The main part of Natalia Nikolaevna's life passes in the family: a child, a school student, a university student, the wife of a priest - a matushka, a mother of five children and a grandmother of fourteen grandchildren. The book describes the family environment in which children grew up, who remained faithful to God from an early age and chose a life path of service to the Lord. All the sons became clergymen: one in the rank of bishop, the other two in the rank of archpriest, two daughters lead the church choirs.

The author reveals the joyful and sorrowful sides of family life, the perception of unexpected circumstances and trials, as well as the attitude to life and death, to illness and infirmity, to Orthodox people and non-believers, to beggars and criminals are shown in a very interesting way.

The breadth and versatility of views is undoubtedly useful for the reader, especially those who have recently turned to faith in God, and are useful not as an instruction or edification, but as an example of the life of an Orthodox family.

The future originates in the past. Matushka Natalia and her husband, the late Father Vladimir, did everything to have such a future, for the fruits of their unceasing prayerful life in Christ are evident. This involuntarily makes the reader think about the fruits of his life...

The book is written in a colloquial and narrative form, it is easy to read, exciting, with empathy. And most importantly, each reader can get interesting and spiritually useful information for himself.

L. Y.

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Part I - IN THE PARENTS' HOUSE

Under the Roof of the Almighty

He who lives under the shelter of the Almighty rests under the shadow of the Almighty.

(Psalm 90:1)

Our childhood and school years fell on difficult post-revolutionary times. The people groaned under the rule of the Communists, who took up arms against the Church, the peasantry, the intelligentsia, and even their co-workers, the "comrades." Churches collapsed, monastery buildings turned into prisons, packed to capacity. Honest peasant workers were dispossessed, many fled to foreign lands, fleeing from prisons, a rationing system was introduced, according to which it was possible to buy goods in stores only with cards. And cards were issued only to workers, employees and their families. Peasant handicraftsmen, artisans, clergy with families, monks from closed monasteries starved and were doomed to extinction. There were also people from the "former", that is, relatives of the executed princes, counts, ministers and other "former", as they were then called. They had well-known surnames, and therefore they were not accepted for any work, were not given the opportunity to register, in a word, they lived with the world. In those years, beggars sat everywhere, knocking on doors, asking for bread. However, despite all the difficulties and the seeming hopelessness of further life, my parents started a family! This was already their spiritual feat. My mother always said: "Do not look at the waves of the stormy sea of life, you must look to Christ with faith, then you will walk on the waves, like the Apostle Peter."