FAMILIAR FACES
The origin of the word, f amiliar : Middle English (in the sense ‘intimate’, ‘on a family footing’): from Old French familier , from Latin familiaris , from familia ‘household servants, family.’ ~~~ A few weeks ago, I stumbled on this article in New York Magazine . Thirty young Ukrainians describe daily life during the first 16 days of the Russian invasion. I copied the main photo to my desktop and made it a practice to study The Faces, examine the glasses, the clothing, the expressions, the posturing. It's become a multiple-times-a-day thing. I planned to write something immediately, but two stomach bugs, a cold, and spring break demanded my attention elsewhere. At that point, the war had been going for 16 days. By now—Wednesday, my kids safely back to school after a pleasant spring break—the war is in its fifth week. Some of these thirty faces may no longer be attached to a pulse. In looking at The Faces, I see myself as a twenty-something, I see Opal in ten years and Ruth
