RoslynReynolds.com

Rejoice and Be Merry!

Monday, November 30th, 2009 | Death of a loved one, Grieving, Healing after Loss, The Power of a Positive Outlook, The healing power of Faith in Christ | No Comments

I pulled out all the Christmas CDs over the weekend. We listened to them as we put up the Christmas tree, and as we set the Nativity out on the mantel. I’m feeling the Spirit of the Season!

Holidays can be difficult for those of us who have lost loved ones. The first few years tend to be the very hardest – old traditions lose their luster – it’s just not the same without our loved one near our side. Memories of the times we felt complete and together make the present aloneness almost unbearable. The happy feeling around home that used to flow back and forth between us is missing, and that familiar face isn’t waiting around the corner to reflect our joyful smiles.

I remember early in our marriage sometimes being so overcome with the joy of the season that I would just run up to my husband and hug him. I felt so full of gratitude for our Savior, and for all He did to help and save us, that I couldn’t contain myself. Now, my husband is gone – and my seventeen-year-old son doesn’t quite appreciate the hugs the way my husband did!

But I am finding the return of that joy. I put in a Tabernacle Choir CD and listened to the English Carol “Rejoice and Be Merry”, and it’s exuberant grandeur completely overwhelmed me! Beginning with kettle drums beating out their joyful announcement, the choir joins in with, “Rejoice and be merry in songs and in mirth; O praise our Redeemer, all mortals on earth!”

As we approach this season, even with the pain of loss still in our heart, I have found that there is healing when I focus on the long-term of this existence. Christ was born, and lived, and died for us, so that we can once more be united with Him. I look forward to that time. I can feel great hope in this season, because He showed us how to live, and then he paved the way so that I can be re-united with loved ones after this life.

Through our pain we have had reason to draw even nearer to our Savoir and gain strength from His power to heal. Now, as the world celebrates His birth, we too can find reason to rejoice as we think on the great blessing it is to know Him, and to be His.

May you find that solace this season, and may you also “Rejoice and Be Merry”!

“Rejoice and sing, rejoice and sing,

Proclaiming the birthday of Jesus our King!”

Rejoicing,

Roslyn

“Oh, Thank you!”

Saturday, November 28th, 2009 | Building Self-Confidence, Overcoming Disappointment, Principles of Wealth, The Power of a Positive Outlook | No Comments

The three-year-old’s eyes sparkled and his voice was exuberant as he accepted the new little toy his aunt had brought for him.

He was so thrilled to receive, and even though it was a tiny trinket, his heartfelt gratitude was obvious. I wondered, what does it take for me to feel that depth of gratitude?

Especially in times of difficulty, how can we find something to be grateful for?

I’ve been studying the works of Leslie Householder lately. Her two books, The Jackrabbit Factor and Hidden Treasures are full of concepts and truths I’ve been searching for and I am now trying hard to understand and put into practice. One principle she teaches is that our very best position, when we are seeking more abundance in our lives, is one of gratitude. She suggests that we need to feel and express gratitude for how things are right now before we can expect more good to flow into our lives.

Thanks to Leslie, this Thanksgiving I have been able to really feel gratitude for some very challenging situations, knowing that truly, it could be so much worse. I can be thankful that it isn’t worse, and I can be grateful for the lessons I am learning, even though they may be painful ones. Truly, there is something good we can learn from every difficult situation.

As I look at my situation with new eyes, I remember the admonition in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “In every thing give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” I have determined to do so, and so, today, I say, for everything in my life, even, and especially, the challenges:

“Oh, thank you!”

It’s Time!

Monday, November 2nd, 2009 | Building Self-Confidence, Friends | No Comments

I looked out the window at the bare branches that had, only days ago, been covered with brilliant-hued leaves. Now, those leaves covered the grass, and if left there, would become a heavy layer of muck to be raked up next Spring after our heavy Utah snows finally melt.

I felt it in my heart – it’s time! Time to pull on the sweatshirt, pull out the rakes, and pull the trash can up the driveway to the back yard to be filled with these piles of evidence of another great summer.

As I rake, I think of other areas in my life where it might be time to do a little cleaning up. I picture the piles of papers, music, and books that, if I only scheduled a little bit of time for regularly, could disappear.I remember the time one visiting daughter offered to give me just a half-hour, and of the progress we made on those piles.

I received an email this morning from Raymond Aaron, a financial guru, suggesting that if we have a job that overwhelms us to the point of not doing it, one solution is to invite someone else to help us.

I have found that to be a good idea. I frequently invite my children to come help me with big projects in the house or yard. (Granted, they are aware that if the ‘invitation’ is refused, there could be consequences!) I have in the past invited friends to come help with a quilt, or to join in a canning session when our garden’s harvest has been extra-abundant.

And since my husband died, I have been less reluctant to ask other women who are alone to come join me as I tackle a project that has me feeling overwhelmed. They know that the invitation is reciprocal, and that I am happy to join them for their tasks, too.

Laura Ingalls Wilder, in her Little House on the Prarie books, tells of neighbors gathering to help each other dig wells, build homes, and clear land. There was a sense of community and caring that grew out of sharing their need and their strength. In our culture we are more prone to either hire someone to help us, or to just not tackle the project. I believe we miss out when we don’t welcome the opportunity to help our neighbors and to ask for help when we need it.

So, if it’s time for something in your life that you’ve been putting off, and you can’t face it alone, call on a friend or relative. Two heads are better than one, and four hands more than double the effectiveness of two!

It’s time!

-Roslyn