The war in Ukraine has blown the roof off of my writing and plunged me into a deep silence. What can one say in this time of great violence against a peaceful country?

My fingers sit in silence on the keyboard, as if paying tribute to the courage and calamity of the people now living in war.

My own life is not taken for granted. Someone said, “Don’t let the music in you die unsung.” If anything, my writing is my music and it takes various notes. I only have a finite amount left and that is true of all of us.

I consider how I came by my love of writing. It began in third grade. I have always loved the truth of simplicity.

What happens in war when the simplest things may be unavailable?

We often hide both our love and our fear lest we look foolish.

They remain, nonetheless. It is good to express them both. It keeps us in balance. However, most of us fear being vulnerable and so we sit on these two giant emotions.

In war, they come to the forefront and cannot be ignored.

May we rise above fear so that we may come to a deeper love on an impersonal level.

That is the only wise path to take.

Vicki Woodyard