Recently, we visited Nadia Mykhailivna, a talented artist and poetess. She greeted us with her poem and autobiography.

She was born in March of ’39, on the first day, during the war. My father and mother were there, and I was the fourth child. When the war ended, another child was born. She recalls her childhood and the little house in the woods, the place where she lived since then.

It wasn’t easy to live there. There was a seven-year school across the river, far away. In an author’s painting, Nadia Mykhailivna depicted the river that flowed near her parents’ house, not far from our own home. She always loved to paint and constantly tried to combine her talent with her work. “I always loved to draw,” she says, “and that’s why I decided to study drawing after school.”

After finishing her education, she and a friend started working together at the same table in the same building in a research institute where toys were created and then sent for production. Three years passed, and then everything changed when she moved to Izmail and got married. “My husband was there,” she says. “The first concern was to find a job. I found an artist’s workshop, but they didn’t hire me because there were no vacancies. They offered me a position in another department, which wasn’t exactly what I wanted, but I still took it.”

She worked in Izmail for six years, doing stencil work, but they paid well, which helped with her maternity leave and eventual retirement, giving her more time for her creativity.

In her poetic biography, she reflects on her talents. “I truly blossomed when I went on pension. I became peaceful with my sons, each with their own family. I could do whatever pleased me, even though my work was just a start, I exhibited my paintings in galleries with others, and I became bolder. Later, I got into mosaics and discovered my book at the age of 80. I wrote stories, and people found them interesting, so I began writing poems. I didn’t amass wealth, but I was happy. I don’t get bored, and my poems are proof of that.”

She then shares a story from her life. “Now it’s time for rest. I’m a bit tired,” says Nadia Mykhailivna. In a collection of stories, she describes what motivated her to write her first story. “I received a letter from a classmate, Boris Nevzorov. He printed a story about his father on the computer. I liked it, so I decided to write to Boris and print something too.”

She reads a passage from the poem, which talks about the settlement where she spent her childhood. “In that place, we lived. It was a large forested area, and our settlement had only a club and a shop. It wasn’t much, but it was home.”

Nadia Mykhailivna also shares her childhood interest in burning and painting. “I’ve always combined burning with some kind of proverb. This rooster is my thing. Some say, ‘Let it bloom,’ while others talk about living without fear and loving without calculation.”

However, her signature work is mosaics. “This is how I started doing mosaics. I’m the only one who does this kind of work,” she explains. One of her mosaics adorns the cathedral in the center of the city. “That cathedral in the center, above the entrance, has an image of the Virgin Mary with a semaphore.”

In her home, there are many creative works by Nadia Mykhailivna. One of the paintings still carries the scent of paint, and next to the paintings, there are photographs of her family. “This is my youngest daughter, Vera,” she points to a picture. “She’s signing it. And here’s the older daughter.”

Among the black-and-white photos, we meet modern ones as she eagerly talks about her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. “Here’s my great-granddaughter, and this is my great-grandson. Now I have four great-grandchildren.”

At the end, she reads us a humorous story. “I have just three months left before I turn 84. Some old women are very spry, but I’m not one of them. I walk slowly with a cane, swaying, and I don’t feel like going out to the market. My shoes are worn out, and I’ve been lucky to get to know such an interesting and talented person.”

May God protect you, Nadia Mykhailivna.