This is my first venture into blogging. I am an EMDR Trauma Psychotherapist who was born in Brooklyn, raised in Queens, and arrived in Tucson in 1978 ( a single mom) in a 1964 Ford Van that my two daughters were embarrassed to have parked in the driveway.  Over the years as a Trauma Psychotherapist, I have watched people struggle with their early family experiences and that has enriched my understanding of healing.  This blog is about my journey to the Ukraine to find my ancestry.

In July of 2019, I went to Staryi Sambir in the Ukraine to trace my Maternal family history and to set foot in the place my mother Feiga Graulich was born. Since my Paternal Grandfather (Bernard Halpern) and my Grandmother (Lottie Halpern) immigrated from Chernivitski (also in the Ukraine) this is an ongoing work in which I hope to trace and solidify the people from my past who have shaped the destiny of these two families. Understanding is always in terms of necessity and these undertakings are part of my making peace with the past.