Two bags of belongings are all a 68-year-old Ukrainian woman refugee took with her. I can’t imagine compressing all my earthly possessions into two bags. She is 68; so am I! I sobbed when I heard her interviewed. I’ve looked for this story on different new sources, but because of the explosion of Ukrainian immigrant stories, I couldn’t find it.
I have mused over this story for a week and ached for this woman. In her translation, she said, “It’s not about things. I’m 68 years old and this is all I have.”
You know me! So, this compelled me to write a poem which is all conjecture:
Two Bags—How Can I Choose?
For months, I’ve worried—
A war
A rumor of a war,
Then it happened.
The bombing
In the distant east
Louder
And
Louder
What do I do?
I have lived a simple life
For 68 years
Near Kovel, in a small Ukrainian village,
Near the Polish border.
I have no family left here,
Am childless.
My husband died two years ago.
My neighbors have taken care of me, a widow—
Loving people,
Who bought our farm.
Yesterday, they came by with
A heartfelt, life-changing offer.
Join us.
Let’s leave
To Lublin, Poland.
As they spoke, I wept.
My sister lives in Lublin.
Safety
Security
Shelter from what’s coming!
My neighbors have relatives
There too!
A 169 kilometers car trip,
2 hours and 40 minutes to escape.
The plan seems extreme—
Leave by 2:00 AM
In the dark
Quietly
Pushing the car down the lane
Out of town
Not to wake anyone.
We wonder about the possibility of
Russian sympathizers in the village,
Caution for sure!
But I’m Ukrainian!
Lived here my whole life.
Deep in my heart, I know I have to go,
As I look around our lovely home,
Full of memories
Treasures
My husband
And our life together.
Two bags
That’s all I can take.
My neighbors have a car
With limited space.
First, I packed bag number one.
I grab the essentials
- Toothbrush & paste
- Deodorant
- Hair brush
- Soap
Next, my clothes
- Underwear
- Bras
- Socks—five changes of each
- Pants
- Sweaters
- Extra shoes
I cram extras into my clothes bag
- Those minor items I have to have
Second, I packed my bag number two,
- Jewelry
- Cash
- Financial papers
- Passport
- Bible
- A small lap afghan I knitted
Third, in the space left in my second bag
My heart things
Our framed wedding picture
Mom’s secret pen
From World War II
When she was displaced like me.
As I look at her pen,
I sob uncontrollably.
Why again?
Why this horror?
I’m a simple woman
Hurt no one
Lived a simple Christian life
Close to the land
Helped my husband daily
Good life
As I look around my home,
One last time
I want to capture it all
In my mind
Bring it all with me.
Will I be back—ever?
Can this little house stand the bombing?
My heart breaks open at that thought.
To be prepared,
I dress
In layers to protect myself
Against the cold—
Normally doesn’t get much above freezing
During the day,
Then night time dives to down to 20 degrees.
I must dress warm
Because I have no idea
What’s ahead.
So layers,
As many as I can handle.
Watching the clock fully dressed,
Solemnly, I eat a hearty meal at midnight.
When will I eat again?
I sneak some snacks
In both bags
Just in case.
At 1:00 AM precisely, the soft knock on the door
Tells me it is time.
As I grab my two bags,
I shift the weight
To disperse the weight of my bags over my achy shoulders.
After one last glance,
I shut the door and lock it,
Placing the key inside my purse
As always.
With a set jaw, I walk towards the car
Overflowing with my neighbor
And his family.
Walking with my back to my home, I choke back a sob.
Such loving people.
To silently leave the village,
It takes all of us
Pushing
Shouldering
Bearing down on
The car.
Safely out of town,
My neighbor starts the car.
We jump in
And head west
Towards Lublin—
Safety,
And the unknown.
And me,
Here I am with two bags!
Two Bags—What Would I Choose?
As I write this, I looked around my house at 68 years old. How would I choose? I’ve pondered this blog post all week and thought about what I would take if I had the two bag limit. Obviously, Lin would be with me!
This is what I decided on:
- Jesse
- Food
- Insulin
- Bible
- Laptop
- iPad
- iPhone
- Cables for technology
- Mom’s genealogy notebook
- Cash
- Credit Cards
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Soap
- Hair brush & comb
- Clothes
- Underwear
- Bras
- Socks
- Extra pair of shoes
- Changes of clothes
- Priceless jewelry
How would I carry Jesse? I’m seeing my two bags have just grown.
As I scanned even just one room, what else? I’d sift through my belongings and despair like my Ukrainian counterpart over what I had to leave. What about Dad’s saddle and chaps? All of my beautiful square dance outfits?
How heart-wrenching! Millions of immigrants have left Ukraine, flooding Poland especially and all the other border countries. Displaced describes what has happened to them—forced to leave their homes!
Finally,
I get it that this is happening thousands of miles away from me, but when I heard that 68-year-old woman interviewed, I sobbed! Two bags—how do you fit 68 years of life in two bags?
What would you take if you faced the situation of having to compress your worldly good to two bags?
~NEW PODCAST to be released Thursday, March 17, 2022, discussing my new book, Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? : Live on Purpose Podcast at https://liveonpurposeradio.com/category/podcast/
~MY FIRST AUDIOBOOK IS AVAILABLE: Go to Audible to buy my first audiobook, Let Me Tell You a Story
~Do you listen to podcasts? Here are three podcasts with interviews about my new book & some Flippo stories:
~Buy a copy of Flippo’s biography on my website: https://www.laradasbooks.com or at Amazon.
~Here’s a variety of Christmas greetings from Flippo & Neeca, featuring his song, “When It’s Christmas Time in Texas”: https://youtu.be/mpJCUGffU3A
~Are you on a spiritual path? Do you want to heal from the horrible effects of the pandemic of 2020? Visit my website to find out about my new book, Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? and my other five books and three cookbooks: https://laradasbooks.com