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1 2 WWW.UNWLA.ORG “ НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ ”, БЕРЕЗЕНЬ 2020 WHAT’S IN A NAME? by Daria Romanko I knew from childhood that my first name was unique. Daria. A name that no other gir l I knew shared. I alway s wanted a common name, a name everyone could pronounce correctly, but Daria was a name that my mother loved. And my last name – Chornomaz – was even more difficult for non - Ukrainians! And yet my name defined me, and I was always proud to acknowledge my Ukrain ian heritage. My parents, Helena and Sam (O л e н a i C им e н ) taught me to love all things Ukrainian : culture, music and, of course, Ukrainian cuisine. They loved to sing duets , and our house rang out with their melodious tunes. The news paper Svo - boda arrived w eekly, and my father devoured it. My mother quietly stole moments to read her Our Life magazines , which were addressed to Olena r ather than the anglicized Helena she used in the non - Ukrainain world. I was born and raised in the hou sing projects of Newark, New Jersey, where I live d until I was 13 , t he year my family, which now included my three younger brothers — Dennis, Daniel, and David — moved to Hillside, New Jersey. During this time, all members of my family were faithful congregant s of the First Ukrainian Presbyterian Church in Irvington, New Jerse y. The church pro - vided a protective, nourishing environment as I taught Sunday School, sang in the choir, and worshipped with other Ukrainian families. I had learned to read and write Ukr ainian at church , which o ffered Saturday language class one year . T o my regret, I never learned to speak Ukrainian fluently as English was primarily spoken in our home. The members of the church , and especially the choir , were my extended family. There we re about 20 members in ou r group . I was a soprano, and we sang a cap ella every Sunday under the direction of George Kirichenko, a talented mu - sician. We loved singing at appreciative non - Ukrainian churches and once performed at Carnegie Hall. The most fun, however, was caroling on Ukrainian Christmas Eve at parishioners' h omes where our boisterous group was welcomed wi th food and drinks. The choir sometimes caroled for three days in order to include those who had moved to the suburbs but still wanted to hea r the treasured Ukrainian carols in their homes. It was at my belov ed church where I met my husband Ted. He and his parents, Julie and Walter, and his brother Steven, attended fre - quently. We married in 1964 and have three c hildren and seven grandchildren . It has always been impo rtant to me to retain a connection with the Ukrainian community and pass down the traditions and culture to my children and grandchildren. Our annual weekend at Soyuzivka is always a fun way to ensure we don't forget our roots. Th roughout my life I have e mbraced an interest in being creative throu gh handwork. I like to knit, crochet, needlepoint, and cross - stitch, and have even tried my hand at making pysanky and Ukrainian embroidery. However, my pass ion for the past 25 years has b een quilting and a desire to gift quilts to others . This is what kee ps me busy most days. I became enamored with quilting after seeing a friend's grandmother present her with a beautiful wedding quilt. After many lessons, I f inally became satisfied with cr eating comforting quilts that are meant to be decorative, but above all , to be used and loved until threadbare. I have never sold any of my quilts ; i nstead , I donate them to those in need or to charities that auction them to fund their respective organizat ion. Of course, each memb er of my family and every good friend has a quilt — or two — I have made! Every single quilt has a different pattern and/or fabric so that not one has ever been exactly duplicated. It usually takes me a couple of months to complete a lap - sized quilt that is g ood for snuggling up all year round. A bed - sized quilt is a real labor of love and seems to take forever to finish! As I write this story, i t is my joy and honor to be sewing a quilt that will be give n to the UNWLA to be raffled of f at the upcoming UNWLA c onvention in September 2020. The proceeds w ill provide funds so that these dedicated women of this organization may continue to support Ukra - inian causes and promote the spirit of Ukrainian women in th e United States. May the winne r of this quilt find joy knowing t hat she has helped fund such a cha ritable organization, and may she also be blessed and comforted as she enjoy s its beauty and warmth. And, oh yes, my Ukrainian name that I now love will be written on the label that I sew into this quilt: Дарiя . Editor’s note . A photo of the author and t he quilt described in the closing paragraph of her story graces this issue’s back cover.
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