This Monument to the Conquerors of Space is situated close to VDNKh metro station. I always enjoy its graceful silhouette on my way to and back from filming.
The Ostankino TV tower always lurks in the distance (in the photo it’s on the right). The actual walk takes some 15 or 20 minutes depending on one’s pace. Both structures, though, inspire and demonstrate the power of human will and goal-setting. It’s incredible that only a hundred years ago people only started to fly, and now mankind is thinking of a mission to Mars!
Today marks the 100th birthday anniversary of my grandma Lidia Yefimovna Sokolik (nee Alekseeva). She was born near Dorogobuzh in Smolensk Region on October 1, 1924. Ten years later the family moved to Borovsk, Kaluga Region. In 1941, with the last bus they were evacuated from the town to the Kirov Region, thence – to Yaroslavl, exactly at the time of the Stalingrad Battle. Then they arrived in the Moscow Region, first to the village of Mamontovka, then to Klyazma. In Klyazma they stayed for some 25 years: my mother was born there, and my great-grandparents died. Finally, grandma and mum moved to the town of Zheleznodorozhnyi in 1969 and eventually to Moscow in 1974. In Moscow my grandma lived 40 years until her death in 2014.
I’ve only listed my grandma’s moving from one place of living to another. When she got married, her husband and she lived in his flat in Lviv, the Ukraine. In 1960s and 1970s she was the head of “Friendship Trains” delegations that took the Soviet people who worked for the Moscow Railways to the Warsaw Treaty member states: Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, and the German Democratic Republic. And she also made countless auditory trips to pioneer camps and cinemas to Bryansk, Oryol, Aleksandrov and other cities.
This graceful and fragile girl was only 10 when she had to do a lot of housework after her mother got her nerve pinched and had her legs paralysed. In evacuation, she helped building the Kirov-Kotlas railroad to transport the munition from the Ural to the front. Later, she cared for my mum, then for me. She had just enough time to apply some hand cream and to perm her hair. She loved the Red Moscow perfume. She taught me to use an encyclopaedia. She saw me enter the Moscow State University, get married, go to live abroad, then return to Moscow. I’m sure she continues watching me with great joy.
I took stability, confidence, consistency, and calmness from her. “Girl, where is logic here?” was a rhetorical question that taught me to read, think and speak with attention. “Very good, I believe you will be a writer”, she said, reading my then youthful poetry and prose.
In 2006, when I worked as a journalist for the BBC, I took part in People’s War project. There was a section on the website dedicated to Russian war-time memories (in English), and with my grandma’s permission I added her story to the website. Later I narrated it in Russian for some Russian resources.
Yesterday, on March 22, more than 6000 people were under a terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall, a Moscow Region venue famous for tremendous concerts.
By night, 40 people had been reported as killed and over a hundred hospitalised with different injuries. Right now, the number of deaths is 133 and is expected to rise although the doctors are fighting for people’s lives. Three children were killed, but there may be more child deaths as some kids were found with their mothers on the staircases where they all died due to smoke poisoning.
The actual bandits shot at the crowd of people who came to watch a rock group concert. They also set the concert hall on fire. Some people tried to find rescue on the roof, but the fire spread there very quickly. Others rushed to the toilets in the hope to avoid the terrorists but were poisoned by smoke and died. The bandits continued to shoot at people on their way out, directing an open gun fire at a few who were trying to escape but got caught in the corner.
By now the entire concert hall has burnt down. The venue itself is still standing, the amount of damage has been roughly calculated and is around 9,5-11,4 billion rubles. The video shows the collapsed roof and debris.
The death toll could be higher; however, the terrorists weren’t too “diligent” in their job. They did some shooting, set the hall on fire, but as soon as people began to escape, they made their way out, too. In a white Renault car they tried to escape via Bryansk to the Ukrainian border but were stopped. Some of them don’t even speak Russian although they are reported to hold Russian passports which they have likely obtained illegally. They are under 30, coming from Tadjikistan, and one of them confessed on camera that he was promised half a million rubles for the attack and received 250,000 on his card. He was studying under some “preacher” in Telegram and got contacted by someone who offered him the money for the deal. The task was to go and just kill people.
The President has just addressed the nation. Tomorrow, March 24, is declared the Day of Mourning. Hundreds of people in Moscow, including my friends, have gone to donate blood, they are queuing up in the rain. My other friends have offered a psychological help, yet others and I donate money. The people have united across the entire country, and this obviously flies in the face of terror. The general consensus is that the ban on capital punishment must be lifted. Even my students who are only 14 believe this is the only way.
There is but one aspect that we can’t help mentioning. The tragedy at Crocus City Hall took place on the same day as Khatyn tragedy in Belarus in 1943. I wrote about its 80th anniversary last year. It is claimed that the US and the UK embassies warned their citizens from visiting concerts in Moscow at the beginning of March. There is evidence suggesting that the bandits were going to undertake the attack at the concert of Shaman at Crocus on March 9th. Perhaps, they realised that in such case the results of the Presidential elections would be totally overblowing. There was no chance to carry out the attack last weekend when elections were held. So they did it on March 22. I doubt they chose the date on purpose; rather God Almighty led them to show their diabolic fascist nature in full colours. The people of Belarus have been bringing flowers to the Russian embassies in the country and expressing their support.
We are also specially grateful to those foreign journalists who expressed their condolences on occasion of this awful attack at Crocus City Hall. It is in moments like this I personally believe that people are above politics.
Many of my friends with whom I exchanged the New Year and Christmas wishes expressed a special hope for Peace and Victory. Judging by dispatches from the Western media, the end of the Special Military Operation is imminent because the West is losing the nerve and financial capacity to carry on with the campaign.
Despite our common wish, we harbour no thought that the end of a military campaign might turn the time back in domestic policy. So many changes are due, and people are so keen, that the year 2024 is set to be a decisive one in many careers. Still, today, when the Star of Bethlehem is shining upon our world yet again, we feel immense gratitude for witnessing the Miracle of Love. The energies of Love and Goodness (Kindness) are presently revisited, showing the majorities the previously unknown (unrecognized) facets. Here, war truly becomes an act of Love whereas peace at the cost of one’s independence is an unequivocal Evil. We don’t redefine things; rather we begin to see them for what they truly are.
Holy Night to all my Orthodox readers! Happy Christmas, Peace, and Love! Let us celebrate Glorious Nativity of Jesus Christ!
Ilya Repin, Nativity Mikhaïl Nesterov, Adoration of the Magi
It’s been a custom to write a “sochelnik” (Christmas Eve) post here on January 6th. I don’t normally do it in December because I don’t celebrate Western Christmas as a religious festival. However, I do celebrate the Russian one. A few years ago I even went to a night service at my local church. This year it is still very cold, so I’m going to connect to an online service at one of Moscow churches.
Christmas Eve is the time when less religious people make wishes and burn candles; the more faithful pray in the solitude of their homes and get ready for a service. I love to watch the long day of the Eve slowly enter the Holy Night of Nativity.
There were many attempts to “see” the Nativity of Jesus Christ. St Brigitte of Sweden, for example, had a vision that the Child miraculously left His Mother’s womb and lay on a spread cloth. The Byzantine tradition believed in a “real” birth, in which Mary remained “untouched”, nonetheless. Yet these are the details that may appear insignificant on the grand scale, whereas the most important thing is that the Creator chose to come and live among people.
To me, this is a metaphor of a person with a mission who comes here to realize it here, on Earth. The mission is not about “saving” anyone; it is about the understanding of God’s plan for your life and following it through. If there is anything truly sad about the story of Jesus Christ and the apostles, it is that the physical martyrdom and death have got strongly associated with God’s will. Naturally, not many people want to leave this life too soon, so they shun away from discovering their mission altogether. As a result, we are deprived of many talented people.
Of course, as we follow the path of our mission, some parts of us will “die”, figuratively speaking, so that our new self can emerge. Nativity, in this sense, is a celebration of the New Life, La Vita Nuova, that promises the new beginning.
I hope those of us who celebrate Nativity on January 7th will spend the Christmas Eve in soulful gratitude for the gift of Life.
Since Tuesday it’s been abnormally cold in Moscow. Last time the temperature was so low in 2016 when it fell down to -33. This year it hasn’t gone below -30 at night, but -27 in the day isn’t something we’re used to in early January. Such frosts are typical around Epiphany (January 19th) but not Nativity (January 7th).
In spite of this I went out yesterday and today, and I’ll still have to go out tomorrow. It hasn’t snowed since Monday, and the frost seems more bitter when it isn’t snowing.
The streets are unusually empty; those who dare to leave their abode hurry to finish their business and get back home. There is a special atmosphere of a still life where you are but an element of the composition.
Below are some photos to illustrate the point. In the final photo you can see me and my frosty scarf. Even my eyebrows and eyelashes were frosty, too! When I saw it, I vividly recalled the stories about the Arctic explorers who performed their heroic deed in the abnormally cold conditions. Going out for some shopping was not a big deal, after all!
Psychologists today talk a lot about our “resource”. You either need to build it, or to maintain it and, if worst comes to worst, to recover it. Resourcefulness, overall, is paramount to our success in life.
Apparently, the long holidays that we have in January is the opportunity to recover the lost resource.
Source: Pinterest
But, of course, this is not just about recovering. This is about watching, reading or listening to something you have missed out on before. This is about visiting your friends and relatives, to share your positive emotions with each other.
Here’s a list of things that help me to recover my resource:
reading classical or professional literature;
watching a good film;
knitting;
silence;
taking a walk;
an unhurried day;
spiritual reading.
Still, what really helps me to recover is not the sleep as such, as the opportunity to slow down. During winter holidays I don’t want to travel or go anywhere, not to mention being in a hurry. Just calmness, peace, and quietude – these three work wonders for me.
Another aspect of building or recovering our resource is by generating positive feelings. This is not about positive thinking as such because, frankly, your current stage in life may be a bitter one, so imbuing good thoughts is probably challenging. Instead, try to focus on “good vibrations”: enjoy a sunrise or sunset, watch your favourite comedy, take a walk in the park where you are likely to meet some cute squirrels. The more goodness you learn to notice and feel, the more will come to you.
Thinking about January wishes, I wish us, dear friends and readers, a good year. I won’t call it happy or prosperous, although I certainly want it to be such. But not all things can be foreseen, whereas goodness needs no foresight. It exists. And I wish you to have as much goodness in 2024 as possible.
I also wish you to find Love or to cherish the one you already have. Love makes the Earth go round, this is true, so I wish you to experience more of it in 2024.
Finally, I wish us peace – the peace of mind, the peace of your home, the peace in your country. It has to be good and lasting. I believe our January Wishes are similar on this one.
When we are at peace with ourselves, we let others be what they are. It doesn’t mean we approve of everything they say or do. It merely means that we take them for what they are, while remaining focused on ourselves. We take time and pleasure in our own work and development; and if others should remain with us, they will, and if not, it is better that we don’t keep them around for fear of remaining alone.
I wanted to have a lazy day this Saturday, so I didn’t set the clock. Indeed, this is my best way to relax and recharge: to have no alarm clock go off when I haven’t slept enough.
Then I went to do some shopping because I really don’t like to do it on December 30th or 31st. And by that time we had already started getting reports about the Ukrainian forces attacking the city of Belgorod that borders on the Kharkov Region. Yet around 4pm it got worse. The Russian forces obviously worked well to counter the attack. Yet it still resulted in several deaths, including three children’s. Around 20 people are currently in hospital in life-threatening condition.
As I have a student from Belgorod this year, I messaged his mother to ask if they were fine – just in time to learn that she was going to go out for something. Apparently, my mission was to remind her that there are some important things at this time, especially her safety.
This is not the first time something atrocious happens days before New Year. In those years, despite tragedy, no celebrations were cancelled. This year the capital cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg cancelled fireworks, although the decorations and Christmas markets are in full glory. It is evident, however, that when our entire country is investing in our war effort lavish celebrations are inappropriate.
The case with Belgorod has been reported by the other side as an air raid of a military object. But as you can see in the photo the attack aimed at the central square with New Year tree and the Christmas market. Hence the casualties among civilians, including children.
Source: Readovka TG- channel
I wrote last year that all the so-called civilized nations and allies had ever done was killing children. Not all children, of course, but certainly those they deemed unworthy of walking the Earth. Such was their treatment of the Soviet children, then the Vietnamese, then the Russian kids at the Nord-Ost musical and in Beslan, then the children of Donbass. In autumn this year we have witnessed a totally unacceptable destruction of Gaza in Palestine, resulting in mass killings of children. The truth is, the same conductors operate this devilish orchestra. And today they ordered an air attack on the Belgorod city centre, two days before New Year.
As much as they understand the futility of these actions, they still undertake them, for their desire to annihilate those they consider their adversaries is stronger than any common sense. We just wait to see this desire finally turning against them.
I wish all my readers who celebrate Christmas today a lovely and peaceful festive season. May you and your near and dear stay warm and safe, and may the Eternal Light shine on you in all its bountiful abundance.
I spent a quite evening yesterday, eventually winding up to decorate my room for festivities. Today I’m filming an interview about one of Moscow streets and its ghosts. Later in the day I will do some teaching. Starting Saturday 23rd, I’m ticking off the students who I’m going to see in the new year.
I also plan to visit a church to celebrate St Spyridon of Trimythos whose day falls on December 25th in the Russian Orthodox calendar. It is a great serendipity, I believe, that two of the most venerated Christian saints – St Nicholas and St Spyridon – are both venerated in December. Once again, it proves that December is always a magical month!
Source: Pinterest
Source: Pinterest
As usual, it was hard to find a single photo to add to this post, so here’s a galore of Christmas pictures for you to enjoy! And below is a very cute GIF to mark the involvement of our fluffy friends.
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