Yet, can you imagine being a mother to 28 or 29 children? The count varies as to how many live at home at any given time for this special couple. Please join me on my journey to Gapoču village in the Raseiniai region where you will meet Aldona and Stasys Sereika. This is the story of another of my trips with Regina Svoba, Countryside Children's Fund administrator.

Jeanne Dorr (third from left) sits with the Sereikas (right), Regina Svoba (extreme left) with some of the Sereika children. Photo: Jeanne Dorr

Regina asked me to be ready early  when this woman says early, she means early. The horn honked right on schedule, and I ran down five flights of steps, a piece of black bread between my teeth, a chink of cheese in one hand, and my shoes in the other. A bag containing a tape recorder, notebook and everything else a woman can't leave home without was swinging from my neck. Sounds like a relaxing day, doesn't it?

As I jumped into the car, I barely had time to slam the door before Regina started telling me that this was the place she visited to relax when she felt overwhelmed with her work. From the look on my face I'm sure she could have read my thoughts. Honestly, who in their right mind would go to a house with 29 children to relax? Surely this Orphan Care work was making her take leave of her senses.

Regina just smiled and said, "Wait, you'll see."

At this point, I was struggling to get my shoes on my feet while brushing cheese and bread crumbs from my skirt. I had the feeling this day was going to leave much to be desired. But then I always rush to quick judgements, and I'm usually wrong. You would think I'd learn by now.

Because Regina and I are non-stop talkers, the trip from Vilnius to Raseiniai seemed to go quickly. As we pulled into the yard, we saw the entire family at work  and I do mean the entire family was working. Some were chopping wood, others were weeding, even the smallest ones were gathering sticks and twigs and putting them in a pile. There was no whining or complaining but smiles and laughter.

The Sereikas are farmers working their seven hectares of land. There are five cows, 10 pigs, and 30 chickens. Everyone has to pull their weight. Aldona was working in a field with her pants rolled up to her knees, while Stasys was trying to fix a piece of machinery.

A great burden was eased with the help of the Daughters of Lithuania from Chicago, who purchased a tractor for the family. The couple explained that they would also be thankful to the Valstieciu Laikraštis, the Vilnius-based newspaper whose editor is Jonas Svoba, Regina's husband.

The Sereika's story was engrossing. Aldona and Stasys always loved children, and although they had four of their own, they felt they had enough love and energy to make some less fortunate children happy. As they looked around their small village, they saw so many children who needed a loving family to care for them. They wanted to open a small group home and figured ten children would be ideal.

They petitioned the local authorities to let them have an abandoned school. The authorities wanted to sell the building but found no takers. While this was going on, everyone and his brother was helping himself to the abandoned building. Doors, windows, fixtures, and anything that could be carried off was disappearing.

The family kept asking for the building to provide a home for local children, and they received one rejection after another. I'm not even going to attempt to describe the Lithuanian bureaucracy. After total frustration set in, the Sereikas telephoned the newspaper to enlist their aid. There's nothing like the power of the press. Once the Svobas and Valstieciu Laikraštis became involved, the Sereikas had their house. Although the building was in terrible condition, in about two months everything was cleaned up.

As we entered the house, the rooms were neat and orderly, and yet they had a lived-in look. I was fascinated by the rows and rows of little beds, all neatly made with colorful bedspreads. Another room held the cribs. Wherever we went, we were greeted by well-behaved, mannerly children. I watched this middle-aged couple with their family as they spoke to the children in soft tones.

I had the feeling of wall to wall children when Aldona remarked that the house seemed almost empty. Empty?! There were only 11 children at home! Fourteen children were at a church camp for 10 days and three of them were in the hospital where they have to return periodically for a few days each year to monitor medical problems.

I think I might have missed a child or two in this count but I really couldn't keep track. Thank goodness I only raised two of my own. I could never account for 29!

We continued our tour when I realized I was standing on a unique rug. I went back and looked in the other rooms. Sure enough, they were all the same. All the rugs had a picture of Lenin's face in the center. When the family moved into their house, they had no money for rugs. The floors were cold, and someone offered to give them wall covers which were left from the days before independence. Certainly there would be no more market for Lenin wall hangings. So they might as well be put to good use. The house still isn't completely finished, but the family works on it as time and money permits.

We finished our tour and relaxed in the living room. The children were a delight. I had one on each side of me and another on my lap.

Although we brought sweets and other small treats, not one child touched the table or asked for anything. I was watching from the corner of my eye as they looked at the gifts longingly. It was only when Aldona indicated permission did each child take one piece of candy. They didn't have to be told not to take seconds. Even the youngest seemed to understand that when you have such a large family, you must be considerate of others. Not once was our conversation interrupted by a child seeking attention.

I asked their philosophy of raising this large family. Aldona told me she considers Stasys to be the anchor of the family. He, in turn, smiled and gave all the credit to his wife. The bottom line was that they considered themselves a team. As Aldona put it, "Neither of us is the boss."

They insist that each child stay in school and work to the best of his or her ability. This is a deeply religious family who have great faith that God will take care of them and their children.

At this point, one child was napping with his head on my shoulder, while the other was asleep in my arms. I asked Aldona what life was like with such a large family. She laughed and said I should have been there in the beginning. At the onset, twelve of the children were wetting their beds and she never had her hands out of the washtub. Now, she has 22 in school and breakfast is eaten in four shifts. Those who have to leave earliest, eat first. They try to gather as much of the family as possible for supper.

It was time for me to lay my two little friends on the sofa, when we were called to lunch. Lunch was prepared by the older girls and consisted of freshly baked bread, homemade cheese, and vegetables from the family's garden, as well as fresh honey which a neighbor had delivered that morning. During the lunch, a woman from a meat-packing house arrived with left over meat for the family.

While we ate, Stasys told me how Aldona had been very ill the winter before. She kept saying she was fine because she didn't want to go to the doctor. She knew he could order her to the hospital and she would have to leave her children. Eventually she collapsed with a lung condition. Stasys was panic stricken when the illness reached a point where Aldona might not survive. He brought photographs of all the children and they were placed under her pillow.

Aldona needed medicine which was available only in Germany. Again, a hastily made call was made to the newspaper. They were able to obtain the much needed medicine. After a few days, Stasys arrived at the hospital to see Aldona lying in bed with her children's photos in her hand. She simply refused to die: she could not abandon Stasys or the children. There was too much work that had to be done.

As is traditional in Lithuania, we lingered at the table a long time. By this time, my new little friends were waking up and ready for their lunch. Their older sisters tended to them while we returned to the living room.

Aldona and Stasys spent much time telling me about their children; their backgrounds and how they had come to live with them (Through the Eyes of a Child ... The Sereika Children). It's difficult being a parent but, the Sereikas have a unique family; some of their children are physically scarred, while others still live with the terrors of earlier days. One of the children became hysterical each time he entered the elevator on visits to the Valstieciu Laikraštis office. Eventually the truth came out. His drunken parents had locked him in a confined space without food or water. Hence the fear of the small elevator.

This is a family with many everyday problems. It is also a family who believes that with faith, love and patience, they can overcome many problems. So far the formula seems to be working.

As we rode back to Vilnius, I had to admit I was wrong again because I jumped to conclusions. When Regina began to laugh, I thought she was going to make me eat my words. She had just remembered that it was her 25th wedding anniversary. That was O.K. She was doing what she wanted to do most: she was spending the day with her favorite family.

Thank you for joining me on my journey to Raseiniai, and allowing me to share my memories with you. This was truly one Mother's Day memory I will always cherish.