I LOVE Christmas! Decorating, however, is very cumbersome! I don’t know about you, but taking down what I have up year round to hang up holiday seasonal decorations is a lot of work. Slowly, but surely, I’m setting up a little each day. Today, it was a tender mercy that I remembered something simple I figured out last year that makes decorating a lot easier. I was thrilled!
When it comes to pictures, I discovered that I could place slightly bigger holiday canvas frames over the top of pictures I already had up. As I remembered this, I got super excited and started hanging up my Christmas pictures left and right. It was so simple and so easy.
When have you discovered a simple tip that has made decorating for the holidays easier for you?
tendermercym♥ments~jld
“How have you noticed Heavenly Father’s awareness and mindfulness of you today?”
*If you would like to receive an email when new posts are published, please send your name and email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com.*
While in my own little world listening in on a real-time call simultaneously browsing a store for Christmas gifts, I saw a friend coming up the aisle I was going down. Immediately in my mind I had a thought to put aside the call, that was being recorded, to go talk to her. I considered for a split second staying on the call and turning around to avoid any interaction, yet in that moment, I felt impressed to visit with my friend I hadn’t seen in months at, no less, a store I had only been to a few times and didn’t expect I would bump into anyone I knew.
Sometimes I prefer to be by myself and avoid contact with others if I need my own personal quiet time or I’m in a hurry. Although I was content to be unnoticed, it was a tender mercy that I followed the prompting to talk to her. It was wonderful catching up. I’d like to believe our conversation was good for both of us. As I quickly prioritized connection and friendship with her over isolating and distancing myself with a call that could be listened to at another time, I felt increased joy and happiness. I walked away uplifted because I took that time to dialogue with her.
Even though I also left critiquing myself, going over in my mind my weaknesses in our conversation and internalizing how I could have done better, it was a huge tender mercy that I was, in addition, able to acknowledge my strengths. Being aware and conscious that I am a talker and I struggle to articulate and communicate my thoughts well, I walked away frustrated with myself. I was concerned that my enthusiasm and talking about what was happening in my life took over a good portion of the dialogue when what I really wanted was to learn as much or more about her as I shared about myself and I was bothered when I referenced the church, for which I am a member, with the acronym LDS, when she may or may not have known what it meant, instead of saying the full name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Despite doubting myself, I did not dwell solely on my shortcomings, but I also consciously spoke to myself and shared with my husband that I recognized with confidence that my being a high energy communicator and speaking passionately at the same time exuding positive feelings of love, care, and concern for others and the joy of life is a remarkable gift.
Responding to the prompting to put away my phone and connect with my friend was a tender mercy in more than one way. It was a tender mercy to have had that in person time with her as well as reflect on the kind of friend I want to be and, most importantly, acknowledging to myself and my husband the good friend that I am.
When have you set aside what you were doing to interact, in person, with a friend and after leaving the dialogue, your disappointments in yourself did not overshadow your recognizing your awesome qualities and gifts?
tendermercym♥ments~jld
“How have you noticed Heavenly Father’s awareness and mindfulness of you today?”
*If you would like to receive an email when new posts are published, please send your name and email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com.*
I was struggling and just not myself on this day and come late afternoon I was trying to figure out what I could do that would help me regain feeling like myself again. I didn’t know if scrolling through Facebook would help me or not or if it would be better for me to take a break from Facebook. I wasn’t exactly sure what would help me get out of my rut. I went ahead and opened up Facebook and the first post I saw was a news release for a recall on Romaine lettuce. I happened to have recently purchased Romaine lettuce. I found out after calling the store to confirm if it applied to the lettuce I had bought that the recall went out a week earlier and it was just then I was learning about it.
It was a tender mercy I saw the post and our family had not yet eaten the lettuce. Not only was it a tender mercy I became aware of the recall and was able to return the lettuce to the store, but this experience brightened up my day. It was something so small and so simple, yet made a huge difference for me. It seems strange and it is hard to explain that it was this that helped me become giddy and cheerful once again. I was filled with gratitude for the tender mercy.
When have you experienced happiness in an unlikely way on a day when you have been in a rut or struggled not feeling like yourself?
tendermercym♥ments~jld
“How have you noticed Heavenly Father’s awareness and mindfulness of you today?”
*If you would like to receive an email when new posts are published, please send your name and email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com.*
The day after Thanksgiving, on Black Friday, we had guests come visit us. Prior to their arrival, I had ideas for festive, holiday community activities we could go and do together. As I began planning and scheduling when to go pick up Santa passes for a specific time later in the day and the arrival and departure times from one activity to the next, I started to feel stressed. And, add to that, not knowing what all they would be up to doing after traveling for several hours to come see us, I decided to not have a scheduled plan and take one moment at a time and go with the flow. Right away, I felt peace and I felt a calm. I didn’t worry about going and picking up the Santa passes or if we even went out at all.
As I changed to this casual approach, it was a tender mercy that the day and the evening went so smoothly. Because I didn’t lock myself into a timed plan and had no expectations, I felt relaxed. We enjoyed ourselves and had so much fun. There was no rush and no hurry to get from one place to the next. We focused on the immediate activity and when that was complete, we collectively decided whether we wanted to go to another activity. It just so happened that by the end of the evening, we did all of the originally planned activities I had wanted to do with them. The difference was that it was more relaxed and less stressful.
With each activity there were tender mercy moments all along the way. When we went bowling, we arrived and all the lanes were full except for two, the two that we needed for our families. We took our time and had fun.
Then we went to the next place. That’s where Santa was as well as Christmas crafts and activities. I didn’t get Santa passes beforehand so I wasn’t expecting that we would see and visit Santa and get pictures with him. As we were walking up to the location, the mother of the family that was with us mentioned wanting to get Santa pictures with her family so we went to the Santa station. Not only was there no line at the Santa station, there were passes available for both of our families 15 minutes later and we were the first in line for that time-slot. It was fantastic! In all the years that we’ve been to this place, we’ve never been able to see Santa with such ease. It was incredible!
We then headed off to dinner. We wanted to go to a place that happened to have a wait time of one hour for seating inside. That day was a warm day relative to the prior couple of weeks of cold weather. It was really really nice outside. We called ahead and asked if there was outdoor seating and they said yes. As soon as we arrived, they had a table ready for us. We went straight to the table and above us were heaters. As the sun set and it got a little cooler, not only did we have a wonderful meal, great food, live music behind us, an amazing location, beautiful scenery, we also had warmth. And, there was a play area for the younger kids to come and go throughout dinner while the older kids and adults were able to sit and talk and enjoy visiting with one another. It was awesome!
After dinner, we all decided we still wanted to go on to another activity and that was seeing Christmas lights. It was a drive-thru Christmas display and I was concerned because we were in two vehicles and their vehicle was larger than ours. I didn’t know if theirs would fit down the narrow passageway and underneath the archway of lights. I tried to call the location, but there was no answer so we took a risk and we went there anyway. When we got there, it all worked out nicely. Their vehicle wasn’t too wide or too high. It was a great way to end the day!
There were so many tender mercies throughout the day. It was great that it went so smoothly. It was a huge tender mercy that the casual approach was a less stressful and more relaxed way to spend our day together!
When have you gone from having a structured plan to going with the flow and your day went so much more smoothly; and miraculously, you accomplished all that you originally wanted to do with less stress?
tendermercym♥ments~jld
“How have you noticed Heavenly Father’s awareness and mindfulness of you today?”
*If you would like to receive an email when new posts are published, please send your name and email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com.*
Several times this week I went to the store to get food to prepare for today’s Thanksgiving meal. This morning while still in bed, it occurred to me that there was one thing I didn’t get—the turkey oven bags. I didn’t know what I was going to do. I didn’t know if any stores were open and if I could cook the turkey without an oven bag. When I got up, I looked in our cupboard knowing that we had aluminum pans. Inside the pans was a box of oven bags. It was a tender mercy there was one remaining bag left and we were able to cook our turkey in an oven bag.
When have you realized you didn’t purchase a necessary item for an important meal and you found what you needed inside of something you were using for that meal?
tendermercym♥ments~jld
“How have you noticed Heavenly Father’s awareness and mindfulness of you today?”
*If you would like to receive an email when new posts are published, please send your name and email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com.*
After several years of use, our water softener went kaput and stopped working. When we set it out on the street on trash day, it was anticipated that either the recycling truck or the regular garbage truck would take it away; however, that was not the case.
I happened to be sitting in a front room on both occasions when each of the trucks, at different times, came by. When the recycling truck didn’t take it, I wasn’t too concerned and figured the regular garbage truck would take it. When I saw that the regular garbage truck was also going to leave without taking it, I jumped up, ran out of the house, got their attention before they drove off, found out why they were not taking it and what I needed to do to dispose of it.
I learned that because of the weight of the hardened salt still inside, it was too heavy and they were not allowed to lift anything heavy. The option provided was to either take it to the landfill ourselves or remove the salt with a pressure washer and then set the water softener out with the regular trash pickup the next week.
It was a tender mercy I was in the front room at the time and had looked out the window when they pulled up to see that they were about to drive off without taking the water softener. It was also a tender mercy that I was able to get their attention before they drove off considering the one dumping the trash into the truck was wearing ear phones. In addition, I was able to speak with them directly, on the spot to ask them why they were not taking the water softener and what I needed to do to throw it out when otherwise at the end of the day when bringing the trash cans back inside the garage, we would’ve had no idea the reason it was left behind.
When have you put something out in the trash hoping for it to be taken away and when the garbage truck was about to drive off without it, you were present to ask them about it?
tendermercym♥ments~jld
“How have you noticed Heavenly Father’s awareness and mindfulness of you today?”
*If you would like to receive an email when new posts are published, please send your name and email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com.*
Soon after stepping outside to do some quick yard cleanup, 40 minutes prior to picking up our youngest kids from school, I found myself unable to get back in the house.
The front door had automatically locked behind me and the keypad to get back inside the house was not working. Without my house key and phone on me, I was in a predicament. I went into action right away to find a solution.
Several ideas and options immediately popped into my mind. I first rang the doorbell, not anticipating my daughter who was home at the time would know it was me ringing the doorbell, instead of a solicitor, and open the door. While unsuccessfully finding something small and soft to throw and tap a second story window to get her attention, I stood below it and called out her name. When she looked out the window, I was grateful she heard and saw me and relieved she came to my aid!
Her schedule varies from day to day and it was not only a tender mercy she was home, it was also a tender mercy she was near the window to hear my voice. On top of that, she knew how the front door keypad worked and shared with me what I needed to do in the future. If she had not been home, I would’ve needed to quickly figure out another way, without a phone in hand, for our kids to be picked up from school and had to wait until much later in the evening to get back in the house.
When have you locked yourself out, of your house or car, minutes before you had some place you needed to be and someone was close by to help?
tendermercym♥ments~jld
“How have you noticed Heavenly Father’s awareness and mindfulness of you today?”
*If you would like to receive an email when new posts are published, please send your name and email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com.*
After dropping him off and returning back home, I had an impression to slow down, more so than my already driving just under the speed limit. My thoughts turned to the possibilities of what could be ahead in the fog preparing myself in the event that there was another vehicle in front of me or a person crossing the street or walking along side the street. Soon after the thought came and I slowed down, a deer darted in front of my car. I was startled. I was able to move off slightly to the right and avoid any collision.
It was a tender mercy I received the impression and thought when I did to slow down. It protected me and the deer from harm.
When have you had a thought or impression while driving to slow down, stop, or alter your course and it protected you from harm?
tendermercym♥ments~jld
“How have you noticed Heavenly Father’s awareness and mindfulness of you today?”
*If you would like to receive an email when new posts are published, please send your name and email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com.*
When I got in my car and I was preparing to head out, I first applied make up to my eyes and noticed I could not see with my left eye. I realized that my contact had popped out.
Months ago, I had a thought to put contacts in my purse. Today, it was a tender mercy when I needed a contact, I had one available in my purse. It was also convenient that I could reach inside of my purse to get a replacement contact for the one that I had lost instead of getting out of my car, unlocking my house, and going back inside. I was able to more easily leave because I had a contact with me and it was pretty amazing that I could see better with the new contact than I could with the one that fell out!
When has an earlier thought or impression that you followed through with blessed and helped you days, weeks, months, or years later?
tendermercym♥ments~jld
“How have you noticed Heavenly Father’s awareness and mindfulness of you today?”
*If you would like to receive an email when new posts are published, please send your name and email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com.*
First thing when I woke up, in my mind I thought through everything I was hoping to do during the day, which included attending a call-in meeting, and I was feeling overwhelmed with the limited hours and a shortage of time to do it all.
At the designated time, I phoned in to the meeting and couldn’t understand why I was not getting in on the call. As I was anticipating the meeting to begin at any moment, I was hearing a recorded message, “the meeting has not yet started”. I continued to wait and wait and wait until a quarter past the hour. It didn’t make sense to me why it was not starting at the scheduled time. A few hours earlier I’d received an email that the meeting would be held at the time I called. Uncertain as to what was going on, I replied back to find out if the meeting would still be taking place.
And then it dawned on me—Daylight Saving Time (DST). It had snuck up on me the day prior and I had completely forgotten. I hadn’t turned any of our clocks back and I didn’t pay attention to the time on my phone that reset automatically.
I had, after all, not missed the meeting. In fact, I was on it an hour early. I laughed and was extremely grateful for this realization.
It was a tender mercy that the remembrance of Daylight Saving Time came before I missed the call all together and when I wanted time to stretch a little further, it just so happened that I had one more hour to accomplish my tasks. I felt relief and relaxed. That was all the time that I needed. That extra hour made all the difference.
When have you been concerned and felt overwhelmed with a lack of adequate time in the day to do all you hoped to do and you realized you actually had more time on the day of or the day after “fall back” Daylight Saving Time?
tendermercym♥ments~jld
“How have you noticed Heavenly Father’s awareness and mindfulness of you today?”
*If you would like to receive an email when new posts are published, please send your name and email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com.*
Soon after stepping outside to do some quick yard cleanup, 40 minutes prior to picking up our youngest kids from school, I found myself unable to get back in the house.
First thing when I woke up, in my mind I thought through everything I was hoping to do during the day, which included attending a call-in meeting, and I was feeling overwhelmed with the limited hours and a shortage of time to do it all.