Month: March 2018

Delayed Flat Tire

One Saturday evening, our daughter attended a Latter-day Saints (LDS) Stake Youth Dance approximately an hour from our home. Although she would be driving out when it was daylight, she would be coming back home when it was dark. As she would be traveling alone, I was concerned about her being by herself if she had car difficulties or a flat tire, staying vigilant and aware of drunk drivers, paying attention and being mindful of her surroundings and her speed.

I was worried. At the same time, my daughter really really wanted the experience of driving the distance on her own. My husband did not feel uneasy or uncomfortable about her going. Through the phone locator app connecting us to our children’s physical location, he shared that if she got a flat tire or had other car troubles, then he would be able to go and assist her.

I considered my personal feelings and fears and whether or not the feelings were strong enough to say no or to give her the opportunity to drive by herself. I set aside my fears and provided my support. I felt confident she would arrive safely to her destination because she was traveling while it was still light, however, I was more concerned about her traveling alone at night and was nervous when I noticed the dark, windy, country path she was on when returning home. I prayed she would be ok and was relieved and grateful when she arrived home safely.

The next morning, I left for church a few minutes ahead of everyone else as I needed to be their 15 minutes earlier and I would be staying longer after church while one of our children attended a meeting. In route to church, I awaited their call when they were heading out to join them over the phone in family prayer. When I arrived at the church, I had not yet received a call that the family had left so I reached out to them and learned that when they came outside, they had noticed that the back rear tire of our daughter’s car was flat. Upon further examination, they saw a nail in the tire causing a slow leak. It was a tender mercy that the experience did not happen while she was driving on the dark country backroads the night before. I was grateful for the huge blessing that the tire did not go completely flat until in our driveway after she was home.

When have you been grateful you or a loved one were in a safe place, out of harm’s way, when car issues occurred?

tendermercym♥ments~jld

“How have you noticed Heavenly Father’s awareness and mindfulness of you today?”

Sabbath Day

I enjoy and look forward to the Sabbath day. For me, it is a time of rejuvenation and a tender mercy to have an entire day set aside to connect with Heavenly Father in a more deliberate way. Focusing on specific ways of feeling closer to Him and the peace that is felt away from the hustle and bustle of everyday activities. I enjoy attending church, listening to and hearing the messages, feeling the Spirit, receiving answers to prayers and validation of His love and care for me.

I enjoy afternoon naps, taking walks, transcribing my son’s missionary letters and emailing them to friends and family. I enjoy the relaxation of cooking and making a new recipe without a time constraint or need to pick up kids or go to appointments. These are all things that I do on the Sabbath day that is calming and relaxing as well as drawing closer to my Savior and Heavenly Father and feeling of their love for me. What do you do on the Sabbath day?

I love that it is a day of rest, a day that I’m not doing chores and mundane tasks like laundry, grocery shopping, yard work and that I can fully take in with gratitude and appreciation what I have through moments of pondering and absorbing the beauty around me.

Is the Sabbath day a day of rest for you? Is it a day you look forward to each week? When and how have you felt Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ’s love for you?

tendermercym♥ments~jld

“How have you noticed Heavenly Father’s awareness and mindfulness of you today?”

Holiday Excitement

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I love that my youngest loves doing special things for the holidays, from decorating to planning and preparing fun ideas. Today is no different. It is St. Patrick’s Day. I was awoken this morning with this child sharing an idea and asking permission if it would be ok to print off a cloverleaf, hide it, and then whoever found it could go into our designated birthday gift box for friends and family and pick out a gift. I loved the cool and awesome idea and said yes.

Thirty six hours earlier I was feeling a tad bit of stress not having really thought about what to do on St. Patrick’s Day. I, at the least, wanted to purchase green foods for that day, but was not looking forward to going to the store.

The evening before St. Patrick’s day as my husband and I were on our way home from a date night, it was a tender mercy we stopped by the store for something my husband needed. Although it was late and I was tired and had not planned to go shopping for food until the next day, I decided to go ahead and get the St. Patrick’s day items too since we were already in the store.

Shopping together with my husband for this occasion versus going to the store by myself was so much more fun. And, it is a huge blessing and a tender mercy to have a child who loves doing amazing things for every holiday as it alleviates stress from me to come up with ideas. I love it!

As a mom, I want to do fun things for my family on the holidays. My ideas were great when they were younger.  As they have gotten older, my ideas are half liked and half not liked so when the ideas come from them, there is greater involvement, participation, and excitement. And, there is less work and stress on me which I love. Allowing them to explore and share their skills and talents with our family is tremendous. I am incredibly happy watching them shine and showcase their personalities.

How have your child(ren)’s gifts and talents blessed you as a parent to ease your workload and responsibilities as well as increased joy in your home?

tendermercym♥ments~jld

On Board

Every member of our family—mom, dad, and three children (two teenagers and a pre-pre-teen)—was excited to go on a family camping trip. It was a tender mercy how well everything came together. Every one packed their own bags and participated in giving meal ideas. Everyone was happy and looking forward to a great Spring Break! It was way awesome! The location and the site was incredible! The weather was ideal during the day, not too hot and not too cold. Although the evenings were very cold, we were prepared with necessary blankets and bedding. The meals were yummy! Everyone assisted and helped with setting up camp, taking down camp, preparing the planned meals, working together, and playing together. Although there were a few bumps and squabbles, it was definitely a very pleasant and memorable family trip!

When has your family gone on an outing/trip/vacation where every member was on board, participating in the planning and preparing and happy to go?

tendermercym♥ments~jld

Give Yourself A Cushion

I am constantly saying to my kids and reminding myself, “give yourself a cushion”, especially in the morning as we are heading off to school. We live quite a distance from the Middle School and the High School—give or take on any given day, it could be as little as 20 minutes to an hour or more to get to school based on weather conditions, traffic accidents, or construction.

Sometimes we learn about when those occurrences are happening through a traffic app, receiving a text message, or by radio. Because, on most days, we don’t know until later on down the road what delays, if any, we may encounter, I have encouraged my kids to allow themselves a cushion to arrive to school safely and on time.

There is anxiousness when leaving the house at just the right amount of time and then something unplanned or unexpected occurs and there’s a shortage of time. I’ve expressed to my kids that I love them and care about them and that safety is more important than rushing to be on time. Leaving with plenty of time to take a detour or hang out in traffic if necessary due to it being backed up or slow and go helps alleviate stress and feeling rushed.

On those days when we have left our home in plenty of time to get to our destination and any one of the above events has occurred, it has been a tender mercy I have not felt the pressure and worry of not getting my kids to school on time. I have been able to stay relaxed, laugh, and enjoy the drive interacting pleasantly with whomever is in the car with me, no matter the added length of time it takes to get to school. In addition, it is a tender mercy when my children who drive themselves on these longer commute days text me from school that they have arrived safely and were punctual because of the time cushion they gave themselves before leaving home.

When has your commute to a destination been delayed for whatever reason and because you left home with plenty of cushion time, you felt relaxed and comfortable that you would still arrive on time?

tendermercym♥ments~jld

Fearing a Dog Rescue

I have an absolute fear of dogs. When I was younger, while walking home, I was bitten from behind by an unfriendly dog. Since that time, I have experienced anxiety around dogs—small, medium, large, any kind of dog, even ones that are friendly.

This morning, as I was driving home after dropping off my children at school, I saw a loose dog near my house getting into a garbage bag sitting out for trash pick up. The dog looked familiar, possibly our neighbor’s dog. I drove past him, backed into my driveway, and then thought about what I should do. I immediately drove back to the dog thinking at the same time, “I want to help, but I’m afraid of dogs so I don’t want to get out and guide the dog back home. I also do not have the neighbor’s phone number with me.  If I went back home to get the number, I may lose the dog”.

As I approached the dog, I rolled down my window and spoke the name I thought may be his to see if the dog would respond. I said, “Hi, Hello!, go home bud, go home” with a soft and gentle voice and tone. He looked up and I knew it was him. Even though I have a fear of dogs up close, I like them from a distance and I was able to speak to him in a kind and friendly way all the while staying inside my car. For several minutes, I encouraged and invited him to go home and he slowly began returning back towards his house at the very time, right behind me, a car pulled up and the neighbor’s wife got out and came over to her dog.

I thought to myself, “How Cool”!  It was a tender mercy I was able to help guide their dog back home, even with my fear, without getting out of the car and the timing of the neighbor’s return home was fabulous!

It was also amazing when the neighbor’s husband spoke to their dog, the familiarity—how and what was spoken—was identical to how and what I spoke. In addition, it was a tender mercy I was able to briefly interact with the neighbors when I only see and visit with them from time to time as we infrequently cross paths. Although I was a bit self-conscious because I was still in my pajamas, my hair was a mess, my make up was streaked and my teeth were not yet brushed; nonetheless, I was grateful for the interaction and being able to assist in their dog’s return home despite my fear.

Have you had an experience where you worked through a fear to help with an animal rescue?

tendermercym♥ments~jld