War Correspondence

I’m part of Postcrossing (https://www.postcrossing.com/), an online community for people who love sending and receiving postcards. It’s a small but meaningful way to make the world feel kinder, friendlier, and more connected. I joined while working on a personal goal list—it felt like the perfect fit for me: traveling, writing letters, and forming connections.

I also had a huge stack of postcards from past travels and collections. Some dated back to my first independent trip in 1988, and the pile had only grown over the years. It was time to find new homes for these memories.

According to my stats, I’ve sent 102 postcards and received 105. Each one I have received is a tiny glimpse into someone else’s life—like a star in the night sky. Seen. Acknowledged. Beautiful.

A postcard from Ukraine

Yesterday, I received a card from Ukraine.

The sender wrote:

“Greetings from Ukraine! My name is Julia. I am 45 years old. I work as an accountant. We have a war in our country. We are having very hard times.”

The front of the postcard featured stamps with wartime themes, dating back to 2022. But it’s 2025 now. The war has lasted more than a moment—it has stretched into years of conflict.

What got me

Despite the war, the struggles, and the desperate pleas of Ukraine’s leaders for help, life carries on. In the midst of destruction, uncertainty, and loss, Julia still chose to join a group that sends postcards.

In the struggle of living through war, she still looks for glimmers of normalcy. She still seeks connection. She needs people to know that for this 45-year-old accountant, life is unbearably hard. And yet, here she is, writing to a stranger.

Ugh.

I am so grateful for where I live. So frustrated with the state of the world and the failures of leadership.

All I can do is hope and pray—for everyone, and especially for Julia. Because in what she didn’t say, I hear everything.

As always, thank you for reading, Lovelies