Human connection is a powerful force

Ukrainians in Canada’s West

If you drove across Canada, from sea to sea to sea, you would marvel at the diverse landscape. Fishing villages. Farm country. Forests. Diverse village, towns and cities. Reserves. Lake districts. Mountains. Tundra.

Notable when traveling across Saskatchewan, your view stretches seemingly forever across the vast flat blue-yellow horizon. Blue sky. Yellow fields of grain, canola, sunflowers. Much like Ukraine.

We were thrilled to open the first envelope of cheery colourful Saskatchewan landscape postcards sent by Laura from her home province, after she learned about this project on the Postcrossing website.

Laura reminds us that if you live in Canada’s West, you cannot but know someone in your family, amongst your friends and neighbours, who has Ukrainian roots and/or ties.

Ukrainians first arrived in Canada’s West in the late 19^th Century. They tilled the land, farmed, built communities, and have made numerous contributions to Canadian socio-cultural/economic and political life.

According to “A sociodemographic profile of Ukrainian-Canadians” published by Statistics Canada in 2022 (the year of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine), about 1.36 million people, or close to 4% of the Canadian population, reported at least one of their ethnic origins as Ukrainian (2016 Census), forming the 10^th largest self-reporting ethno-cultural group in Canada (2021 Census).

“Living in Saskatchewan, so many people you meet are Ukrainian or have ties to Ukraine, so Ukrainian traditions are easily available; e.g., I took Ukrainian dance for years as a child, we celebrated Ukrainian Christmas with the traditional dishes at my aunt’s or at a friend of the family’s home, my mom used to have all-day pierogi parties where we gathered with friends to make a hundred dozen pierogi and then ate together. All of these connections with Ukrainian culture have been a part of my life and my understanding of the world and my place in it for as long as I can remember.”

Writing Postcards to Defenders

Laura works in Information Technology, her days largely spent in front of a computer. But, she “tries to balance that digital life with slower, more intentional, manual practices like meditation, walking, reading, and writing letters/Postcrossing.”

While the war on Ukraine hasn’t directly impacted Laura or the people closest to her, it has had an emotional impact “that has left me and the people in my community sad, shaken, in shock and disbelief, angry, and heartbroken; but also inspired by the continued strength, resilience, creativity, and dedication of the Ukrainian people (both Defenders and citizens).”

And, she added, “the longer the war continues, the more my sense of unease grows. The Ukrainian community here [in Saskatchewan, and across Canada] has grown since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago and Ukrainian newcomers often speak about being in Canada in a bittersweet way. They are happy to be safe and in Canada, but they speak longingly of their families, friends, and loved ones left behind, that have died, or that have returned to defend Ukraine.”

Once Laura learned about Postcards to the Front on the Postcrossing site, she could easily imagine that “postcard messages of support would make a difference to Defenders because they are a way to remind Defenders that they are appreciated, valued, thought of, and not forgotten; things all humans want and need to feel, but maybe even more so when it feels like the world has forgotten you and/or the obstacles in front of you are insurmountable. I think human connection is a powerful force that can inspire and give hope to people when they need it most.”

Laura likes to choose cards for Defenders that “are reflective of the area from which I am writing. When I’m at home, I select Saskatchewan landscapes and because of the prominence of canola fields and sunflowers in Saskatchewan, I also try to send landscapes that feature blue skies and yellow fields [mimicking the Ukrainian flag]. When I’m traveling, I try to select cards that showcase the local sites/landmarks. I keep my messages as positive and hopeful as possible.”

As she has grown more confident writing Cyrillic text, Laura adds more Ukrainian phrases on her cards than she did when first writing them.

“Cyrillic is not natural-feeling for me especially given the way I print, but it feels like it is a worthwhile effort even though when I write it is far from perfect. The thought process is more difficult for me and I sometimes get in my own way when I write because I worry that what I am writing about is too trivial, that it won’t make sense to the Defender reading it, that it’s not personalized enough, and on-and-on my mind churns. But, I try to focus on the things that remain true for me: that I’m grateful for the Defenders and all that they do for Ukraine, that I’m saddened and horrified by the invasion, that I stand on the side of Ukraine, that I hope peace returns soon, and that I hope each Defender remains safe until they are able to return home.”

Postcard Embroidery

What a surprise to receive Laura’s first embroidered postcard in our mailbox! Laura explained that she was inspired to embroider some postcards because of “a very nostalgic connection to Ukrainian embroidery as I was surrounded by it as a child. Ukrainian embroidery is something I have long wanted to try as an adult, but it always seemed too complex and overwhelming to me.”

Her original embroidery ideas revolved around stitching Ukrainian patterns on old photos, though she hasn’t undertaken this project yet.

When she learned about the Postcards to the Front project, Laura immediately knew that her strong emotional connection to Ukrainian embroidery would play out well on postcards for Defenders who, she hoped, “might feel the same connection to the embroidery; that a little bit of embroidery might be a small reminder of home that they don’t often see on the front lines.”

Once the idea was sewn in her mind, Laura began to search for patterns that she might use. Then, during some vacation time, Laura committed to trying Ukrainian embroidery in small ways on postcards for Defenders.

The pattern that Laura chose isn’t too complicated, doesn’t have too many stitches, and is easily recognizable as a Ukrainian pattern. The entire process takes about an hour per card, so it’s important to Laura to keep the stitch count low and to have a pattern that stands on its own.

Most important is how the pattern works with the image on the postcard.

“I wanted most out of a pattern I chose to embroider on a landscape postcard that is largely blue and yellow as it reminds me of the Ukrainian flag. Having a large section of open sky allowed the pattern to stand out as I didn’t want the image to detract from the stitching.”

Laura learned about stitched postcards through an online class that she took with makes&mends/fabric artist Jessica Marquez (Miniature Rhino). 

“Jessica hasn’t offered the stitched postcard class for a couple of years, but if a person knows the basics of cross stitching, the process is reasonably simple. I find free online patterns that I print out and then poke the holes in the card using a tack (it can be anything that can poke a hole, but I like the control of a tack). After I’ve poked the entire pattern into the card, I stitch the pattern with 6-strand embroidery floss that I divide into two (3 strands are used to stitch) and wax the strands with beeswax (again you could use a different wax or a specific thread conditioner) as waxing the thread makes it easier to pass through the card. I don’t use knots; I just stitch over the ends/loop the ends through previous stitches. I cover the back of the stitching with a square of white paper and a sticker just to ensure that the stitching is more secure/less likely to give. I also don’t want to be concerned with the backside and what my stitch-offs look like.”

The Power of Human Connection

As postcard warriors often tell us, Laura is “very thankful to be able to write postcards to the Defenders of Ukraine. Doing so reminds me how lucky I am in my own life, it puts my difficulties in perspective, and it reminds me of the power of the human spirit and human connection.”

When we receive images from the front lines, we scour them to see if there are any postcards that we can recognize as having been sent through Canada branch. Tucked in the middle of the right side image, under the sweets, is one that Laura wrote.

“Seeing my cards in the hands of a Defender makes my heart melt a little. I know sending the cards is not about me and I have seen it stated several times that you shouldn’t expect a reply from Defenders as they simply don’t have time. But seeing my cards in the hands of a Defender is THE best kind of reply. It’s like the loop has closed in a tangible way, reinforcing the human connection element of the Postcards to the Front project. I get to see that my cards are reaching Defenders and they are being read. I never doubted this was happening, but it feels different to actually see it happen.”

Laura hopes that when a Defender receives a postcard from far away, that they “feel connected to someone across miles and cultures and that they are assured that the world is watching and that there is support for Ukraine and for its independence. I also hope they feel the briefest moment of flight where they can travel in their minds to a distant place and be lifted from the harsh realities they face every second of every day.”

Ukraine, Instructor on Human Experience

Laura expressed fears that “what is happening to and in Ukraine could very easily happen to countries that we might not expect if we, as foreign countries and people, look the other way or force/expect Ukraine to make concessions about their territory and/or independence.”

After more than four years since russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, we are hearing from other postcard warriors of similar concerns about conflict expanding to other parts of the world, as is evidenced in the Middle East.

Ukraine offers Laura instruction on human experience. “When you feel like life is too difficult or too overwhelming, look to Ukraine and the conditions Ukrainians find themselves in each day and try to find something in your day/life to be thankful for or that allows you to see your difficulties in a more balanced way. The Ukrainian spirit is unbreakable, and the beauty and courage of the Ukrainian people is boundless.”

Then … find a pen and a few postcards. The simple act of writing a message of care and support to a human being who needs a bit of warmth and light in their day will make you feel just a little bit better about your day, as any meaningful human connection does.

Anyone can write a postcard to a Defender. Ask family and friends to write cards. Involve your children and grandchildren. Defenders especially appreciate postcards with drawings from children.

Need cards? Write to us at postcardstothefront.canada@gmail.com. We’ll send you postcards to write to Defenders. FREE!

Need help getting started? See our “How to” page, and our Ukrainian phrases page. Maybe you want to organize a group of family, friends or others to write postcards? We have a page with suggestions about How to Run a Postcard-Writing Workshop.

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Your cards do make a difference, as Danylo tells us from the front lines –

Nothing warms the soldiers’ heart as a handwritten letter.