I have been nursing the idea of writing a book about my mother's life for a long time, but I decided to do it only now. Frankly, at first I was afraid that the difficult memories would cause my mother pain by bringing up strong emotions and deeply buried feelings. But in the process of working on the book, I witnessed how everything that had accumulated for so many years, and which we were so afraid to touch, had suddenly come tumbling out. Before my eyes my mother was transformed; her pain and fear fading. I wanted to show everyone how much she had experienced, how much she had had to go through! I was really proud of my mother and admired her and her amazing life. Without even realizing it, I began to see my own life and my own values very differently.We all get irritated with our aging parents from time to time. We all complain about their grumbling, chalking it up to misunderstanding and the eternal conflict between generations.

But we often forget one simple truth - that we are alive because of them. We survived because of their dedication, their love, and their endless patience. I would really like to convey to the reader that sense of understanding, sympathy and gratitude to my mother, which filled me more and more, the deeper I went into the events of her life. I was amazed at the decisiveness and sheer courage with which she handled the obstacles in her path, at how she protected and nurtured my sister and myself. As I lived my mother's life right along with her, I kept catching myself on the thought, "How would I have acted in this or that situation? Could I have survived that? Would I have been able to do that?"Furthermore, while I was rereading the already finished book, I realized that it was actually about more than just my mother. Whatever trials fell to her fate, there were always truly good people around her who refused to stay indifferent. I want to take this opportunity to thank them all!I hope that this book will inspire many people and help them understand their parents, understand their relationship with them and appreciate their achievements, both as parents and as people.