A cherished season of my life, one opportunity in particular, right here, right now, years in the making, a journey, yets, unknowns, and proactivity amidst yearnings. Varied encapsulated moments have led to this treasured gift I am extremely grateful and thrilled exists for me and for you!
This divinely inspired chapter, a snippet and a cherished season of my life’s journey began over 15 years ago.
Month’s back, I was interviewed by a producer of a website, The LDS Women’s Project, and asked about how my Tender Mercy Moments blog and Tender Mercy Moments Mini Retreats came to be. In a nutshell, the condensed version, here goes!
As the second oldest of 10 siblings, I would be asked if my husband and I planned on having a large family too. After my fifth pregnancy, my third being an ectopic pregnancy, I received a very distinct and impressionable impression that my family was complete and Heavenly Father was preparing me for something else.
Days, weeks, months, years, I waited, not knowing, and curious. Along the way, ideas of what that something might be came to mind, of which I proactively acted on, however, one that stands out was short-lived as I quickly experienced burn out and realized it was not sustainable for me long term and the others faded away after no time.
Fast forward 10 1/2 years, while volunteering at my youngest child’s elementary school as a Copy Pal Liaison, coordinating and organizing scheduling of parent helpers for all grade level teachers to assist them with their copy room needs, a position I had since the school’s opening a couple of years earlier, I was impressed during the first semester of my child’s second to last year there to invite another volunteer to take on the position. The impression, a tender mercy, was a distinct knowledge that what Heavenly Father had prepared for me was now. What it was, I didn’t know just yet, until a couple of months later, that came at the end of January 2018.
Years earlier, in 2000, while my two older and only children at the time were young, during the holidays I attended a progressive dinner. I was awed at each home, decorated so beautifully for Christmas, a season I love and is for me a magical time of year! It was there and then, a desire surged within me to one day host an event similarly in my own home.
A couple of years later, not long after our family moved to a new home and location, it was a tender mercy an opportunity presented itself in the form of a sign up to host a Christmas Girl’s Night Out (GNO). I continued to host this Christmas GNO for many years to follow minus the year my youngest was born. I was ecstatic, giddy, and on cloud nine! I loved hosting and every minute of preparing a variety of multiple homemade parting gifts for the event months in advance. This event, in and of itself, was a treasured moment and a cherished season of my life.
It was also during my time in this location while attending a Ward Relief Society talent show I came to learn what talent Heavenly Father has given to me. As I sat watching others get up and share their talent of art and music, having neither, I wondered, “What are my talents?” It was a tender mercy it was given to me at that time that my talents are spiritual in nature.
Back to the latter end of January 2018, I was inspired to start a blog, mind you, writing is not my forte and a skill I struggle with profusely! Nonetheless, I heeded the inspiration. Upon the inspiration to start the blog, I was extremely grateful for the tender mercy that my two utmost desires were fulfilled. The first being, whatever the name of the blog, that it be long lasting, indefinite, one I would never need to rebrand and a name I would love ongoing. And two, I did not want to come up with content. Being creative in that way would be a real struggle, cumbersome, and overwhelming for me.
After six weeks of trying to figure out the name for the blog, having involved my husband and children, it was a tender mercy, at long last, a name that surfaced, Tender Mercy Moments, felt 100% right, and almost 5 years later, it still does. The fact that the domain tendermercymoments.com was available, in and of itself, was a tender mercy and a testament to me of this, a cherished season of my life, had been prepared for me, for this time.
In addition, tender mercy moments exist and are present for each of us daily. Guaranteed! Heavenly Father is mindful and aware of each of us personally, individually, and uniquely 24/7! The question is, “Do we see His hand in our lives and daily recognize His awareness and mindfulness of us?” There may be one, two, multiple tender mercies, or more that we are not able to get a handle on from Heavenly Father in any given day! It is pretty remarkable! It is a glorious tender mercy there will never be a shortage or lack of content, nor will I ever need to worry about coming up with content on my own, as content, tender mercy moments, show up every single day. Miracles have not ceased nor will His tender mercies.
After much trepidation, in the summer of 2018, as the blog was well underway, I stepped out of my comfort zone and began to share it with others.
Due to my massive struggle with writing, in the fall of 2019, it was an incredible tender mercy when the inspiration came to begin a Tender Mercy Moments Facebook page and post a daily Tender Mercy Moment Cue. I was elated as it relieved me of the hours I spend writing and publishing a blog entry! As each published post concludes with a question, “When have you … ?” to draw each reader to consider a relatable way they have recognized Heavenly Father’s hand in their own life, a Tender Mercy Moment Cue, a posed question, based on my own personal tender mercy moments in near real time, is posted daily for the reader to reflect on experiences of their own, associated with the cue.
Combining my love for hosting and my talents that are spiritual in nature, it was a magnificent tender mercy when in the winter of 2019, the inspiration came to host a “Tender Mercy Christmas Girl’s Night Out”, and then the inspiration during COVID to host in February 2021 a virtual, pilot, Tender Mercy Moments “Sweet” Mini Retreat, followed by the subsequent inspiration to host the exceptional and phenomenal “Uncover Your Very Own Tender Mercy Moments” Mini Retreats that I began in June 2022 and I have been hosting every month since. The culmination of many treasured moments have led up to this now extraordinary season of my life, a cherished season of my life most definitely! I love every aspect of hosting and sharing my spiritual gifts with others! I love what I am doing and I am doing what I love!
It has been a tremendous tender mercy that Heavenly Father has been by my side entirely, through the difficulty of writing and the technology aspect of blogging to my stepping outside of my comfort zone to reach out and share my gifts and talents through the tender mercy moments blog, daily social media Facebook Tender Mercy Moment Cues, and “Uncover Your Own Tender Mercy Moments” Mini Retreats.
When have you experienced a cherished season of your life, a divinely inspired chapter of your life’s journey, and the flow of enumerable tender mercies from Heavenly Father leading up to and during were incredible?
tendermercym❤️ments~jld
“How have you noticed Heavenly Father’s awareness and mindfulness of you today?”
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