Beryl Rayner Remembering

A Legacy of Faith and Resilience

Pain to Purpose: The Bible Inheritance.

A Story of Hope

By ShonaRobyn Eisenberg

"God will never leave you, nor forsake you. "Hebrews 13:5

These words from Hebrews 13:5 encapsulate the unwavering faith that my birthmother, Beryl Rayner (nee’ Wallis), carried in her heart and soul throughout her life. From losing her mother at the tender age of three to the day she passed away, Beryl lived in the comforting presence of Jesus.

Inside her Bible, I found a handwritten prayer, a testament to her extraordinary faith. This prayer, written with conviction, reflected her absolute belief in God's presence through every season of her life.

Beryl wrote the prayer in July 1988, the same month she received my letter and photos introducing myself and my family. I am her firstborn child, relinquished into closed adoption in 1948 due to societal pressures on unmarried mothers. For forty years, closed adoption laws kept us apart, but our reunion in 1988 was nothing short of miraculous. It remains a highlight and a wondrous experience in my life.

As we sat together in her home in Palmerston North, New Zealand, she shared her stories of grief and loss. These stories, filled with pain and resilience, shaped her journey after relinquishing me for adoption. No wonder she became an exceptional Christian grief counsellor, offering love, compassion, patience, and unwavering faith in Jesus to those in need.

After my relinquishment in 1948, Beryl’s life was a tapestry of joy and sorrow. She married, had two children, endured four miscarriages, and then had two more children. A suicide attempt marked a turning point where God's intervention saved her. After separating from her alcoholic husband for five years, she welcomed him back sober. They spent their final years together, rebuilding their relationship and family bonds. Sadly, just two years later, her beloved George died from a massive heart attack. It was 1980, and Beryl was widowed at 52.

“There is nothing –no circumstance, no trouble, no testing, that can touch me until, first of all, it has gone past God and Christ, to me. If it has come that far, it has come with great purpose, which I may not understand at the moment, but as I refuse to become panicky, as I lift my eyes to Him and accept it as coming from the throne of God for some great purpose of blessing to my own heart –no sorrow will disturb me, no trial will disarm me, no circumstance will cause me to fret –for I will live in the joy of what my Lord is"