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One Bag — A look at What’s Important

Lenore T. Rose
3 min readMar 29, 2022
Photo by Kevin Bückert on Unsplash

Like everyone here in America, I have watched the footage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine with horror. I am stunned that a leader of any country is so backward and deranged in 2022 that they believe it is OK to invade another country. How would we react if Canada invaded our northern border? I realize how ridiculous that sounds, but Ukraine may have thought the idea of an invasion in 2022 ridiculous, too. While I am sure our military would react in defense, the fact is, any invasion of this type would displace people.

Those in Ukraine were seen by the millions, leaving behind everything with one small bag, a small suitcase, or a backpack. What if you had to leave everything you owned behind and could only pack one bag? What are the essential items that you would bring? As I watch the people of Ukraine, I am in awe of their strength and their unity. I think about how difficult every decision was as they packed their bags. What is the most important thing you would bring if you had to grab and go?

I think I decided on this answer a long time ago. There is one thing in my home I have always cherished, and no matter what gets left behind — this has followed me for nearly a lifetime. My mother committed suicide when I was almost seven years old. A few days after she passed, I received a letter. Today, I still have this letter. Its tattered, fragile, and has…

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Lenore T. Rose
Lenore T. Rose

Written by Lenore T. Rose

Creative spirit. Overworked human. Idea developer. Poet. Artist. Animal rescuer.

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