PHOTO: Paul Gilbert holding a copy of his book The Lost World of Imperial Russia: The Russian Empire During the Reign of Emperor Nicholas II, published in September – I am so proud of this publishing project!

No one will be happier to see this year come to end than myself. Without exaggerating, 2022 has been the worst year of my life. Every month seemed to present a fresh bombshell:

February – Russia’s declaration of war against Ukraine hit me very hard;
March – I was forced to cancel my September trip to Ekaterinburg and Tobolsk;
April – I was diagnosed with Stage-2 Colon Cancer;
May – I underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor;
June – post-surgery recovery at home;
July – I began 6-months of chemotherapy;
September – I experienced sadness and grief following the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II;
October – the death of my 16-year-old dog and faithful companion ‘Maggie’ was a profound personal loss;
December – I was forced to cancel the Nicholas II Conference (planned for September 2023) following threats from “Russophobes”

Despite the challenges that 2022 brought to my doorstep, I still managed to maintain a positive attitude. I am so very grateful that I had my books and writing to distract me during these challenging months. My commitment to clearing the name of the Russia’s much slandered Tsar gave me something positive to focus on, especially during my recovery and chemotherapy. I was still able to write articles for my blog and posts for my Facebook page from the comfort of my favourite chair.

Much of positive attitude I attribute to my faith. When I was diagnosed with cancer back in April, rather than give in to fear, I placed my health in God’s hands. My faith was empowered even further by the prayers and words of love and support that I received from the thousands of people around the world who follow my posts on Facebook every day.

My chemotherapy will end on January 12th, at which time I look forward to a healthier new year. Not only am I making plans to travel again, I have some very interesting new books planned for publication in 2023, including the revival of my semi-annual periodical SOVEREIGN.

Happy New Year! С Новым Годом!

© 31 December 2022