Maybe this year, we should follow the signs the universe keeps drawing for us in thick marker.

one of my main adaptation goals here was to find a church. Not a Ukrainian one, but specifically an American one - so I could immerse myself in the language, assimilate faster, and start living.

FOR A MOMENT, it seemed to me that I had met someone who tore my dry heart out by the roots and generously poured Betadine on it to heal and restore it. But, for reasons left unspoken, that uprooted heart simply slipped back into its place - and will probably grow back there for a lifetime. Not meant to be. C’est la vie. I place everything in the hands of the Lord and stop worrying. That’s it. Only prayer and strong tea with lemon. Sometimes honey too, but that’s already chil

There are reasons for that, but they’re not for public, internet-wide discussion. Everything is fine. Maybe even too fine - in places… But there are things I want to share and talk about, without forgetting that we are all human and that we should find reasons to be joyful even in complete despair.

MARGO IS 20. It feels unreal - and these silly numbers don’t mean anything… right? I still don’t see her as that grown-up, yet she’s been my smartest, most meaningful conversation partner for years. Well-read, intelligent, generous, thoughtful, and incredibly brave. My pride. My baby. I want to protect her from everything - from fools, from danger. Sometimes it feels like if I could lay myself down beneath her path so she’d never fall or get hurt, I would do it without hesita

TODAY MARKS THREE YEARS since Margarita Chesnova and I stepped onto American soil with two cats and two backpacks. And life has no intention of stopping. So don’t you stop either.

It is Friday today, and I am going to visit a wonderful place in the evening: the Disney theme park. I am sitting at my lunch, planning my weekend. And at the SAME time, while I ate my crispy wings, russia shelled a cassette ballistic rocket to Kryvyi Rih and killed about 50 people. There was a playground with many families and kids around. I can’t post here a “sensitive” video/photo of the mother and father holding the hands of their killed son in the grass near the swings o

Like any Ukrainian, I know one thing: in a harsh, uncertain situation—plant potatoes. For the first time, I’m planting them in grow bags. I mixed the soil myself: 40% soil, 40% compost, 10% peat moss, and 10% perlite. I should have used coco coir instead of peat moss, but it wasn’t available at the store nearby. Next time, I’ll plan ahead. Right now, I feel ashamed of everything: of some people here, of some things I see online - even among Ukrainians - petty arguments about

I DON’T REMEMBER WELL how the first anniversary passed. I don’t remember the second at all. But today, I decided to remember. Just for myself. And I also wanted to share something that might help those of us who struggle to find peace and fall asleep right away. When you go to bed, get comfortable, close your eyes tightly, count to five, then open your eyes and count “six.” And repeat: “one, two, three, four, five” - with your eyes closed, “six” - with your eyes open. I usu

Congratulations to everyone on the Birth of Christ. He was not born tonight, nor on the evening of January 7. He was born more than 2,000 years ago - in the fall, in a hot city, in conditions that were far from comfortable for both His mother and the newborn child. There was no Christmas tree, no snow, and certainly no Santa Claus. But it was there that we were all given the greatest gift - unconditional Love. We celebrate His birthday by continuing a God-given tradition: giv