Only those who have the patience to do simple things perfectly ever acquire the skill to do difficult things easily. – Schiller
Reyn at podium of the Gateway Chapel. Easter, 1953
The Lemurian Fellowship’s second president was Reynolds G. Dennis, affectionately known to his friends and coworkers as “Reyn.” He is an outstanding example to us in countless ways, notably through his guidance and direction of the Lemurian Crafts, which became nationally known and highly productive during the years of his leadership. Here are a few treasured recollections of this stalwart Lemurian as we acknowledge the anniversary of his birth this month. An Order member recalls:
“During one of my first visits to the Fellowship, I mentioned to Reyn that the heels of my jogging shoes were worn down. Reyn had just rewritten the lesson on Health, was very active in physical fitness, and inspired many Lemurian students to pursue a jogging program. I was one of those who followed his lead, and my shoes were showing the effects. He asked me to bring them with me when I joined the Fellowship staff for dinner the following evening.
“After dinner, he took my shoes, sat down at a table on which he had placed his repair materials, and quietly built back up the worn areas of my heels. He never had to search or ask for anything more than he already had at hand. The efficiency with which he accomplished this simple repair has stayed with me.”
A staff member remembers how Reyn tried to help him become more efficient and organized in approaching practical tasks. Preparing to tackle a leaking valve at the Fellowship’s well pump, he suggested they sit down and draw up a list of all they would need. This meant visualizing the job ahead, thinking through each step, and determining what tools they might require. When this was complete, they went to the shop, collected the needed tools, and the job itself went beautifully, with no need to backtrack. With Reyn’s keen observation and years of practical experience, it was as though he turned on a strong mental light, enabling him to see every step of a job before he actually got into it.
“Reflecting on these experiences,” one Order member says, “I am inspired to become a more efficient worker. Looking at my schedule, I try to envision what tools, implements, and processes may be required to get next job done. And if I am in the vicinity of those items, such as the Fellowship shop or the landscape room at Gateway, I take this item with me or bring it nearer to my next work area rather than having to return for it when I begin that task. This forward thinking can be as simple as putting a screwdriver in my pocket, or as involved as bringing the lawn mower to the area needing mowing later. The opportunities are limited only by our imaginations and the nature of the tasks.
“As I employ this forethought more regularly, the effort needed to get a day’s work done is reduced and that is in itself a real benefit,” he adds. “At my age, efficiency equals longevity!”
