2023-04-28 08:38:18
Spring unfolded in all its beauty. The buds of the trees suddenly burst, the yellow dogwoods spread out and almost every house in the city and in the countryside shines like the sun. All around are verdant wintergreens and richly green rapeseed fields. A wonderful era. And despite the difficulties of age, the members of Birštonas “Bočių” are again rolling along the winding roads towards the Gudakalnis and Panemunis cemeteries under their leadership.
This time in separate crews to save time and get more work done. The first brigade, led by Marytė Radzevičienė, turns left from the Vilnius road towards Gudakalnis. Helpers: Alfonsas Leimonas, Vida Vaikšnienė, Aldona Gudauskienė, Leonas Lynykas, Eugenija Lynykienė, Birutė Vaišnorienė, Lina Danilovienė and Eugenija Valiuvienė, armed with rakes, divide the work area in the middle as if by spreading it, sweeping last year’s leaves to the edges of the cemetery and throwing them over the fence. Then they pick burnt candles, faded after the winter, artificial flowers, shake the soil of the mounds, light the candles and concentrate on praying for those whom no one remembers or visits anymore, whose relatives are also resting somewhere. The team does not miss the opportunity to admire the confluence of Nemunas and Verknė, in front of the bulging so-called Ožkė shoulder, which is located at the confluence of Nemunas and Verknė, between the settlements of Žideikoniy and Gudakalnis, on the right bank of Verknė.
When the work is done, all that remains is to admire, but the upbeat mood is disturbed by the uncollected garbage collected during the spring and autumn taluks of 2021 and 2022. The helpers dream that maybe in the future the burden of the helpers will be eased by the care of the Birštonas township and a few retaining walls will be built and the accumulated garbage will be removed.
As we climb up the mountain from the loma, we will drink violets turning blue on the shores, sedges turning yellow at the foothills, and here and there the flowers have already bloomed. It’s much easier to move up because we’re sliding down. We thank the sun for drying the runway and we can reach our destination dry.
A couple of hours of consistent work and the first team rolls towards the Nemajunai cemetery, where they will meet with the second brigade led by Elena Ozemblauskienė, another group of people cleaned the Panemuni cemetery. Helpers ready for big jobs: Antanina 
Grigaravičienė, Irena Šuliauskienė, Vytautas Gudelevičius, Aldona Mildas Valatkienė, Raimundas Mikėnas, Leona Barutis, Laimas Karoblytė, Bernadetas Avižienė and Julija Barutienė are surprised by the fact that the cemetery of Panemunis is bright, that there are no fallen trees to burn the twigs and branches collected over the years. We are grateful to the employees of the Birštonas precinct who contributed to the maintenance of the cemetery, and we are glad that our REQUEST was heard. The chainsaw brought by Raimundo Mikėnas did not remain idle. A sabbath near the monument was cut, branches and twigs were collected, the entire roadside of the cemetery was pruned and raked. Gathering at the monument built by Biršton’s “Bočiai” in 2011, we lit candles and prayed for those resting here, as well as for the honorable former exile, mistress of these lands, who laid to rest in the same year – the sincere Onutė Žukauskienė, who loved Lithuania so much and especially the land of his PARENTS with the wonderful, so-called Paradise forest, with it restored parents’ homestead.
We bowed to remember everyone and turned to the Nemajunai cemetery, where many dear people are resting. We met with those who had come from Gudakalnis and continued our walk of good deeds around the Nemajunai cemetery. First we stopped at the chapel. Last year, on July 22, Nemajunai St. the 220th anniversary of the birth of local resident, doctor and writer Stanislaus Moravski was celebrated in the Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul. It was a wonderful event in which we, members of Birštonas “Bočių”, also participated. Every year we visit the chapel, we light candles during the spring and autumn taluks, we remember the writer in prayer and his favorite flowers – dahlias. He was the first in Lithuania to start growing dahlias, which eventually became his flower. In his book “From Merkinė to Kaunas” S. Moravskis wrote: “You saw the same places again, the same trees, but even better and more generously, the trees that cast shadows, the same undergrowth, that always swirling river crashing into boulders and that fresh, charming, colorful , flowers that always smile at you.”
We read at least a verse of his writings during each visit to his eternal resting place. We respect and remember the people who deserve Birštonas: we lit candles and prayed at the grave of museum curator Juozas Šleikaus, appreciating his contribution in contributing to the writing of the book “Birštonas”; to the famous veterinarian, bacteriologist, active public figure Elijošius Nonevičius (1863–1931); doctor, founder of Birštonas resort, owner of Panemunis manor, in 1863. Adam Bartuševičius (1790-1881), a participant in the uprising; The graves of Juoz Palionis (1950-2011), member of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania (from 17-11-2008 to 17-10-2011) and his parents.
We never forget to visit the graves of our community members resting here: Onutė Bunevičiūtė, Juozapota and Alfonso Gabrilevičius, Rima Jadvyga Stabinska, Bronė Gerlinskienė, Ona Valerija Grybauskienė, Antanas Seiliaus and our board member Aldona Milda Valatkienė’s hill of pain, where the most precious people in her life are resting: her son Audrius , husband Pranciskus and mother Anelė. It is said that there is no such thing as a stranger’s pain. This is true, because we also shed a few tears, remembering the good deeds of the departed, their lives.
There have always been and always will be streams of pain. That is life. It has a beginning and an end. Two days ago, we said goodbye to long-time community members NIJOLE ELŽBIETA BIELOŪSOVA and JUOZ ALGIRDU GIKNIUMI. It is said that the lives of the dead are prolonged by the memories of them. So let’s not forget them in our daily work, let’s do good deeds, help the suffering, give more than we get, strive for peace, equality and harmony.
We discussed our journey of good deeds in the “Klētis” cafe, where delicious zeppelins, coffee and croissants made by the excellent hostesses awaited us.
Julia Barutiene
Chairperson of Birštonas “Bočių” community
#Spring #encourages #good #deeds