CENTURY IN LABOUR: а resident of Voronovo celebrated the 100th anniversary
There are not so many people who are destined to live a century or even more. Their life is like a book which reflects historical events and people’s destinies… Maria Yanovna Kravchun, an inhabitant of the town celebrated the100th anniversary on the 6th of June. This day in July scheduled for the celebration in honor of the centenarian appeared to be sunny and bright from birds songs.
From morning till night Maria Yanovna received warm and sincere wishes for health from different corners of the world. Not only nearest and dearest but also Natalya Kushelevich, head of the department of labour and social defense, Irina Shcheglik, an activist of the district Belarusian women’s union came to congratulate the centenarian and show their admiration. Presents from the trade union “Girki” and the district organization of Belarusian Peace Foundation came with the wishes “let life begin a new race of happy events”. Many people wanted to come personally but because of concerns about her health gave only congratulations.
Looking at this gentle woman with pink cheeks you can’t say that she is 100. She was sitting comfortably on the sofa, watching calmly what was happening and was surprised: “I didn’t think that I deserved so many good words”. She didn’t answer my question about the secret of longevity, maybe it was in labor, she only smiled:
God knows
The life of Maria Yanovna Kravchun was full of randomness and patterns. She was born in the family with many children. She had studied before 14, then started working on the collective farm. She plowed, mowed, milled…
The woman remembers: — I got married before I was eighteen, the priest even refused to marry us. My husband was a very good man, supported me in everything. But once a tragedy happened, he brought the scores to life because of the gossip in the village. We had already had a daughter, I was waiting for the second child. Later I married a brother-in-law. He treated his nieces as his own daughters, then helped them to build houses, gave them cows. We had another four children in the family. We lived in the village of Lelushi all the time, worked on the collective farm, had our own household. The years were not easy. The war, then hunger in after war time. But our family was strong and big. And so rich – twelve grandchildren, eleven great grandchildren… All were going to come to my holiday, but coronavirus prevented. I hope we will see each other later. All the children went away after Felix’s death, I lived alone up to the time I was eighty, even had a cow. Then I moved to my daughter Galina and had been living with her for more than ten years.
We have no problems with mum, — says Galina Felixovna. She is a kind and troublesome person. She prays quietly, can serve herself. Sometimes she complains that it is boring to sit without work. Then I give her handicraft, she likes to make flowers from colour paper, and she manages to do it rather well. In her youth she had no time to do this, they had to work until it got dark, up a sweat.
The sun began shining. We will go walking to the yard, the flowers are blossoming, the birds are singing, it is easy to breathe. And with God help we will meet the 101st year.
Galina Shlempo.
Translated by Zinaida Tserpitskaya.