Home Coming: God's Miracles in Lives of Regular People (Paperback or Softback)

"Mother Maria," "Home-Coming" and "Bridge to the Sky" are parts of trilogy “God's Miracles in Lives of Regular People” with main character Countess Maria Kotyk-Kurbatov. Trilogy is based on journals of Countess Maria. Descriptive imagination of author transformed dry data into inspirational life and love story. The readers transcend space and time, joining Maria in her happiness and heartbreaking sadness, life-saving love and devastating losses, terrible hardships and miraculous triumphs.

“Home-coming” is the 2-nd book of trilogy. Author brings reader to post-war Western Ukraine together with mother-to-be Maria and her husband Alexander Kurbatov. They arrived to take Maria’s father and siblings to France away from communist regime that expropriated family wealth and evicted the Kotyks from manor.

     The reader learns, how Maria’s plans have been ruined due to illegal and inhumane actions of NKVD. Maria and Alexander were arrested and went through hell on Earth. Their short trip was transformed into a life-long detour. In Lviv prison, the Kurbatovs were found “guilty” in “high treason”, “espionage and terroristic acts” on territory of USSR. There was no court hearing and no chance for defense. Maria and Alexander were sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment in GULAG – chain of Russian political labor camps in ever frozen zones.
     It was extremely difficult for a pregnant woman to work in mine, but it was even more complicated for baby to survive in prison. Maria prayed and God created miracles.

     Through Devine intervention, Maria and Alexander were found innocent and released from camps with 10-year-old son. The authorities promised repatriation to France. Faith and love guided the Kurbatovs in prison and post-prison life.

     Being exhausted from misery of life in Magadan zone and endless waiting for repatriation to France, Alexander visited KGB office. The reader discovers the most unpredictable KGB answer that impacted their family.

I was born in 1952 in the Ukraine, part of the former Soviet Union. Being a single child in the family, I grew up in atmosphere of pressure to succeed. My parents did their best to develop my skills and talents. From six years of age, I remember myself in a tight schedule of different activities: sport, music, acting, dancing, and chess playing.

In 1959, I became a student of one of the best schools in our region. The talented teachers led us in a fascinating world of knowledge. From the middle school, my teachers motivated me to write stories, and I won numerous competitions. I was an editor of the school newspaper for 4 years. The teachers suggested studies at the university in order to become a journalist.

After the graduation from high school, I continued my studies at the university. However, it was not journalism, it was studies of the German and English languages and literatures. I enjoyed reading books in their original languages in order to pick up the spirit of the author and life events in their full spectrum. I successfully graduated with a diploma and degree in both languages.

From 1977 to 1988, I worked as a teacher of a high schools where both languages were taught from the second grade. The regular classroom was transferred in a beautiful place with everyday performance. The walls were decorated with original paintings of the talented artists. The school sponsor granted the portraits of the world-known authors and poets, as well as the landscapes of England and Germany to our school. All the words, phrases and grammar phenomena were part of the performance that children enjoyed participating in. For those who learned the languages well, I opened the world of writing their stories in English and German.

In 1988 our family arrived in the United States. We brought our dying daughter Tatania for surgical treatment. Eleven surgeries with one clinical death and numerous complications proved the words of my mother-in-law Countess Maria: "Ask our Father Almighty, and He will always help the girl in His miraculous way." Living in a constant pain, Tatania follows her destiny without complains. She became a living example for others how to rise above their pain and hardships in order to succeed.

Being a mother of two kids, I did not allow myself any depressive thoughts and feelings. I needed to bring my son Roman to the United States. He was already 16 when we left the country. The KGB prohibited his leaving the USSR. They assigned him for military service. I am grateful to God for sending me the right people, including Senator Heinz, Ken Kaiserman and attorneyat-law Borruh Gisbary, who understood me, as a mother. Roman arrived when he was seventeen. We started together our professional education in US and became successful in medical field.

After a miraculous survival from cancer, I realized that writing the trilogy "God's Miracles in Lives of Regular People" is my new life assignment. It was time to carry out the promise that I gave to my dear mother-in-law Countess Maria Kurbatov. In 2008, the 1-st book "Mother Maria" of the historical and inspirational trilogy was published. At that time, I clearly understood that it does not matter how stressful our lives are, we are born with our mission to succeed with gratitude for every day of life.

With deep respect to my readers,
Author Angelic Tarasio