The Soul's Journey

All refugees flee the looming threat of extinction. This is a powerful story of one Polish family’s escape from war-torn Europe after the Second World War, and the life they built as newcomers in a small community in western Canada. They brought with them the hope for a better life, but their war time experiences were a constant burden interfering with their inner peace and desire for security. The story of their lives, struggles and successes, aims to create a legacy of hope for their descendants and anyone with a similar cultural history or experience. It is a must read for those wanting an understanding of that era, as well as seeing how the experiences of this family were reflective in many ways to today’s ongoing refugee crisis.

Mary Shumilak (nee Grabowski), the youngest of four children and a first-generation Canadian, grew up in Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada. She earned a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Winnipeg and later a certificate in Adult Education from St. Francis Xavier University. She began her teaching career in East Selkirk. Following her marriage in 1981, Mary and her husband, Tony Shumilak, moved to the province of Saskatchewan, where they lived, worked and raised their boys in a number of communities and where she taught elementary school, in addition to doing some student counselling, administration, professional development and instructional coaching, before retiring in 2018. She now spends her time reading mainly non-fiction, keeping her eye on politics, taking classes of interest, getting daily exercise, traveling and writing. Mary and Tony take great pride in their family that includes two sons, Reagan and Geoff; daughters-in-law, Marla and Vivien; and grandchildren, Ryker, Elly and Macy.