and in Kyiv there was Easter...

Yesterday’s Easter in Kyiv was more than just a holiday.
It was a small miracle that we were finally allowed to experience.

Honestly, I didn’t know until the very last moment whether it would work out.
Whether it would be quiet.
Whether it would be safe.
Whether there would even be a “yesterday” that I could later write about so calmly…

But the morning happened after all.

Like a true Kyivite, I decided: since we’d been given a chance, we had to make the most of it. A dress, a light smile, a basket… a little nervousness inside, but on the outside—it was just like before.

And you know what’s amazing?

People were out and about.

Lots of them. Calmly. Restrainedly.
Without unnecessary noise, without fuss… but with something very powerful inside.

The line to the church was almost the same as in “peaceful” times. Only people’s eyes were different. Deeper. Quieter. Real.

No one was pushing.
No one was rushing.
It was as if everyone understood: we didn’t just come here to have our Easter baskets blessed… we came to feel that life is still here.
And you know what’s surprising?

So there I am, standing there with my basket… just as pretty as I’d planned