INSPIRATION FOR THIS BLOG:

The words of Psalm 103, written  almost three millenia ago, in effect tell us: 

1) Each life is lovely, like a flower in a field.

2) Life is short...

3) And once we are gone, the place we occupied among family, friends, and neighbors, remembers us no more.  

On left, the growth of Giant Tecolote Ranunculus —— makes a visual point. It puts on an annual show in "The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch® in Carlsbad, California.»  For approximately six to eight weeks each year – from early March through early May this luxurious bloom is there for public visits and enjoyment! And then, like all such plant life, it fades and dies.  

 

Well, with this blog, I chose to contradict the wisdom of Psalm 103 ; Not everyone who dies is forgotten. Our loved ones need to be remembered. And that is what I hope to do, with my own essays and sometimes with the help of contributors.

All contributions to this blog shall be based on factual events, vetted documents and reliable sources to the best of my abilities. . May the memories of those who have gone before us be eternal! 

Fortunately, I  have  access to many resources for my blogs, about  family, friends, and acquaintances, now gone from this life . They left their mark on my life, on those around them, on the world at large.  They shall be remembered. 

 

 

 

 

Among my many resources are two books:

»History of One Family/ История Одной Семьи» [left] written in Russian by my cousin, Nina Matveenko, with articles by other family members;  edited by Oksana Ludvig, another relative  in Odessa, Ukraine and self-published in 2008 by Nina and her husband, Nikolai Lvovich Dorokholskii. It ran as a modest  edition of 500 copies. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another resource I hope to reference is  an essay called  «Reflections on the Soul/Мысли о Душе». [left] written in Russian in the 1930s  by  Fr. Nikolai Iosifovich Dorokholskii ( 1871 - 1937) , a New Martyr of the soviet era. Fr. Nikolai  was grandfather to Nikolai Lvovich Dorokholskii (1938-2022),  husband to my cousin, Nina Matveenko - who still lives in Odessa, Ukraine. Fr. Nikolai was a prodigious writer on spiritual themes. All his writing was either confiscated or lost. Thanks to his family, this particular essay survived as a hand-written manuscript to be finally published by his family in a modest edition of 100 copies in 2013. 

 

The original manuscript survived numerous tense house searches during years of communist persecution of clergy. Its author, Fr. Nikolai Iosifovich,  however did not survive. More about him in blogs to follow. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for visiting!

Elena Borowski in Southern, California

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Special Note: I am voicing a special «Thank You» to  my friend and current life coach, Matthew Neufeld! As I write this blog, Matthew is serving as a very helpful sounding board on ideas for this as well as my other projects. Truly grateful!