Category: Admiration

Complimenting An Amazing Individual’s Prominent Disfigured Feature

Complimenting A Light Radiating From A Disfigured Prominent Feature.

A couple of days after one of my children placed on hold a few articles of clothing they really wanted to get at a particular store, I returned to buy them. While in line to checkout, I observed an employee whose obvious physical deformity stood out. As I waited my turn, I saw a light radiating from them and their contagious smile as they cheerfully assisted the customer before me. Suddenly, it was a tender mercy I felt impressed and prompted to compliment this amazing individual’s prominent disfigured feature even though doing so felt so uncomfortably awkward. 

I contemplated how I would approach them with the appropriate sensitivity. The impression was strong and I did not want to ignore it or pass it up as I knew how welcomed and valued compliments are when shared versus left unspoken.

I was the next patron up while they and one other employee were helping customers. I was hoping the other employee would finish with their customer’s transaction first so that I could express the compliment in passing and checkout with the other employee without identifying myself via my card payment. However, both customers checking out before me completed their purchases at the same time and as I stopped briefly to pay the quick compliment, the customer behind me walked up to the register I was preceding to go to. It was no mistake I was now at this employee’s register. 

With a warm smile and a tender heart, I simply shared, “ This may be strange, but I hope it doesn’t come across offensive, I like your nose”. It was a tender mercy they could feel of my genuine kindness and they glowed as they responded back, “thank you for the compliment” to which I happily followed up with a humble and resolute, “Absolutely!”

When have you felt prompted and impressed to compliment someone’s prominent disfigured feature as you observed in addition to their amazing personality, it being a remarkable light about them?

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.*

Good Samaritan

When a wooden board from our neighbor’s worn out, sun beaten, brittle fence fell down, I observed my independent, proactive, and service-oriented youngest son gathering up essential tools—a handheld battery powered drill, a hammer, screws, and nails—to repair their fence. All on his own, he took it upon himself and was desirous to fix their fence for them.  

From the sidelines, it was a tender mercy for me to have seen him in action, the joy in his demeanor, and smile on his face as he was a willing and cheerful good Samaritan, serving our neighbors.

In the process of his working to drill the board back in place, I overheard the wife, who while attending to their dogs in their backyard and realizing someone was on the other side of their fence, curiously and gently ask, “Excuse me, may I help you?” to which my son confidently replied, “I just noticed that one of your fence pieces was broken and I am fixing it so it doesn’t fall again”. She responded, “You are amazing!” A few minutes later her husband came out to assist and eventually she also came out again with their young daughter and expressed gratitude, appreciation, and admiration for my son’s sweetness in helping them in the way he did. 

This interaction, in and of itself was a tremendous tender mercy too as my son and I met this amazing and friendly family for the first time since they moved in, surprisingly 2 years earlier. Although I was thoroughly embarrassed and apologetic that our welcoming them to our neighborhood was long overdue, attributing it to our comings and goings and differing schedules, it was a blessing that through my son’s act of service, this opportunity to introduce ourselves to one another occurred.   

When have you experienced the joy of observing your child(ren) taking the initiative to help and serve others all on their own? And/or through a a direct or indirect involvement in a service opportunity, you met an amazing new friend(s)?

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.*

Circling Back To Pay A Compliment

Within moments of saying goodbye to friends I had spent over an hour or so with and before making it all the way to the door to leave entirely, I felt impressed to return and express my gratitude for the goodness one of them has rendered to so many in our community. And then again, shortly thereafter, when departing a one-on-one conversation with another friend in the parking lot, I was impressed to turn back around to share a positive attribute and strength I saw as one of their gifts, verbalizing my admiration of their thoughtfulness and acts of charity they give so willingly and generously to others. 

Initially, these tender sentiments of appreciation I felt for both of my friend’s kind actions had remained only in my mind and heart until I received a prompting to go back and share my thoughts with them. At first, I hesitated and upon a re-occurring prompting, I circled back and complimented each of them in person. 

When I am with my friends, I often feel a gratitude well up inside of me as I hear and observe the ways they serve others, but I don’t always speak up and share my feelings with them. I think, surely they already know the impact and difference their gifts, talents, and good deeds are having in the life of someone else, right? However, much of the time, I don’t know for myself whether what I do is making a positive impact or not in the lives of others and when I hear that it is, it just feels so good and enhances and brightens my day. 

It was a tender mercy that as I circled back to compliment my friends, I was able to witness a spark in their eyes as they lit up and smiled. I saw a happiness come over them as I conveyed to them my genuine, sincere thankfulness for the ways they are blessing others’ lives. Although it felt awkward to have returned after leaving, I was grateful I did not ignore the prompting.  

When have you felt prompted to circle back and return to a conversation you just ended with someone to pay them a compliment? 

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 Secret Ingredient Is Love

As my husband and I opened our Valentine’s Day card from each other, it was amazing how exact our messages and expressions of love were for the other when no coordinating between us took place.

From him I received a card, “BE MINE” and a container filled with chocolate chip cookie ingredients. When I asked which recipe I should use to make the cookies or if there was a recipe to go along with it, he replied, “The Secret Ingredient Is Love”. I smiled and verbalized my appreciation all the while I contained an explosion of joyful laughter I felt inside from becoming apparent. I held back my excitement until he opened up my card attached to a box of chocolates with the words “love” all over the outside and on the inside it read, “The Secret Ingredient Is Love”. He smiled and we both giggled together. It was pretty cool! 

Being on the same page, on the same wavelength as one another was a tender mercy. The love I felt for my husband when I picked out his card with the box of chocolates increased, magnified, and was of a greater immensity when his message was identical to mine. In that moment, I felt the gravity and strength of our love for one another in a more powerful way. The singleness of exchanging heartfelt cards with each other each year is always a sweet moment. This year was even sweeter as I felt a deeper connection and a gratitude for our love on our 23rd Valentine Anniversary. 

When has your love for another increased and magnified immensely after an uncoordinated identical message and expression of love for each other was exchanged with one another?

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.*

Choosing Admiration and Love For Others Above Self Doubt

I looked forward to socializing and having real conversations with friends at a casual event one evening. Although I knew most everyone, I was surprised by my feeling awkward when a friend would stay only momentarily in our dialogue before stepping away to interact and mingle with other friends. When I was reached out to and asked how things were going, it was easy to respond with a deeper than surface answer because of the friendships I had with each, however, when the dialogues didn’t last long and were cut short, I was perplexed. 

Within a few minutes after I shared personal and monumental life’s happenings with different friends, they flittered away mid-conversation roaming elsewhere among the other guests and the food table. I didn’t know whether they were disinterested in what I was sharing or maybe preoccupied and just not fully invested in our conversation because their attention was split among the multiple other activities taking place.    

It was a challenge, yet I didn’t let it distract me. I remained happy and continued to smile. I was able to look past the broken conversations and an uncomfortableness I felt at one point when I observed whisperings and eyes on me, good or bad I wasn’t sure. I didn’t get caught up in the drama nor self doubt my worth or the friendships and connections I have with each one of them. I kept my head held high. Although I interacted with friends the entire time and had one meaningful conversation, I anticipated and expected I would have more-so connected with others than I actually did. 

I could have allowed my feeling lost and alone, even among so many friends, to sink me and turn away and walk out. Instead, I found myself admiring each person I knew, recognizing their individual qualities, their strengths and talents, valuing their personalities, and seeing them for the incredible people they are to me rather than telling myself and believing that no one was interested in me. 

It was a tender mercy I was able to transition from feeling a separation when the conversations ended abruptly to feeling love, admiration, appreciation, and gratitude for each of my friends. 

When have you found yourself moving from a place of self doubt when conversations with friends didn’t go the way you hoped and wanted to feeling an admiration and a love for your friends? 

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.*