... Flowers always bring me hope and love. Even at funerals, in many cultures, we bring flowers to express gratitude for the lives of the people we love but have sadly lost.

In March, I lost a very dear friend, for whom I am incredibly grateful for making the UK feel like home to me. Ann Barbara Brenells will always be like a beautiful flower in my memory, setting a shining example of generosity and hospitality for countless Ukrainians. 

Memories of all the wonderful people we are losing make me think about a song from the 1970s — "A Ballad about Mallows," a song by my favourite Ukrainian composer Volodymyr Ivasyuk based on a poem by Bohdan Guri. It tells the story of a young man who died in war, and his soul has sprouted as a beautiful mallow under his mother's window. The song describes a mother's longing for her children — while other mothers have children playing in the garden, all she has are these flowers. Decades have passed, but there are still more and more mothers who have remained only with flowers:

In March, it could have been the author's 75th birthday. Volodymyr Ivasyuk faced difficulties and suppression from Soviet authorities due to his outspokenness and the patriotic themes in his music. His songs, which contained elements of Ukrainian national identity and aspirations for independence, were considered threatening to the Soviet regime's control over Ukrainian culture. In 1979, at the young age of 29, Ivasyuk's life was cut short under suspicious circumstances.

Even our life and being on this Earth are so fragile — the seeds of our actions remain. The love we plant with our little day-to-day actions can always mean something life-changing for the people around us. Let's cherish the memory of those who remain living with us in flowers.