Quote:
Hello dear Grandmother,
I apologize for writing so rarely and erratically. Please know, dear grandmother, that your face and voice are never distant in my mind. I hope it will bring peace to your soul by knowing that I pray for you every time I see the emblem of Mary that you so graciously gifted me with. You are in my prayers and under the mercy of God.
Our home here is more or less the same. Days during university have a strong sense of unoriginality: short sleeps and long, sleepy, days are expected and received accordingly. University reminds me of some sort of academic race where the weak and stupid die, the diligent and smart survive (with varying difficulty), and the weak and sly somehow seep in through unseen cracks. To be completely honest, I’m sometimes slightly jealous when I witness students studying theatre filming in the streets and dressing up in costumes – “what boring fate I’m stuck in these days”, I can not help but say. But this does not hurt my spirit, for I feel as if my suffering and perseverance has a purpose; a higher cause which may or may not be rewarded in the end, but remains alas, requiring my loyalty and service. But really, who am I to speak of suffering and perseverance? Of course, if I were to think of any person I know who knows of such things, it would be you, my dear grandmother. I hope that you will never let pain disturb your spiritual peace. Remember that physical weakness is merely a sign of strengthening – a kind of test to see if you are able to see purpose in any pain, no matter how severe. And while we’re on the topic of suffering, perhaps you would enjoy a quotation by C.S. Lewis, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."
I hope that by the time this letter is sent, I can get a chance to find you a good book written in Russian or Ukrainian. I wish I could send you some of my best books, but I’m not entirely sure your English will suffice. Furthermore, I’ll be sending a few articles written by a teacher I know who has had the articles translated into Russian. Also, I’ll be attaching several photographs of life in Canada. I think you would enjoy seeing where Lisa and I study and how we live.
Lastly, I found the following photographs of the church in Zhydachiv on the internet. I’m sure you’ll like them.
