As I shared on Instagram this morning, I am the daughter of a recently-retired US Army officer. I’ve mentioned this before, but because of that, I have spent my lifetime anxiously monitoring each conflict, as my father inevitably was deployed to problem areas. He’s served in Guyana, El Salvador, Germany, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Iraq, among others. He retired from the Army in September after a lifetime of service. While he might not be deployed to Ukraine, there are so many others who are in harm’s way; most devastatingly, civilians.

The US has been lucky in that there have been so few attacks on our soil; so few civilian lives have been lost. It is almost impossible to imagine the devastation and fear and anguish that so many others in the world have felt every day–do you send your child to school today? Will they be safe if they are there, or safer than if they are with you? Do you try to flee and start a new life somewhere else, or stay to defend your country, or–

The choices are unimaginable for so many.

It puts things in perspective. It puts all kinds of struggles and trauma into perspective because we are, in general, safe. And because of that, we should do what we can to help. Today I am setting up recurring donations at the Kyiv Independent (the English-language newspaper based in Kyiv), the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund (run by the UN), and Médecins Sans Frontières. I urge you to consider donating–no amount, no matter how small, is meaningless.