Baba's Babushka:A Magical Ukrainian Christmas

Taras Shevchenko Concert Sunday March 11,2012

baba1@sasktel.net (Marion Mutala) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:03:00 -0600

My poem was read by Bill Gulka while Holosay sang "in memory of Taras Shevchencko" " Vichnay Pamyat" melody written by Audrey Bayzada

The Bard of

Ukraine

(March 9, 1814-March 10, 1861)

Taras Shevchenko, we remember you today

A peasant’s son, orphaned at 11

An unschooled layman

A cultured serf

We remember your freedom

One of life’s small victories

We remember how you suffered for the love of humanity

And how you spoke to us as a wandering minstrel in Kobzar

and gave us testament in Zapovit

We remember you as a literary genius,

a great humanitarian, a poet, an artist speaking through your one thousand works of art

We remember that in your death, you still speak to us, free or serf, slave or not

Your voice resonates from the grave, a continual shout for fairness, for justice, for equality in the world

You shout

“End oppression now”

“Eliminate poverty, share the wealth”

“Take care of woman, children, especially the orphans”

We remember your compassion and prayers for Ukrainian people

And for all people

All of humanity

Greed is rampant

Leaders are silent

Governments are deaf

No one listened to your cries then or now

But still… we remember you

We remember you

And in your voice we shout your words

“Stop oppression”

“Stop selfishness”

“Stop war”

We remember you today

And…we will always remember you

And pay tribute to you…

Especially on the 120th anniversary of Ukrainian settlement in Canada

We remember you and we are reminded of your great efforts for change

We remember your ideas, your beliefs and your vision

“Create peace”

“Create hope”

“Create a new and better world

Today, tomorrow and always…

@2011 Marion Mutala

T.Shevchenko Self-Portrait, 1853-1854

Picture borrowed from the Shevenchko website

Ukrainian Christmas 2012 at my sister's house

baba1@sasktel.net (Marion Mutala) — Wed, 1 Feb 2012 19:26:00 -0600

Enjoy Sviat vechir...Christmas Eve supper

Treasure Your Heritage…

baba1@sasktel.net (Marion Mutala) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 18:56:00 -0600

My journey of discovery begins…

I am very proud to be Ukrainian. As a 2^ndgeneration, Ukrainian Canadian who lost my mother’s native tongue, I am still very proud to be Ukrainian. I treasure my rich heritage and roots. The experience of having a strong, faith based culture gives me hope and strength to learn the traditions which my grandparents worked so hard to bring from Ukraine and preserve in Canada. They sought out a new land. It must have been exciting for them and terrifying too. Arriving in a foreign country with little money or necessities unlike this present generation, was an enormous sacrifice.

Treasure your heritage. It makes you the person you are today. Our ancestors worked hard, played hard and enjoyed their life to the fullest. We can learn a lot from them. The Ukrainian traditions are deep and embedded in our souls like our childhood memories.

During the summer of 2009, my three sisters, Margaret, Angie, Alene and I had the wonderful pleasure to visit Ukraine and see the origins of the Dubyk-Woznakowski family. We discovered relatives unknown, but faces very familiar-especially in the graveyards. The pictures on the tombstones resembled my sister, Alene. Yes, everything seemed familiar; the language is only one part that we lost. What was given to us, passed on from generation to generation was much bigger than the loss of any language. The sights, sounds and smells of our culture are alive. I discovered one can still be Ukrainian without knowing the language. Yet too, the sounds of the Ukrainian language are rooted in our memories, the spoken language heard from our mother. It does not seem foreign. My soul knows my Ukrainian roots, the traditions, the food, the music, the culture and dance.

The spirit of Ukraine is alive in me. I know who I am and where I belong. And if our dear mother, Sophie were alive today; she would be the first person on the plane to discover where her dear father and mother were born. She would experience the rush and pleasure we felt meeting lost relatives…. but not a lost culture. Treasure your heritage. It makes you the person you are today. Proud, Ukrainian and free to treasure your culture, deep engrained roots and traditions embedded in your soul.

Marion Mutala@2011

baba1@sasktel.net

The Bard of Ukraine (March 9, 1814-March 10, 1861)

baba1@sasktel.net (Marion Mutala) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 18:54:00 -0600

Taras Shevchenko, we remember you today

A peasant’s son, orphaned at 11

An unschooled layman

A cultured serf

We remember your freedom

One of life’s small victories

We remember how you suffered for the love of humanity

And how you spoke to us as a wandering minstrel in Kobzar

and gave testament in Zapovit

We remember you as a literary genius,

a great humanitarian, a poet, an artist speaking through your one thousand works of art

We remember that in your death you still speak to us free or serf, slave or not

Your voice resonates from the grave, a continual shout for fairness, for justice, for equality in the world

You shout

“End oppression now”

“Eliminate poverty, share the wealth”

“Take care of woman, children, especially the orphans”

We remember your compassion and prayers for Ukrainian people and all people

All of humanity

Greed is rampant

Leaders are silent

Governments are deaf

No one listens to your cries then or now

But still we remember you

We remember and in your voice we shout your words

“Stop oppression”

“Stop selfishness”

“Stop war”

We remember you

We will always remember you

But especially on the 120th anniversary of Ukrainian settlement in Canada

We remember and are reminded of your great efforts for change

We remember your ideas

“Create peace”

“Create Hope”

“Create a new and better world”

@2011 Marion Mutala(written to honour and celebrate the120 anniversary of Ukrainian Canadians in Canada)

T.Shevchenko Self-Portrait, 1853-1854

Picture borrowed from the Shevenchko website

Self Publishing: To Do or Not To Do (With Apologies to Shakespeare)

baba1@sasktel.net (Marion Mutala) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 09:26:00 -0600

Taking the plunge into self-publishing can be a scary process, especially if you do not do your homework. After receiving my fair share of rejection letters, I decided that I was not getting any younger, had a great marketable story, and so decided to somersault into self-publishing. Flying forward into the dive at the age of 53, I was amazed to find the water is just fine! Since my book launch on October 15, 2010, it’s been a remarkable dip, a refreshing experience with the fruits of my labours blessed by amazing book signings, readings, interviews and meeting many super, supportive people. This is all part of the package that can go with self-publishing: a best-selling (2,500 copies), number one (McNally Robinson, 2010); award-winning (Anne Pidruchney Award) children’s picture book that is now in its second printing.

For me, it has been well worth the swim, the money involved (my children’s inheritance!), and all the time and effort. However, the success, I achieved on my first book was no accident. I did do my homework and dove into the process of self-publishing with great preparation, investigation and tried to achieve a well-researched, marketable product with Olympic style.

I did not just enter the water blindly, though, but put real effort into making my book the best it could possibly be before it came out. I started this process with an idea six years ago, did the research necessary to build a marketable product, compared costs and information on self-publishing companies, found an excellent illustrator to help tell my story and was self-promoting both before and after my book launch. My success was based on many factors that worked for me. I would like to share them with you so perhaps you might gain insight into the self-publishing world should you dare to venture down “the road less travelled” speaking from Robert Frost. There are important decisions to make and things you can do that might make the experience easier, and help to create a better, more marketable book should you decide to embark on the path of self-publishing.

Technology is changing, rapidly. It is important to understand that this phenomenon creates a need for tools to work smarter and not harder in order to survive in the 21^st century. The same holds true in the self-publishing world. There are important things you need to know to produce a successful book. My advice to you is do your homework. Check out the many self-publishing businesses that offer help, and compare costs, time and the information that the self-publishing company handles for you before, during and after the process. It is vital to find out what, exactly, the self-publishing company will help you with and what you are responsible for before writing a cheque.If you are really brave, you can even work directly with a printer and do the entire self-publishing experience all by yourself.

I did not choose to do the self-publishing book experience myself, but rather investigated reputable self-publishing companies both online and in Saskatchewan. Throughout this process, I discovered a gem of a person with a very reputable self-publishing company.

I chose Heather Nickel at Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing Company in Regina, Saskatchewan. This turned out to be the best decision for me. Not only does Heather have 13 years experience in assisting authors and artists to self-publish their works, but she is professional, has self-published 62 books, is knowledgeable, insightful, and is very well liked by the bookstores she arranges to sell your book in like Chapters/Indigo/Coles and McNally Robinson.

Together, Heather and I, along with Wendy Siemens, my illustrator, created a final product, that, in my opinion, is exceptional and comparable to books produced by any major publishing company out there. In the end, that is what really matters if you are interested in selling books. It is important to have a marketable product/book that people want to buy.

My historical fiction children’s book Baba’s Babushka: A Magical Ukrainian Christmas is about the story of Natalia, a little girl who goes back in time to Ukraine at the turn of the 20^th century and meets another little girl, who turns out to be her baba. Natalia learns the very precious and varied traditions of Ukrainian Christmas Eve. The book also captures the love inherent in Ukrainian culture and family traditions. My grandparents, Tessie Woznakowski and Stefan Dubyk, immigrated to Canada in 1912, married and moved to Hafford, Saskatchewan in 1913. It was their story that inspired me to write, and pictures of my family members are included in the illustrations. My late mother, Sophie Mutala, was used as the model for the picture of the baba in the story based on actual pictures of her wearing her babushka. All of this makes for a more personal story and interesting read.

Finding the right artist is another important area of consideration if you are doing a children’s book or require illustrations. I was very lucky to find a wonderfully talented illustrator, Wendy Siemens, who can paint both portraits and landscapes. Her illustrations are vital to my story. My pictures had to match the Ukrainian traditions. Wendy used pictures I gave her of my actual family members to illustrate her pictures and the people in the story. Again, Heather had the foresight to photoshop my grandparents’ picture into the photograph on the wall in my story.

You’re sometimes advised to write about what you know, about what interests you or about what you are passionate. However, if you can put a twist on your story that makes people want to buy your book and it contains information that intrigues people, you will have completed a one-and-a-half somersault dive into the water. I was always curious about my roots, my ancestors, my culture and my traditions, and am very passionate about my family. In 2009, my three sisters and I went back to Ukraine to explore our Ukrainian roots on my mother’s side. I had already started the research and the writing of my book before I went to Ukraine, six years prior to self-publishing.

Well, it turns out a lot of other people besides Ukrainians are interested in Ukrainian roots, ancestors, culture and traditions as well. Many Ukrainian people, both adults and children, love this Saskatchewan-based story as there is an extreme shortage of books with Ukrainian content on the market. Many non-Ukrainians, who also enjoy learning about Ukrainian culture, have similar traditions and have many friends or relatives who are Ukrainian, which makes my book an exceptional gift. It really is the perfect Christmas present!

In the fall of 2009, I sent my rough draft to Heather Nickel. She had the capacity to see my real story through all my mega-research, and the wisdom to focus my writing from one book into three. We have the remaining two books all mapped out and the second is slated to come out in 2012. The next two books continue Natalia’s story: in book two, baba is now a teenager, and Natalia will learn about Ukrainian Easter traditions, and in book three, baba is a young woman who will marry and immigrate to Canada, just like my grandparents did, and Natalia will learn about important Ukrainian wedding traditions.

Because it is a work of historical fiction, I wanted the Ukrainian traditions to be accurate and consulted many fine people with Ukrainian expertise to assure the traditions and the spelling of the 27 Ukrainian words used in the book and glossary were exact. The Ukrainian Christmas Eve supper is a beautiful tradition. My late mother, Sophie Mutala, loved these cultural traditions and taught them to me, and they are now preserved for future generations to enjoy, for schools to study and for others to use to learn about Ukrainian culture and immigration to Canada.

To me, Heather is a visionary, which helps make for great self-publishing results. Heather has the confidence and ability to help one see future projects, which is remarkable. After all, it is my buck and I could literally publish anything. However, from my experience, Heather is not just interested in making money and publishing books. More importantly, I believe, she maintains a reputable company with high standards and wants your book to be excellent too. Her books, my book, reflect her business and that is just good business practice.

So don’t be afraid to jump in the water, even if you don’t yet know how to swim. There are experts out there who can help you, if you plan and do your homework. Find a story idea that not only interests you, but creates some magic, like my babushka did when it “swept Natalia off her feet, higher and higher, nearly touching the moon.” I am so pleased with how my book turned out and happy to document these important Ukrainian traditions for future generations.

Swim in magic! This has been a truly, magical, historical moment in my life and I owe it all to taking the big plunge into self-publishing. Or as Shakespeare might have said “to do and to do.”

Peace @ 2011 Marion Mutala

First Publication

Freelance Magazine

Issue: July/August 2011:Volume 40: Number 4

Historical Train of Ukrainian Pioneers ;Celebrating 120 years of Ukrainian Settlement In Canada

baba1@sasktel.net (Marion Mutala) — Tue, 2 Aug 2011 10:33:00 -0600

Bitaemo,

The Treasure Train commemorating the 120th Anniversary of the beginning of emigration from

Ukraine

Canada

was held at St. Volodomyr Ukrainian Park 13 km down the Pike Lake Hwy.near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Enclosed enjoy photos and and a write up of the experience sent to me by my friend David and edited by me.

The program began with the peal of the Church Bells from this bell tower,calling the people to gather into St.Volodomyr Ukrainian Catholic Church.

The church was not only attractive from the exterior, but the interior is quite ornate.Breaking from tradition with the usual pews, the congregation stands around the perimeter.

The service was conducted in Ukrainian by a Bishop and one priest; however the service handouts were printed in both English and Ukrainian so everyone could follow. Thanks was given for the opportunity for Ukrainian immigrants to come to

Canada

to make this their new home and the opportunity for education and freedom to engage in a variety of employment and professions.

Following the service, a barbecue was held in the park, with smokies on a bun,along with a variety of salads, veggies, and desserts.

Buns were from the bakery instead of being homemade and baked in this clay oven.

Marion Mutala and her friend, were visiting with some of the youth who are members

of Ukrainian Youth Organizations travelling on the train. The two girls are from Toronto and Hamilton; the two fellows are from Edmonton.

Marion Mutala presented photos of her grandparents Stefan Dubyk and Tessie Woznakowski who emigrated from the Sokal region in

Ukraine

in 1912.Her grandparents were married in Saskatoon,Saskatchewan and eventually homesteaded near Hafford, Saskatchewan. A copy of Marion’s best selling, award winning (Anna Pidruchney) book "Baba's Babushka: A Magical Ukrainian Christmas” was presented to the Ukrainian ambassador, Ihor Ostash & his wife.

A larger treasure trunk called,” Baba’s trunk” is being carried on the train, with this smaller trunk used for collecting momentos from the early settlers and will eventually be placed in an Ukrainian museum.

Winding things up with a sing-along, with Larry Klalpoushok on the accordion,the ambassador Ihor Ostash on guitar, and the young fellow playing the bandura,Yaroslav Dzhus,who won the "Ukraine's Got Talent " contest.

From July 7th,2011.

Baba's Babushka:A Magical Ukrainian Christmas: Baba's Babushka:A Magical Ukrainian Christmas

baba1@sasktel.net (Marion Mutala) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 10:45:00 -0600

Baba's Babushka:A Magical Ukrainian Christmas: Baba's Babushka:A Magical Ukrainian Christmas

baba1@sasktel.net (Marion Mutala) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 10:36:00 -0600

Baba's Babushka:A Magical Ukrainian Christmas: Baba's Babushka:A Magical Ukrainian Christmas

Spread Peace ......

baba1@sasktel.net (Marion Mutala) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 08:53:00 -0600

Blogging away at life and trying to figure out how this site really works is somewhat of a challenge to a technically challenged person like me...a message of hope ..If I can do it so can you...

Become a life long learner and challenge yourself to think outside the box

By the way how is my challenge of spreading peace and love working for you...today
TTUsoon. need an idea contact the "idea gal" ... Peace Marion Mutala

Baba's Babushka:A Magical Ukrainian Christmas

baba1@sasktel.net (Marion Mutala) — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 10:33:00 -0600

Hi everyone,I was inspired by Paulette(Dakouyou)at Nash Holos...(check it out..) to set up a blog about my award winning (Anne Pidruchney)best selling children's book.(order from amazon.com or your nickel's worthpublishing.com)However,I would like to turn this blog into something really great and inspirational.I invite all of you and your friends to spread a message of peace,kindness and justice.

My challenge is to create a better world and place to live in for everybody.That is why I wrote my book.I wanted to find out about my roots and traditions of my grandparents and the hardships they encountered coming to Canada.

My discovery lead me to write and share a documented record of the wonderful Ukrainian Christmas traditions for all generations.You do not have to be Ukrainian to enjoy these traditions.I am sure you have some of your own to share or establish.You can share them here.

My book also talks about love.Love between baba and Natalia.By sharing a part of our lives, we create education,understanding and tolerance.This makes a better world and place for all.

So celebrate your roots,culture and diversity and share them with friends, family and neighbors.

My challenge for you, today and everyday, is to do something big or small for someone else.A smile goes a long way, so does a sandwich and or a handshake.

Just like in the movie,"Pay It Forward," I am hoping that we can build a community of caring.I know that this has been talked about before but I really believe, "together, we can make a difference."

So this blog gives you the opportunity to post your "good news"and "kind thoughts" and "reactions" to my challenge.

"Be kind,care and be just......and together we can create a more peaceful world."

Looking forward to this beautiful journey together and hearing your stories about what happened when you tried my challenge.

If you do not want to write ,you can just add your name to this peace petition or a picture and together we can build the largest peace blog ever....If you love peace.....say yes to peace marion mutala (the idea gal)
Need an idea...contact me...