Category: Blessing

Low Fuel

After picking up my kids from school, I had one stop to make to get some food and nonfood items before heading home in rush hour traffic. Just before getting to the store, a message appeared on my dashboard indicating that my fuel was low and then I noticed the fuel light had come on. I had not been paying attention to my fuel gauge. It was near empty. With the mileage I had remaining and the distance I needed to travel back home in stop and go traffic, the timing of the warning was pertinent.

As we we got closer to the store, my children pointed out the gas station that was there too. It was a tender mercy I received the warning message when I did as the probability of my running out of gas in heavy traffic was high and it was a tender mercy there was a gas station right next to the very store we were stopping at to do our shopping. 

When has a warning message, alarm, or light helped keep you on top of attending to what was crucial and needed when you were not paying attention or lost track of a necessary and important status yourself?

And, when has your location at the time of the warning been perfect?

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.*

Running Behind Schedule

I was pretty confident I could upload a picture and tweak a few things to complete the finishing touches of a project in a 30 minute timeframe I had free before my night was about to begin with back-to-back activities from picking up a child from school, dropping them off at home with a family member, and then leaving immediately for an early evening movie date with my husband. I thought it was doable. Unfortunately, each change and addition when updated online, processed slowly. As I kept an eye on the clock, I was sure 30 minutes would have been enough time, including the 10 minute cushion I gave myself on top of the 30 minutes, but no, it was not complete for another 10 minutes, totaling 50 minutes.  

Being punctual to pick up my child from school and to meet up with my husband was very important to me. Choosing to be solely engaged in our dialogues and interactions with each other was even more important to me. I wanted to be with them, truly with them, not absent while present with my mind drifting away to the project. I knew if I didn’t complete it before I left, it would have been on my mind all night long until I got back to it, so I opted to wait until the updates were finished at which point I was then leaving later than I had intended and running behind schedule. 

Although the delay set me back and I was late getting to my child, it was a tender mercy that as I was leaving the school, the single lane I was in that allows vehicles to either turn left across a busy street or turn right and is typically backed up when trying to exit the school had cones placed preventing a left hand turn. A school police officer was directing all drivers to only make a right hand turn maintaining a nonstop flow of traffic. Happily, it was the direction I needed to go and I was able to be on my way back home with swiftness.

After arriving home, my husband and I quickly headed out hoping to get to the movie theater by showtime. Still running late and with construction along the way, it was another tender mercy that as we approached the section where the two lane road became a one lane road, alternating the northbound cars to pass through while the southbound cars waited and then the southbound cars passed through while the northbound cars waited, our lane of cars was given the go ahead to move forward without any delay or wait on our side. 

We arrived to the movie theater 6 minutes after the scheduled show time, yet it was another tender mercy that the previews were 25 minutes long so we did not miss any of the movie. Most importantly, it was a peaceful calm evening versus an agitated stressed mom/wife kind of night. With the project complete before I left the house, I was able to rest easy and relax the remainder of the evening turning my time and attention to each of my children as well as spending devoted, focused time with my husband enjoying our date night together.

When has a project you’ve wanted to complete taken longer than expected resulting in your running behind schedule to get to an important function(s) and though you arrived late, you felt relaxed and obstructions in your path were cleared and you did not miss any of the portion of the event you desired to see and attend most?

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.*

Lost Sense of Direction

Every so often I lose my sense of direction. After dropping my kids off for their evening church youth activity, I ran a quick errand. On my way back to pick them up, I drew a blank not knowing where I was and which direction to go. My surroundings became a blur. Does this ever happen to you? Although I had no idea where I was for a brief couple of minutes, I kept driving hoping and praying I was going the right way. It was a tender mercy as this was happening that I was able to continue driving on autopilot. When the temporary fog lifted, I was relieved I had stayed the course heading in the right direction and I arrived at my destination with exactness and safety.  

When have you lost your sense of direction while driving or walking around in a store and you were relieved when the temporary fog lifted and you saw that you were going the right way?

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.*

Pause and Resume Again and Again

One of my summer jobs prior to heading off to college after high school graduation and between my 1st and 2d year of college was working in an office with a switchboard. As the switchboard operator and I interacted together and became good friends, I got used to interruptions mid sentence as calls would come in during our many dialogues.

This prepared me with a skill to be able to adjust quickly and adapt well to frequent and constant changes. I automatically shifted gears flowing from one thing to another immediately with ease and was able to “stop on a dime” moving back and forth between projects “without skipping a beat”, like picking up where you left off with a friend you haven’t seen in years as if no time was lost.

With all the splendor and magic of Christmas and a lot of family activities throughout the holidays, on this particular day when I had a project I wanted to finish before I went to bed, stepping away for a block of time all at once for myself was not going to happen. My alone time to do for me was a little here and there which meant I would be unable to finish it in one sitting.

Throughout the day, I was starting, pausing, stopping, and resuming my project over and over again. It was a tender mercy the skills I gained at my job so many, many years ago prepared and blessed me to be able to move back and forth intermittently from one activity to another calmly and swiftly. 

When have the skills you gained in your early years blessed and benefitted you since, time and time again?

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.*

Holiday Lights In The Park

When our kids were younger, we had, at one point, season passes to a roller coaster park near our home and subsequent years following an opportunity annually to attend twice during the year. Although we enjoyed going very much, we have not returned for a few years when the opportunity went away and as our children have gotten older and other activities and expenses have taken priority.

When we had extended family, who had season passes to the park, stop in for the holidays, they invited us to join them to experience the holiday lights and rides in the park altogether. We declined as the cost was outside of our budget. When they shared that on that day each member of their family had a “Bring a Friend Free” day pass for each member of our family, we happily accepted the invite. As they desired us to join them and we have missed not being back to the park for quite awhile, it was a tender mercy the special was being offered on the very day they were in town visiting. It was a delight to be in the park once again and it was a joyful experience to be with family!  

When have you missed attending a special place due to a lack of funds and you were delighted when you received an invite and free pass to return?

tendermercym❤️ments~jld

“How have 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.*

System Is Down

With a little less than a week remaining before Christmas and our kids still in school a few more days prior to Winter break beginning, there were so many stores I still wanted to go to for last minute Christmas presents. On this day, my goal was to be in and out of each store as quickly as possible. I was on a mission. I knew exactly what gifts I was looking to buy. It was just a matter of which store carried them. 

At one of the earlier stores I entered, I walked briskly from one end to the other quickly gathering up in my arms the presents. When I reached the register to check out, there was a line forming and growing longer and longer. I was several shoppers back when it was announced that the system for all registers throughout the store had shut down. In that moment, the line stopped moving for awhile. Over the span of about 45 minutes, the system went back up briefly and shut down again after only one person was partially through checkout and this repeated over again a number of times. 

As this happened near the lunch hour, I still had a few hours before my kids were out of school. It wasn’t urgent for me to visit other stores and because I didn’t have anywhere else I absolutely needed to be, I felt relaxed. It was a tender mercy I arrived with plenty of time to not be up against the clock and the delay resulting in me slowing down for a brief period was a good thing. It was nice taking an unexpected break to read messages on my phone and soak in the quite calm I was experiencing opposite the hustle and bustle of the season. It was also a tender mercy that where I was standing in line to wait, there was a shelf on one side of me and a clothes rack close by on my other side where I could set the gifts down resting my arms, shoulders, and back from the heaviness of the weight of the articles I was holding. On top of that, not only was each item I purchased on sale, it was a tender mercy I was also given an additional 30 percent off at checkout for every single item. 

When have you experienced benefits during an unexpected delay while shopping?

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.*

Fast Sunday

I missed fasting on Fast Sunday. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to which I belong, Fast Sunday is most often the first Sunday of the month. I lost track of time and didn’t realize that the first day of the new month fell on Sunday. Fast Sunday is a time when we go without food and drink for a period of 24 hours and the money we would spend on those meals go to help the needy. Throughout the fast, we pray for something specific, for a reason, for a purpose, a meaningful reason and purpose like added prayers and blessings for someone who is sick and/or for ourselves to overcome challenges, difficulties, struggles, hardships, trials that we may be experiencing and facing.

Because I missed fasting on Fast Sunday, I decided that I would fast later in the week. By mid week as I was preparing for my day and listening to inspirational messages, I heard the word fast and I was reminded that I had not yet fasted. I decided right then and there that I was going to fast, however, I was not feeling well nor had I pondered and thought about a purpose and a reason to fast. Physically, I needed food and water and knew I probably shouldn’t fast, but mentally I prepared myself and told myself I could do it.

I decided to pray and ask Heavenly Father. The answer to my prayer was to wait until the weekend to fast. When I got up from my prayer, I felt really good about the answer, but I doubted if I received and heard the answer correctly. As I got up, I looked at my phone and saw that there was a text message from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints missionaries serving in our area. They were asking if they could teach someone a lesson in our home on Sunday, a few days later. 

I reached out to my husband to ask him about his schedule and he asked me what time they would be coming and if it would be after I finished my fast. I’d shared with my husband earlier that I wanted to fast later in the week, but I never told him when I was going to do it. His question was a confirmation to the answer I had received. It was a tender mercy that I had received that confirmation and all worries, concerns, and doubts left. It was a blessing that I knew with certainty and with confidence that I had heard and received the answer correctly and that waiting until the weekend to fast was the answer to my prayer.

When have you questioned an answer to a prayer and you later received a confirmation that helped you know for certain that you heard exactly what you thought you heard?

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.*

Worth The Wait


After finishing up some school shopping one-on-one with my daughter, there was a short 30 minutes before I needed to pick up my other kids from there respective locations one after the other. We filled in the time and treated ourselves by ordering lunch “To Go” from a local soup/salad/sandwich & bakery cafe we both enjoy. As we stood in line waiting our turn, I eyed the scrumptious mouthwatering pastries; however, wanting to stay within a budget, we each purchased only a simple meal within my price range. 

Although we were the second name shown on a large screen display in the dining area to get our food, we sat and watched food come out to others and ours was not among them. After what seemed like quite a bit of waiting and our name staying in the same placement, I became worried if I would be able to pick up my other kids on time. I shared my concern regarding the length of time with an employee helping make the food and when I asked how much longer it would be until our order would be ready, I was told they were keeping up with orders for those dining in, coming through drive-thru, and To Go orders. They were very apologetic that ours had not yet been made and offered myself and my daughter a free pastry. Yum! 

Right after we picked out a pastry of our choosing, our order was ready. Not having it in my budget to purchase the bakery item in addition to our meal, it was a tender mercy that due to the delay, we received a delicious free pastry. It was worth the wait. And, we made it just in time to pick up my other kids. 😊

While eating out, when have you resisted purchasing something delicious you really wanted, to stay within a budget and because of a longer than expected wait time or for some other reason, you were offered the tasty treat free of charge? 

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.*

Persistent Honking

When I drove up a row in a school parking lot to pick up one of my children, I sat and waited in a line. This line temporarily prevented anyone who had a car in the parking spaces to our right, from departing. I positioned myself to avoid parking in front of two vehicles that had driver’s inside. I wanted to make it accessible for them when they were ready to leave at any moment to easily get out. This left a large gap in the line between me and the cars directly in front of me.

After several minutes, I was honked at and I didn’t know why. I was a tad bit annoyed. I thought maybe the driver honking at me was upset that I had left so much space ahead of me. At the same time, I was concerned that by moving forward or backward I would block one the driver’s trying to get out so I  stayed put.

Again, the honk came. Rather than be reactive and full on frustrated, I sought to find out what was going on. As I looked around, I observed in my blind spot on my left side a vehicle inches from my back bumper. As I had been focusing on the right side of my car, I had not been paying attention to the left. Unaware and unbeknownst to me, this driver was exiting on my left and with very little room to get out, they were pinned in unless I moved. It was a tender mercy that the driver honking at me saw what was happening and alerted me. My slight annoyance turned to gratitude.

When have you become aware of an impending concern—about to get hit, a flat tire, gas tank lid left open, driving off with items on top of your car or trunk still open after loading groceries, etc—because someone honked at 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.*

Romaine Lettuce Recall

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.*