For Linda Ratinika, mother of eight children, the last six years have been eventful, but with an open heart, the support of her family and a genuine interest in getting involved in community work, step by step she has moved forward. At this stage of her life, Linda has achieved a lot – she saw the sea for the first time, finished high school, started a professional career and is now studying at university.
Linda started her family early and with her husband in January she will celebrate her 23rd wedding anniversary. The large family has lived in Bauska for fifteen years. The oldest four children have already started living independently, while the youngest four are still at school. With the move to the city, Linda became involved in the Salvation Army church in Bauska, which, as it turned out later, was like opening the door to many new things and big changes, first of all in herself.
Linda recalls that it wasn’t easy at first, but they lived happily together. Family has always known how to be happy with what it has. Linda had heard about the Salvation Army because the children took part in various events and also attended Sunday school, but had not yet been involved in the organisation herself.
“A turning point was a concert my children gave at the opening of the new building. I walked in and stayed there. I had always been quiet, withdrawn, afraid to discover something new, but here I suddenly felt good,” recalls Linda.
It wasn’t long before the head of the Bauska centre offered to run the Sunday school. Linda agreed, and this opened up opportunities to showcase her talents, as she composed songs, stories, improvised with musical instruments, and even learned to play the djembe with the children.
Confidence can only be gained by doing
“Volunteering at Sunday School gave me the feeling that I could go and do things, speak and sing, perform in front of other people – I got a solid foundation that had been wobbling. During this time I also started paid work in a kindergarten, where I worked as a helper. When my previous contract ended, the manager offered me a nanny position. I had gained faith in myself, support from my family and from the Salvation Army people. I even had the idea of finishing high school, and at 33 I started and finished within two years,” says Linda.
Secondary education opened up opportunities for Linda to work with children with special needs in kindergarten. She has been working as an assistant in this group for almost two years. What’s more, encouraged by a colleague, Linda enrolled in university and has now resumed her studies after a short break.
Looking back, however, Linda admits that all we had to do was want to do it. “That’s why we teach children in the family that we are, we do and we achieve. Asking for help is very hard, but you have to be able to appreciate and accept it. The Salvation Army has helped a lot, even with a grant and finding a way for us as a family with children to participate in development summer camps,” says Linda.
Meeting the sea at the age of 35
Linda is not ashamed to admit that it was only as an adult that she first saw the Baltic Sea. The feelings were so strong and emotional that they moved not only Linda, but also all the others who had gone to the summer camp at the Salvation Army recreation site “Girti”, near Liepaja. “The most interesting thing was that I had this feeling that the sea was something scary, deep, unknown. I was nervous. First I heard it – you can hear the sea from afar. Then I approached it, I saw it, and I was really overwhelmed with indescribable emotions – I was like a little child in a sweet shop. I was happy. I cried. I went to the sea and cried as if something great had come true,” Linda tries to put her feelings into words.
Getting to the sea was possible because Linda and her family were given the opportunity to go to a summer camp for families with children organised by the Salvation Army. “There had been children before, but my husband and I were able to do it because a benefactor had given his support to organise the camps. For me, as a mother, being with my children in a camp like this meant a lot – I was finally able to stop thinking about everyday worries and really be with my children, their interests and talents. Yes, you could say that this first camp by the sea was like a new turning point that gave me strength,” recalls Linda.
Inculcating life values in children
Linda with the children is also actively involved in other Salvation Army events. For example, before Christmas there is the tradition of the Red Kettle, which raises funds for a festive lunch. Linda explains, “We stand outside shops in Bauska with a special red donation pot, and my youngest daughter usually comes to help. It’s interesting to watch the passers-by – I see a smile and I can tell who it’s for. I tell them that the money donated will be used to provide meals for those who have nothing, such as people with special needs. It’s so nice to see people open up – to slowly let go of stereotypes, because it’s like they realise – now I understand who it’s for.”
These Christmas events are not just about food, they also have their own programme. Before the pandemic, at the New Year’s Eve dinner, we had the opportunity to perform the play with the children. The children are also involved in the creation of the musical, which is also very exciting and engaging for the children,” says Linda.
Linda believes that in such situations we learn to accept people as they are, not to judge others, not to talk back. These are the values that children learn.
The joy of Christmas is within us
Linda has also dared to fulfil her dreams creatively. She has a cupboard at home full of creative things – beads, broken crockery, colourful ribbons and a million other little things. Linda enjoys making wreaths and decorations for various occasions. But for several years now, a tradition has been established where everyone gets together on Christmas Eve and makes a gift – a special greeting. Linda says that the hat is filled with slips of paper with everyone’s names on them, everyone pulls one out and goes to the big table where all the richness of her decor wardrobe is placed. The most interesting thing about this process is that everyone sees what is being made, but no one knows exactly which greeting they will receive. When the work is done, everyone at the tree makes a congratulatory speech, reveals who the gift is for and hangs it on the tree.
When it comes to giving and receiving help, Linda’s message is short and true: the most important thing is to want it and to find it in yourself. Do it not because you have to, not because someone is forcing you to, or because it’s accepted, but because you want to.
By helping and doing good for others, one finds this inner motivation. Linda says that it was at the beginning of December that they discussed the topic of good deeds with the children in kindergarten. When asked why they do good deeds, one of the boys said – because it makes me feel good and happy. “It is so because good multiplies good. Do a good deed and receive joy in return. It’s not complicated at all,” Linda concludes.
