A Lesson of Kindness

It was last year when we talked about kindness and love during English Language week. A new lesson on this topic is up to you!

Follow the link to watch Man of God

Rest in Peace!

 

Queen Elizabeth II had such a full and incredible life. May she Rest in Peace🙏 

Her reign of 70 years and 214 days is the longest of any British monarch and the longest recorded of any female head of state in history.

Read more about the Queen Elizabeth II

The Queen Elizabeth II

The Queen’s funniest moments over the years

Shchedryk - Carol of the Bells

 

     Love it!!!

    Follow the link to find out more: Ukraine. Carol of the  Bells

One more link to listen to both Ukrainian and English versions of Shchedryk: Shchedryk

Pentatonix: Carol of the Bells

Pentatonix: Carol of the Bells - karaoke

It's Christmas Time!

Sending the warmest Christmas wishes to the best kids in the whole wide world! 

The magic of Christmas is not in the presents, but in His presence!

It's about celebrating the birth of Christ!

Christmas is not about gifts and toys,

It's time when people rejoice,

Christmas is not about  food and drinks,

 It's not about this world 

As everybody thinks!

Christmas is about everlasting love, 

It's thanking the Lord for what we all have,

Christmas is about sharing and family,

 It's about Christ Who loves us fully!

The best gifts in life will never be found under a Christmas tree, those gifts are friends, family, kids & the one you love.

As I love you my kindest and smartest pupils in the world, I just wanted to say "Thank you" and that it's been a pleasure to be working with you this passed year. 

I wish you 

Special Greetings from my Class

      This handmade piece of work was made with much love and gentle feelings by my pupils of the 5th grade and me. And it is here on this page right in the holiday season to encourage you to put your heart into everything you do.  

DO WHAT YOU LOVE AND LOVE WHAT YOU! ♥️🕊

An Art Workshop just for Soul

 

          A great and thoughtful workshop in Art gathered us together today. Everybody and I apart were delighted to practice painting autumn scenery. Birches inspire me a lot at any time of the year, in every season and autumn especially. They are so gracious! At the end of the seminar, we had the result of not only a picture but a feeling of confidence and peace. Thanks to all my colleagues! It was fabulous!

Some photos from the workshop to illustrate our satisfaction are below.

Pretty/ Ugly

It's a precious property to be able to look at things from a different angle and notice how they can perfectly change. What I mean is that you may change everything in your life by only making up your mind and then taking reasonable decisions. 

This is a poem that I run into accidentally, but I find it useful for those who are at a critical point and are almost about to give up! I'll use it as an educational moment with the epigraph "You are free to choose but not free from the consequences of your choice!"

      So dive into the poem and then take action to change your point of view and your life!

I'm very ugly

So don't try to convince me that

I am a very beautiful person

Because at the end of the day

I hate myself in every single way

And I'm not going to lie to myself by saying

There is beauty inside of me that matters

So rest assured I will remind myself

That I am a worthless, terrible person

And nothing you say will make me believe

I still deserve love

Because no matter what

I am not good enough to be loved

And I am in no position to believe that

Beauty does exist within me 

Because whenever I look in the mirror I always think

Am I as ugly as people say?

(Now read bottom-up)

                                            By Abdullah Shoaib

On Women's Day

         The birds will sing today and I dedicate their tunes to You. The sun will shine today and with all the rays warmth I want to hug You. It's because You are special and your smile tenderness delights everybody and every day. Be happy and may your dreams come true!

In honour of Lesia Ukrainka

Lesya Ukrainka, Contra spem spero                        

Леся Українка "Contra spem spero"

Thoughts away, you heavy clouds of autumn!

For now springtime comes, agleam with gold!
Shall thus in grief and wailing for ill-fortune
All the tale of my young years be told?

No, I want to smile through tears and weeping.,
Sing my songs where evil holds its sway,
Hopeless, a steadfast hope forever keeping,
I want to live! You thoughts of grief, away!

On poor sad fallow land unused to tilling
I'll sow blossoms, brilliant in hue,
I'll sow blossoms where the frost lies, chilling,
I'll pour bitter tears on them as due.

And those burning tears shall melt, dissolving
All that mighty crust of ice away.
Maybe blossoms will come up, unfolding
Singing springtime too for me, some day.

Up the flinty steep and craggy mountain
A weighty ponderous boulder I shall raise,
And bearing this dread burden, a resounding
Song I'll sing, a song of joyous praise.

In the long dark ever-viewless night-time
Not one instant shall I close my eyes,
I'll seek ever for the star to guide me,
She that reigns bright mistress of dark skies.

Yes, I'll smile, indeed, through tears and weeping
Sing my songs where evil holds its sway,
Hopeless, a steadfast hope forever keeping,
I shall live! You thoughts of grief, away!

Translated by John Weir,

Toronto

Merry Christmas to All of You, the Readers of my Blog!

As we celebrate 

the birth of our Lord,

may we share

with others the love

He came to bring!

May the joy of this Holy day be with all of you during the whole year! 

One specific thing that fulfills our souls with comfort and joy are the carols that make these days happier and more delightful. Children love singing them. The nice tradition of the Holiday is to visit relatives and friends with carols. 

I suggest a link to carols with lyrics. Follow, enjoy, and feel the Holiday fully.

  Merry Christmas! Enjoy your time!

The day of Saint Sophia and her daughters Vira, Nadia and Liubov

On September 30, the Orthodox celebrate the Day of the Holy Martyrs of Vira (Faith), Nadia (Hope), Liubov (Love) and their mother Sophia, who suffered for their faith.

Sunflowers always face the Sun

        To continue yesterday's topic, I'd like to present the next wall painting. It's in our school hall and gives the message: "Be always on the way of seeking beauty like the sunflower always turns to the Sun"!

Murals just for pleasure

       

                 There are many ways of spending free time and each person finds it's own path to get comfort. What I  love doing is painting. It's not by chance I posted it in the area of just for the soul. Beauty is the way we both express our feelings and get peace, relief, and comfort for our souls. I often follow the idea: "do what you love and love what you do". And when it's possible to put two ingredients - work and pleasure- together, you feel happy and live the quotation previously said.

Saint Nicholas Day

              Saint Nicholas Day, also called the feast of Saint Nicholas, is observed on the 6th of December or on the eve of the 5th of December in Western Christian countries, and on the 19th of December in Eastern Christian countries using the old church Calendar. It is the feast day of Nicholas of Myra with particular regard to his reputation as a bringer of gifts.
              In Ukraine, children wait for St. Nicholas to come and to put a present under their pillows provided that the children were good during the year. Children who behaved badly may expect to find a twig or a piece of coal under their pillows.
              Saint Nicholas of Myra was a 4th-century bishop in what is today Turkey. He was famous for his generosity to the poor, protection of the wronged, and zeal for orthodoxy. He was also a miracle worker, most known for appearing to sailors caught in a storm at sea and raising three young boys from the dead. 
                           Many stories tell of Nicholas saving his people from famine, sparing the lives of those innocently accused, and much more. He did many kind and generous deeds in secret, expecting nothing in return. Within a century of his death, he was celebrated as a saint. Today he is venerated in the East as wonder, or miracle worker and in the West as patron of a great variety of persons - children, mariners, bankers, scholars, orphans, laborers, travelers, merchants, judges, paupers, marriageable maidens, students, children, sailors, victims of judicial mistakes, captives, even thieves, and murderers! He is known as the friend and protector of all in trouble or need.
                  His relics are still preserved in the Basilica of St. Nicholas in Italy. On his feast day, miraculous myrrh is collected from his relics and sent all over the world.                                                                           

A Joyful Nativity!

Let the Lord shower His blessings upon You and Your Family!

Happy Easter !

About Ukrainian Easter traditions you may read by following the link  http://bilingualkidsrock.com/ukrainian-easter-traditions/ 

There is always , always, always something to be thankthul for

                                        Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns;
                                I am thankful that thorns have roses. ~ Alphonse Karr

                                       
                              Each year January 11th is marked as International Thank You Day.

         It's nice to have the sense of  gratitude all the time even when something goes wrong. The way we see today things may be absolutely different from our vision on things tomorrow. In our technology century, every event is speeded and sometimes we don't notice the kindness of others. Let us be less ignorant! Give yourself the chance to feel joy and happy. Keep the warm touch of kindness in your hearts and it may enlighten other people lives. Imagine only, these words THANK YOU may be a point of change in someone's whole life! It's worth to name them magic words. If you want it is an act of charity.
        Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. ~ Marcel Proust
Let say it and live it. It isn't necessary only to repeat these words without feelings. Better say it not very often but from the bottom of your heart. In a short time, you'll have the bumper harvest ever. Take my word for it!
  Give thanks to strangers, friends, family and, for sure, to God!

The Akathist Hymn: "Glory to God for All Things"
Акафист благодарственный «Слава Богу за всё»

Давайте змінимо світ!