Mother’s Day is now celebrated in more than 50 countries worldwide and although not all countries celebrate on the same day, here in Italy we join with many other countries and celebrate our mothers on the second Sunday in May. But this year, in our tiny mountain village, Serrastretta, in Calabria, the “toe” of the Italian “boot,” Mother’s Day holds a special significance.

The day marks nearly two months since the first two of our Ukrainian mothers and their children arrived in our town. Two weeks later Hanna and Olena were followed by Natalia, Vira and Kateryna – five mothers and nine children who, as they have found safe haven in our little town, have given us an important gift – a new appreciation of what it means to be a mother.