 850th day since Russia started a full-scale and unprovoked war against my country.

June 22nd, 1941. Fascists attack the Soviet Union. The German-Soviet war begins as a continuation of WWII. On this day 83 years ago Hitler's army bombs Ukrainian cities.

June 22nd, 2024. Russian army bombs Ukrainian cities. Tonight my daughter woke up to the sound of the rocket flying over their building. She was terrifying. Russians hit the building of the University nearby. For the first time since Feb 22 2022, the missile hit their city. In the middle of the same day, Russia dropped an aerial bomb on the center of Kharkiv.

The novel vividly describes the fight of the Ukrainian insurgent army. First, they fought for the freedom of Ukraine against the fascists, and after the "liberation" in 1944 they continued the fight against the Bolsheviks.

What they did go through is way more challenging and harsh than what we are going through nowadays. I mean Ukrainians who live in the rear. They hid in the forests, lived in temporary shelters underground, did not always have food, and knew that they could die at any moment. They were losing friends, their families were in constant tension, uncertainty, and danger, not seeing them for years. And they still continued to fight for the freedom of their country. Our county. Moreover, they found beauty in small things, joked and sang, fell in love, and gave birth to children. They understood that life must go on, their clan must go on.

Where did they get their strength from? Why didn't they lose faith and didn't give up?

The past week was hard and challenging for me. For the first time in my life, I had a panic attack. On the next day, I was exhausted but should get the job done... and almost fainted. It was a new feeling for me. I was fully conscious but the energy left my body.

After this, I said to myself - I am enough. There is little point in a vacation during the war but I need it no matter what.

Here I am. The first day of my official vacation.

No travels, no plans, no duties, no expectations. Just to go with the flow.

However, the novel reminded me that I have a life. And every day wasted in despair and depression is another day lost that cannot be returned. To fall in despair is to betray my brave ancestors. This will not happen.

Cherry and mulberry - my today's favorites. The season is running over and I still have not tasted them. And a good reason to visit my mother-in-law.😉

Cherry trees in the garden of my mother-in-law almost turned wild. They only stimulated my appetite, so I drove to the farmer's market and bought a good cherry for homemade varenyky (also known as pierogi in Poland, or dumplings in English but I never liked this name).

I like to work with dough, so making dumplings is a pleasure for me. But varenyky with cherries are my all-time favorites and the best of the best!

I even bought a farmer's cream at the market, it is very fatty and incredibly tasty. Perfect with cherry dumplings. I hope you're not hungry. If yes, I am sorry.😊😋

Yours truly,

@zirochka