My Heart is Full Today

May 26, 2022

I want to paint a picture for you.

Every single morning at 8:45 am, 300-500 refugees of every religion get in line at the JCC Krakow to obtain groceries, clothes, diapers, feminine hygiene products, and more. They are tired, they are lost, they are hungry, they are thirsty. And, they have fathers, husbands, and sons who are MIA or captured by the Russian military. They are searching for normality and their lost dignity. Their children hold their hands and wait patiently for supplies. They are unbelievably resilient, they are kind, they are patient, and they are grateful for a cup of coffee while we paint or make beaded necklaces. They are happy to take a moment to catch their breaths and just connect with others.

I want everyone to really think about this tragedy as it continues to unfold. I cry often and not because I’m sad, I cry because I’m so unbelievably grateful to know these people, to give them love and to receive it back - and boy do they give me love. My heart is so wonderfully full today.

I had the pleasure to spend four hours with a beautiful grandmother from Ukraine. She wandered in from the street with a smile on her face and took a spot at my art table next to me. We sat, we laughed, we sang, we listened to the Amelie soundtrack while we painted, and we shared coffees and hugs. She spoke to me non-stop in Ukrainian, and I to her in English. She’s an artist, a grandmother, and a 75-year-old refugee.

The work I’m doing is important and necessary. I’m going beyond the emergency needs and just trying to bring some joy, and companionship, encouraging the imagination and building community all through the language of art. It’s working. It is really working.

If you’ve donated, I am so unbelievably grateful to you. I want you to know your dollars are making a difference. You are changing lives. If you’ve not donated, I encourage you to do so either financially, or even by sharing my posts or my Spotfund link on your Facebook page, today.

If you are an attorney or know an attorney who is willing to donate their time to create a non-profit for me, I would be so grateful. If you are a journalist help me spread the word. Everyone has something to contribute. Help me help them.

I came up with this idea exactly 23 days ago and here I am now on the ground making a difference.

Suzanne Horwich, AGB Founder