Category: Action

Teeter Totter

For days, I was experiencing an unpleasant nudging pain inside my body that I knew was associated with stress. On one hand I was super excited and looking forward to amazing occasions upcoming and on the other hand I was feeling a disconcerted apprehension for the nerve-racking occurrences that lie ahead, outside of my control, and directly coincided with each event. I felt like I was on a teeter totter, seesawing from feeling joy and enthusiasm to floundering with concern, worry, and anxiety. 

During the frequent moments of uneasiness, I felt stuck, discombobulated, and overwhelmed. It was all too much and very cumbersome to have the constant fluctuation of feeling elated anticipation and angst toggling back and forth, over and over again. I was struggling to relax and feel at peace. 

Similar to when you plant your feet firmly on the ground while on a teeter totter and the up and down motion discontinues, utilizing breathing techniques, speaking to my emotions out loud, and reciting a scripture phrase that entered my mind, “doubt not, fear not” helped to ground me momentarily as I sought to try to overcome the distress that kept creeping in, however, the undergone tightness in my body was still apparent and persistent. 

It was a tender mercy when I was impressed to get off the “teeter totter” altogether for the time being and literally step outside to run an errand unrelated to the occasions and events sourcing the contrasting emotions. It was then that I obtained reprieve and the physical pain eased up. 

When have you been caught between bittersweet emotions causing you distress and as you felt impressed to break away from the source temporarily, your stress ailments subsided? 

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.*

Having A Backup Option In Case

I was really happy when getting dressed for the day that I came across a blouse I especially liked and had forgotten about until I saw it when sorting through my clothes. When I got oil-free makeup remover on the shirt shortly before leaving the house for church, I was concerned, though not for long. It was a tender mercy I had another dressy top and cardigan I could quickly swap out that went well with my skirt without needing to change my entire outfit. 

Before exchanging my blouse, I wanted to try and get what looked like the “grease stain” out while it was still wet. I dabbed the spot with water and even though I had a limited amount of time, I let it air dry. I was worried that if I blow-dried it, the supposed stain would set in. It was another tender mercy the blouse dried very quickly. Once it air dried completely, the spot was still slightly visible so I dabbed it with water again and after it dried the second time around, I did not notice it. If it was still present, my hair was long enough to cover it up. 

Not only was it a tender mercy I had a backup top and cardigan to wear if necessary, in addition, the spot on the blouse cleaned up nicely and particularly fast. 

When have you been concerned when an article of clothing became what appeared stained just minutes before needing to be someplace on time and not only did you have a replacement you could quickly change into if necessary, even better, after dabbing the area with water, the “grease spot” cleared up?

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.*

Before and After

Every so often I go to a chiropractor to receive an electrical stimulation therapy treatment for when my legs are either moderately or severely restless. When I became aware, through happenstance, that my chiropractor’s office would be closed for a couple of weeks later in the month, I was worried that a heightened discomfort in my legs would likely kick in when the chiropractor was out of the office so I proactively scheduled the next soonest available appointment, which, fortunately, was less than 24 hours later.

Although for several days I had been enduring a subtle restlessness in my legs, I was trying hard to ignore it was happening. Being in denial and not wanting to accept that my legs were on the verge of needing another treatment so soon after my last one and very much desiring they would not worsen, I did not anticipate that very evening the restlessness in my legs would reach an intense level beyond the mildness I had been pushing through and tolerating. They were now driving me nuts to the point I flat out could not focus, process information, or concentrate on hardly anything. I had reached my threshold. Coincidentally, it was a tender mercy I had set up a few hours before the appointment for the following day.

All the next morning and into the early afternoon preceding my visit, I felt out of it, off, and drab. I was especially self-conscious of my faltered clarity of thought when stopping at a couple stores prior to my appointment and interacting with someone who looked familiar to me and with another individual who knew me personally, but I couldn’t place anywhere we had previously met. As my conversation with the latter continued for about 10 minutes, it was as if I had amnesia. I could not rack my brain to recollect or remember any dialogue we have ever had before that day. And, I was concerned that my side of the dialogue was coming through distorted. As I smiled and made an effort to retain all that was being shared with me in hopes of figuring out where we had met and how she recalled specific details about me, I felt like a mess and was too embarrassed at the time to ask those questions. 

At my chiropractor visit, I learned that the probable reason and source of the irritated nerves and muscle soreness in my legs was that my hips were out of alignment. After an adjustment to balance my hips and a treatment for the restless legs and muscle tightness, I was immediately able to think more clearly and my conversations with others were definitively better and improved. 

It was a tender mercy that simply balancing my alignment along with a therapy treatment made all the difference in my cognitive wellness from a state of being in a haze to regaining the ability to focus, concentrate, and process information as well as carry on a coherent dialogue with others. 

When have you had a simple and timely adjustment and/or treatment from a practitioner that changed your overall health dramatically?

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.*

It Doesn’t Hurt To Ask

While grocery shopping and walking around the variety of pastries and desserts stacked on tables, I was drawn to the apple fritters. Immediately, my mind was reflective and reminiscent of times during my lunch breaks at a summer job I had between high school graduation and my first semester of college when I savored delicious, mouthwatering, moist fritters filled with real apples from a nearby bakery.  

Upon seeing the apple fritters among the amazing assortment of sweets, I decided to get a package, intentionally selecting one with the latest best-by-date. When I got home excited to experience the nostalgic taste of a fond memory of my early adulthood, they were not what I expected. Rather, the apple fritters were fried and crispy with a hint of visible, but tasteless apple and not the same soft consistency nor fresh apple tidbits throughout I was hoping to enjoy once again. Even though I did not like them at all, I thought someone else in my family might want to try them.  

The day following, I noticed the best-by-date on the packaging was the day preceding my purchase of the apple fritters. I then realized that I had not known what the actual day of the month was when I was shopping and though I selected the latest best-by-date assuming they would last for days, the apple fritters were already old. I was bummed. I considered the possibility of returning them to the store, but was concerned that I would not be able to return them for the mere fact I just didn’t like them. I wondered if with this particular brand, fresh or old, the overall taste would have been exactly the same. I was giving credit and the benefit of the doubt to the brand of apple fritters to justify why I was stuck with them and that the error was on my side for not paying attention that they were outdated before purchasing them. I wanted to believe and told myself there wasn’t actually anything wrong with the apple fritters per se, other than they were not conducive to my taste buds. After all, different brands of chocolate chip cookies taste different. 

Although I didn’t like how they tasted, I debated still eating them anyway if no one else in my family would or just throwing them out and accepting the loss of money wasted. Then the thought entered my mind, “It doesn’t hurt to ask if the store will return them”. Even though I questioned if I could return them for taste alone, it occurred to me that I could bring up the fact they were sold outdated. In going into the store and showing my purchase receipt and the date on the package, it was a tender mercy that even though I had already eaten one, I was able to return them and get my money back. 

When have you purchased food you didn’t realize was already past its best-by-date and although it was probable the food was still edible and fine, but not to your liking, you were able to return it and get a refund?

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.*

Happy Medium

Days after Easter, I was ready to clear off the holiday treats from my kitchen countertop and free up the space. I started with a carton of chocolate covered marshmallow eggs. When I opened it, there was one mouthwatering marshmallow left inside. It looked yummy and I knew it would taste good, however, I didn’t particularly want to eat it right then. Even more so, I didn’t want to leave the carton on the countertop or place it on a shelf in the pantry for a single marshmallow or waste it by throwing out perfectly edible food. 

Although I wanted to savour it later, I didn’t think it would likely be remembered if I put it in a baggie to hang onto it so I decided to eat a portion and toss the rest. As I took the last marshmallow out of the carton, one of my children walked up to me, saw it in my hand, and shared that they had never before had one. When I asked if they would like it, they said yes. Along with their showing an interest, they also expressed an uncertainty as to whether they would like it or not so I offered them half. Where I did not desire all of it for myself in that moment, I gladly split the marshmallow and the half that otherwise would have been thrown out, they accepted. It was a tender mercy that the timing of my child’s approach resolved the dilemma of what to do with the delicious chocolate covered marshmallow egg without wasting it. 

When have you been tidying up your kitchen and clearing out near empty packages of unexpired good food that was taking up space, to which you were not personally wanting to eat right away or desiring to throw out, and you were able to share it with someone else without wasting 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.*

One Thing At A Time

I had a lot of “to do” activities I was looking forward to accomplishing throughout the day on my mind at the same time I was searching to find a particular seasonal decoration bin from our attic. I was unsuccessful in quickly finding the bin and walked away. As I one by one cleared my “to do” list, I returned to the attic to try once again. Only, this time, I was focused purely on locating the bin. It was a tender mercy I spotted it immediately. Turns out, it had been right in front of me all along when I had been distracted and bombarded earlier by all that was on my mind. Without even realizing it, I had been standing next to it. Once I had isolated my attention to finding the bin and my thoughts were centered on one thing at a time, I was then able to see it. 

When has a singular focus on one thing at a time, among the myriad of competing thoughts and plans on your mind, allowed you to locate an object you were trying to find and that item ended up being right in front of 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.*

Where Do I Start My Search?

When searching for a “needle in a haystack”, where do I start?

In helping a family member look for a temporary place to stay for a few months in a large city out-of-state, it was quite daunting and overwhelming to even know where to begin. As I sat and looked at the map of the city, I prayed for guidance and direction to know where to start.

Following my prayer, the first thing that came to my mind was to reach out to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Institute of Religion office in that area. From there, I was directed to a housing website with a page listing over 40+ apartments/condos. As I viewed their geographical locations, I felt impressed and led to 2 separate complexes within close proximity of each other. Immediately, my search was narrowed down substantially.  

And, even more so, when the first complex I looked into not only had an apartment unit that was conducive and suitable to the needs of the family member and offered fantastic amenities ideal to their interests and what they love doing, it was also move-in ready. Within a few days the family member had visited the place, liked it, signed a lease and the contract was approved. 

It was a tender mercy I was able to find something so quick and with directness. It was amazing! Not only that, it was a tender mercy the entire first month’s rent had already been paid for by the previous tenant and the security deposit was waived as I had called while a promotional offer was going on.  

When have you taken on something so big you did not know where to start and after seeking divine help, everything through to completion turned out incredibly well and came together relatively fast? 

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.*

Time-filler Conversation

It was a beautiful, sunny day at the theme park as our family was enjoying one ride after another smoothly and with such ease. The lines were in constant motion, moving much faster than what was indicated on the posting outside of the ride. We were on a roll until we arrived at a ride that initially indicated a 50-minute wait time. Based on the other rides with overestimated wait times, we thought it would really only be like 30 minutes. However, due to some sort of delay, the wait time ended up being around 2 hours. 

It was a tender mercy that soon after we got in line, the couple in front of us and my husband and I began talking with one another. We had a very nice dialogue that expedited the long wait as our focus was on our conversation rather than our standing in a line that was hardly moving for a long period of time. It was a pleasant way to pass the time away and a nice distraction from fully experiencing the heat, sore feet, and boredom.  

When has sparking up a conversation with others while standing in a line for a long period of time lessened your uncomfortableness associated with waiting and passed the time away much more quickly?

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.*

Pick-me-up

While being spoken to by another, I took offense to how I thought they perceived me. I reacted with an escalated tone to defend my character of being a good and thoughtful person. In that moment, I messed up. Having been traumatized by what I assumed and believed they were saying, my heightened response triggered a reaction from them and our dialogue snowballed into a mode of each person protecting and defending oneself. 

I felt a deep hurt and pain for hours and struggled to reconcile the variance in what I heard them saying versus what I was told were their actual words. As I turned my focus and attention on the other to see where they were coming from, I felt sadness and sorrow that I had not sought the true nature of their words and more so frustrated and upset that I took offense and reacted. 

For some time, I’ve been working on not taking offense to what I have felt as negative attacks, jabs, teasing, joking, sarcasm, and harsh criticism towards me from others as personal. And, when I’ve been presumably ridiculed, I have strived to maintain my dignity and composure when I respond and own what is mine—my thoughts and my actions. 

When the skills and tools I’ve learned and have worked hard to implement and apply to best respond when I felt attacked came crushing down in an instant, I was devastated. I was overcome with an overwhelming feeling of despair for what was no longer a feeling of love, peace, and connection. When I tried so much to do it right and still did it wrong, I felt shattered. 

Over time, after repeatedly owning my response and reaction and apologizing, it was a tender mercy I was told I was forgiven. Upon hearing those words, I was surprised I felt a stillness. It was also a tender mercy when one of my children observed my sadness and they brought me a flower to cheer me up. 

When have you tried so hard to do and be better in an area of individual development and you were devastated and felt shattered after falling short and comforting words and an act of kindness from another picked you back up?

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.*

Growth Beyond The Freeze


Growing season has begun. Spring is right around the corner. Less than a week after our family planted a flower garden and vegetable garden during our Family Home Evening, we experienced the coldest night of winter. I don’t regularly check the weather day to day so it was a tender mercy our family happened to be watching the news and saw the weather report the first evening of the cold front. When we heard the heads up of the cold front approaching, my husband covered our plants. A few days later, I noticed the seedlings coming up and assumed that in addition to having covered them, they were also protected while still in the dirt and not yet exposed above ground. Timing was perfect that they didn’t poke through too soon. It was a tender mercy that the plants were still growing even after some very cold days and nights.

When have you protected your flower garden/vegetable garden/plants in time from a winter freeze and they survived the cold front?

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.*