To the mothers of Syria, I share your story because I wonder if there are many folks like me that are embarrassingly clueless.

To the mothers of Syria, you have witnessed the deaths of 470,000 of your people in the last six years.

To the mothers of Syria, your nightmare began when a few schoolchildren writing anti-government graffiti were arrested and tortured in 2011.

To the mothers of Syria, you said no, but your own government killed four peaceful protestors and then another, while mourning at a funeral.

To the mothers of Syria, you are either one of the five million that has escaped or one of the six million still trapped.

To the mothers of Syria, three of the six million are children, most schools have been destroyed and there are few teachers.

To the mothers of Syria, you didn’t know a civil war could be so horrific, two sides fighting within the same country though now there are so many groups competing, you don’t know who’s who.

To the mothers of Syria, you’ve moved four to five times, one in ten of you live in a camp and clean water evades you and your family.

To the mothers of Syria, you wonder about the United States and why the country known for freedom has slashed its’ program to welcome you and so, you long to flee to Europe.

To the mothers of Syria, your president Bashar al-Assad isn’t much of a president and you hope no one believes him in his denial of responsibility for killing twenty eight of your children with the nerve gas, Sarin.

To the mothers of Syria, you know that there is an international law banning chemical weapons in warfare, but that doesn’t explain why 86 were killed this week in this way.

To the mothers of Syria, you know that Russia’s largest military base outside their own country resides in yours and Putin supports the reign of your murderous president, rather than fight terrorism, as he pretends.

To the mothers of Syria, you don’t need anyone telling you that this is the Holocaust reborn, but I expect you want the rest of the world to know you are desperate for help.

To the mothers of Syria, I’m just a mother who was born into freedom and promises she will share your story.