Speech delivered by Rūta Staliliūnaitė

King Žygimantas Augustas: 'The world is tragic and full of insanity.'
Barbora Radvilaitė: 'Žygimantas Augustas, I have always thought of the world as good' (from the play by Juozas Grušas).

Honourable Excellencies, dear ladies and gentelmen.

I am not acquainted with this space and I feel a little bit frightened. I may not know how to behave here, thus I ask for your forgiveness. In the commemoration of the most beautiful anniversary of our state, I would like to congratulate everybody and to read one letter on this occasion. Maybe even present it as a gift to all of us.

This is a woman's letter. She has a university degree in architecture. She has grown up her children, lost her job. She has let her one-room flat in the centre of Kaunas and left for her parents' farm.

I think that at this great hour of this celebration I would not be able to find anything more noble and meaningful. The woman writes: "After all the summer and autumn chores have calmed down, I can sit down for a letter and to rejoice at what I have accomplished. It is more than a half of a year that I am here. First, a day and a half passed after my arrival and my central heating stove got a hole, so I went through a real 'blockade'. April, as ill will would have it, was cold, and the house had not been heated during the winter. I had a new stove built only three weeks later, so I, out in joy, heated it even in May, in no way could I thaw myself out. I found it more enjoyable to work outside. I cleared all the overgrown corners, tore out the turf, drove dung out to the kitchen-garden with my wheelbarrow, took out about 60 wheelbarrows. When the weather got warmer, I planted potatoes, vegetables, in the greenhouse cucumbers and tomatoes. I found masters to repair my farm building and to bring some wood to me. When we opened the roof of the shed, it turned out that I needed new rafters, truss and some other patching up. I succeeded to run and purchase all the materials, and by the end of the summer my repairs were over. Already in April I inquired about the telephone, and it appeared that there was a box beside my fence with a couple of free numbers. I opened the trench and had the telephone installed in my house. When I finished these works, I started painting my boarded house. I had to do that twice, as the house was rather shabby. I had to climb the ladder, especially while painting the upper arches; the height of the house is seven meters. The first animal, which I was brought, was puppy Rikis, homeless, sheltered by kind people. A very cute and educated one. We made friends at once. Then I bought a little goat, started drinking fresh milk. I myself brought home a kitten, also sheltered, she was so shrunk, and now she is a real beauty, a downy, four-coloured cat. My childhood friends presented me eleven ducklings, one-day old, which now have turned into flying ducks (such is their species). I also bought seven hens and a rooster, and a month and a half later they started laying eggs. Another realisation of my dreams (several times painful) was two families of bees. I placed the hives in the cherry park. Certainly, I have not tasted my own honey yet, but I hope, they will survive the winter and then I will try it. The harvest was rather good, I dug 30 bags of potatoes - myself. In autumn I planted a mini-garden by my end windows: four apple trees (two dwarf size) and a peer tree in the yard. I bought three piglets, though this was not included into my programme. But the top of the realisation of my dreams was achieved when the school headmaster offered me the job as a physics laboratory assistant (a part time job for the salary of 200 litas). Only three days a week, and the school lies just across the street. My tenant extended the contract for another half a year and paid me in advance (that money comes useful in my affairs). How can one not believe in the protection of the Almighty after all that! I am surprising all my neighbours here, and even myself am surprised at how much one can do if there is a strong wish. I am immensely happy when I see my Homeland rising. I simply feel, when labouring at any work, that my late parents observe me, agree with me and, I do not doubt, help me. Everything here is smoothed with there hands. On the All Saint's Day a lot of relatives visited me, all of them were happy that the house had been revived, that there was a place to call on. I get tired indeed, but my soul is singing. This does not mean that I am never sad. In spring, when I started clearing the lofts, I howled like a dog when I found worn wheels, harness, rakes, my childhood wooden sledge, all made by my Daddy, my mother's loom and lots of other things so dear to me. Some of them had to be burnt: I wept as if at a funeral. I think you have understood that my place is here, may the God bless me and give me health. By the way, I also joined the church choir (several elderly women and a couple of men). I found so much here…

I am saying goodbye, kissing you. Goodbye, yours Marytė.'

I want to believe that one day our Homeland Lithuania will erect monuments to her children like this. For even the '6^th Vision' by Vytautas Mačernis is finished in the following way:

'When morning light, fallen on my fading dreams like purple,
woke me up, I sprang to my feet and looked around the room:
The sun was rising. The glow of its fire
was burning wider and wider.
I glanced at awaking fields. First ranks of workers
have risen up their strong, large hands as if for prayer there.
Thus was the work born. To the rank of the workers I rushed to join
through vast meadow plains.
On my path a light morning wind, come flying from mountains,
Whispered: 'Your luck is by your path…"
And the land through dews, as if a face flooded by the tears of joy,
was beaming deathless, proud.'

(translated)

I wish you all health, lots of good deeds, a lot of joy on the occasion of the celebration! Thank You. (Applause)