I am an optimistic person by nature, but wow, there are times that life hits hard and it is difficult to see through the darkness, when surrounded by struggle and hardship, and the question pops up, “Is This The End?”
On this particular occasion, as has come during other difficult times, when down and out and my health was ailing me, my thought was, why strive to maintain a positive attitude with a hope of getting better if there is no getting better and I may as well just allow the illness to run its course to my passing.
Why fight?If this is my time to go, rather than leave my loved ones with a financial deficit by seeking medical attention, if the projected outcome is ultimately, this is it, then why go through the fight? It is a hard place to be, unknowing in those moments if my situation will improve or “is this the end?”
But then, it was a tender mercy a promising thought came that I was not going to die and that the experience of my health ailing me was intended to help me be a better, stronger individual. As I have a desire to live and love life, what a relief it was given me that I was not going to pass away. And, it bolstered my ability to get through the trial with an upbeat attitude as I also have a strong desire to be an instrument in Heavenly Father’s hands, to help fulfill what he would have me to do, to be a blessing to and enrich the lives of others.
When have you been in a very difficult state of being, whether physically or in any other way, and not knowing whether your situation would improve or “is this the end?”, the promise was given to you that you would get through 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 which includes an audio version of the posts as well, please send your name and email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com.
I don’t know about you, but for me mailing a letter, card, packages through the postal service or by means of an online purchase directly mailed to an individual is no easy feat. One, the post office is not close by and two, I am not an online shopper. For those reasons, I am not on top of nor great about getting around to sending out gifts in either manner. So unfortunately, special occasion gifts for a friend’s graduation, wedding, or baby’s birth to those via a mail service get unsent. I enjoy in-store shopping for gifts and hand delivering them, but otherwise, time comes and goes when sending gifts through the mail does not happen. When an opportunity for the giving of a long-delayed unsent gift to a couple in person presented itself, though months past their special day, I was ecstatic!
The guilt I feel for this downfall of mine, desiring and wanting to send a gift, but the real struggle it is for me sits just below the surface of my subconscious to-do list as I don’t want to forget to give them a gift. I look forward to when I can see them in person and hand deliver them a gift at that time. Who doesn’t like a gift any time, even if well beyond their special occasion, right?
After over a year of at home/virtual Sabbath Day Sacrament Meeting attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic that halted in-person meetings and weeks after many in our ward congregation returned when gatherings were once again permitted, it was a tender mercy one of our children requested that we attend in person on a particular Sunday or we otherwise would have stayed home for the virtual broadcast.
As our family sat close to the back, it was a tender mercy I observed sitting in the pews a newlywed friend and her husband of three months whom I wanted so badly to give them a wedding gift and had not yet mailed one to them. I was elated! I turned to my husband and asked his thoughts on giving them cash to which we were both happy to give to them and it was a tender mercy I had the amount I wanted to give them on hand in my purse.
After the meeting closed, my husband and I made our way up to them and handed both of them the gift and learned that they not being in our ward were in attendance on that particular day to support their friend who was one the speakers. It was a tender mercy we were there and they were there and I was able to hand to them in person a wedding gift I so desired to give to them in celebration of their marriage. I was ever so grateful an opportunity presented itself to deliver in person a long-delayed unsent gift.
When have you been ever so grateful an opportunity presented itself to deliver in person a long-delayed unsent gift you desired to give someone?
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 which includes an audio version of the posts as well, please send your name and email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com.
How do you handle challenges? For me, I recognize if I do not handle a challenge head on, my challenges don’t go away, they just linger in the background and it is stress I don’t want weighing on me. So, how do I go about handling a challenge head on? I proactively take some kind of action to do what I can to work towards a resolve that will improve the circumstances I find myself up against.
Between my college years, my transportation to and fro where I lived and the job I had was by bus. The bus stop closest to the office building where I worked was several blocks away. Each evening after work, I could either take my time walking to the bus stop and wait a length of time for a later hour bus to arrive or I could run as fast as I could to catch a scheduled bus that was departing just minutes after I got off work.
Desiring to get home sooner rather than later, I didn’t think twice or doubt my ability to accomplish a desired goal of getting on the earlier bus. I went for it and took off running. The result of my determination and believing I could do it paid off. Every time I made a run to catch the earlier bus, it was a tender mercy I got to the door of the bus just seconds after it arrived and before it departed.
Today, while simultaneously listening to something through my earbuds that were plugged into my phone that was placed in a front pocket of my shirt and attending to replenishing our puppy’s food and water dish, as I leaned over her water bowl I had just filled up and was setting down, my phone fell out of my pocket and landed in the water.
Though my natural split second inclination would be to freeze and assess the situation, it was a tender mercy I immediately pulled my phone out of the water. After wiping dry the front side of my phone and the exterior of my case, enclosed tightly around my phone, I also noticed moisture that was trapped between the phone and the case. It was a tender mercy I was able to remove the case quickly, wipe dry the interior of the case and the backside of the phone, and as I took to handling the challenge head on, my new phone, not more than a few weeks old, was still fully functional.
And then, not long after, as I was just about to take our puppy out to go potty, before I could get to her, she peed on the kitchen floor directly in front of me. Right away, as I took to handling the challenge head on and went into a one man attempt to swiftly get her outside to finish up any business she still had remaining, and prior to, loosely lay paper towels over the area that was wet so other family members would not unknowingly walk in it while we were outside, it was a tender mercy my husband entered the kitchen at that very moment and offered to take her outside and I was able to stay back to clean and sanitize where she had peed before anyone else came into the room. Time and again, when I have gone about handling a challenge head on, the outcome of my efforts have been nothing short of a tender mercy.
When has the outcome of your efforts been nothing short of a tender mercy as you have gone about handling a challenge head on?
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 which includes an audio version of the posts as well, please send your name and email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com.
Has there ever been someone for whom you wanted to buy a gift, for any special occasion—birthday, valentines, anniversary, Christmas, etc. that did not come right out and express what they wanted nor share a wish list with you when asked directly, leaving you stuck with no idea what to get them and wondering what is a gift they would really like?
I have…. and just recently….until I focused on their from time to time, subtle communications in reference to specific gifts they would really like.
I love Christmas and the magic of Christmas and the excitement on Christmas day of seeing loved ones open up the thoughtful gifts I personally select for them indicating that I see them and know them.
This year was a lot more challenging as I struggled not only to find items for those who provided me with a wish list, but even more so when a list was not given. Nonetheless, I was up for the challenge. I just hoped I would figure it out before Christmas. To which I did. The weeks leading up to that anticipated day, my ears were honed into dialogues with whom I did not receive a list and I reflected on prior conversations I’ve had with them. Before too long, I had a number of ideas of what gifts to get for them between what I picked up on through observation for what they may appreciate getting to what I recollected they had in passing nonchalantly expressed they would really like.
Going from not having any idea to knowing a couple handful of gifts I could get for them was super exciting, though, I kept that knowledge and enthusiasm to myself. I did not want to give away that even though they didn’t come right out and tell me, I knew exactly what they wanted as well as what they may appreciate getting. I was looking so forward to Christmas day to see their reaction.
One by one, it was a tender mercy that after hours of going in and out of many different stores all throughout the holiday season, I found each item. I was so happy and most especially giddy about one in particular. It was one they had seen on TV that was described to me with great interest when I returned home one evening from being out.
Just three days before Christmas, as this particular gift item had been on the back of my mind, but I had not gotten around to researching about it, it was a tender mercy that in only going off of the description shared as I had not seen it myself, the exact product they had seen on TV came up right away when I google searched it. I saw that the item was carried in several stores near me which was a relief as my preference is in-store shopping and I was up against the wire, but each store I called was completely out of that item.
When I returned to the product information online, there was another store I had missed and upon my calling them, it was a tender mercy there was one of that product remaining on their shelf. The employee offered to go get it and hold it for me. Oh, my excitement! I responded with an absolute and delighted yes! Within a 1/2 hour I was in the store picking it up. I marveled and felt such joy and gratitude I had this last minute and most important gift, that wrapped up my gift buying purchases, in my hand. Christmas was a success! Each gift was well-received and appreciated!
When have you wanted to give someone who had no wish list a gift, but questioned what is a gift they would really like and in paying close attention to their subtle mention here and there of ideas, you knew just what to get 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 which includes an audio version of the posts as well, please send your name and email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com.
Strategizing and coordinating events in the most optimal and efficient way as possible from setting up large group rotation schedules to planning out the best routes to travel when running errands to multiple places all over town is something I thoroughly enjoy. And, when my best-laid plans are even more so improved upon, I am overjoyed!
With Christmas only a week away and it being the last day of school for our kids before the winter break, I was concerned about not catching those I wanted to deliver gifts to prior to their possibly leaving town for the holidays. I connected with each via a text message asking if they would be around prior to a specific late afternoon time, allowing a cushion for me to pick up our newly spayed puppy from the veterinary clinic within the designated final two hours before they closed. Ideally, I hoped to arrive within the first hour as I was anxious to get to her as soon as possible and spend the rest of the evening providing her comfort and my undivided love and attention as she began the two week incision healing and recovery process.
As almost everyone, except for a couple, one-by-one, quickly responded to my message, the majority of them shared the same approximate time for me to come by. Their places of residence were in several different neighborhoods stretched out in my community. Strategizing the coordination of how to get to each home within the short available window was a fun, albeit bit tricky challenge for me. When delays transpired that extended the time longer to get from one place to another, I revamped my plan a few times to best optimize the distance I needed to travel and keep within the allotted timeframe. Along the way, when I knew I would arrive later than the originally planned time, I reached out to adjust the time. It was a tender mercy each one kindly obliged to the alteration and indicated they would still be home.
My plan though well laid out, even so, with a couple homes left to go, it was a tender mercy an unexpected call I received from someone I thought was in a pinch and needed my help further refined my best-laid plan. Immediately, I rerouted and headed their way to assist them and learned just before reaching their place that they did not need my help. As a result of rerouting, I happened to pass a home I was going to deliver to last and saw that they were outside. It was a tender mercy I was able to drop off their gift lickety-split and from there able to deliver the remaining gift and pick up our puppy thirty minutes sooner than I had anticipated.
When have your best-laid plans been further refined and even more efficient and optimal than you had well-devised?
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 which includes an audio version of the posts as well, please send your name and email address to
As my children are getting older, I still want Christmas to be a magical time of year. I LOVE Christmas. It is magical for me and I don’t ever want that to go away. With the Christmas season upon us, I so wanted to come up with activities our two kids still at home would enjoy doing all together as a family during the days leading up to Christmas day. The question was “What To Do? What To Do?” I spent a lot of time thinking about what to do without any answer coming to me, until the answer came through a series of events and then I could barely contain my excitement and giddiness to share the idea, first with my husband and then our kids.
A couple of days prior to the first of December while on a drive with one of my children, I asked them about our Christmas traditions and which ones they liked and would like to continue to carry on this upcoming Christmas season. As I went down the list, the activities our family has done in year’s past did not so much interest them any longer, except for one, ice skating. Desiring to come up with more than just that one activity our children, who are not so little anymore and will be leaving home all too soon, would enjoy was a challenge.
During our dialogue, it was a tender mercy I was prompted to ask them if they like games to which they said yes in a casual kind of way and it was expressed again what they, as of late, had brought up several times before of a game we did not have that they were interested in playing. Traditionally, every year for Christmas our family has unwrapped a new game. Of the number of games we have, most have only been played once or not at all as we gravitate to our favorite top go-to games—Ticket To Ride, Settlers of Catan, Boggle, Apples To Apples, Rook, and Phase 10.
Though following our conversation I was still unsure what to do that would engage our children to enjoy the spirit of the holiday all season long up through Christmas day and my prayers to know what to do continued, the prompting kickstarted what became a fully formed idea that began on December 1.
On this mid morning Tuesday, it was a tender mercy I felt impressed to reopen an email I had received from our women’s Relief Society organization at church about an upcoming homeless care kit collection service activity. Even though I would be unable to attend the activity, I wanted to help out. Upon my also going to our Relief Society Facebook page to see if there was a list of what was needed to then gather what items our family had on hand to donate to the cause and deliver them to the Relief Society President that afternoon, the first thing I saw as I opened up Facebook was a friend share on their Facebook stories the #LightTheWorldcalendar. Not realizing as the day began that it was December 1st nor was I at all aware the #LightTheWorld countdown would be happening again this year, grateful to not miss the opportunity to start with day 1, it was a tender mercy I saw the post when I did and the first day of the countdown was about donating to a charity to which it so happened I was in the process of doing.
From there, it was a tender mercy I was prompted to open up another email from our ward Bishop regarding an Angel Tree to which I wanted to help out in that way as well. As I began taking an inventory of what gifts for what ages I already had on hand from purchases I have made over the years and saved specifically to give for birthdays and Christmas, I discovered an unexpired sealed box of cordial cherry chocolates from last Christmas.
While in route the few minutes away from my place to drop off the items for the homeless service project with plans of returning home right after, it was a tender mercy that per the series of events above, a spontaneous, on the spot, impression as to what activity to do that would suit our family well dawned on me. It was to do a 25 day Christmas countdown in which each day one family member would secretly wrap a Christmas treat of their choosing and a second family member would likewise secretly wrap a game of their choosing from our current selection of games or the purchase of a new game and then a third family member would unwrap the treat and the fourth family member would unwrap the game and we would spend the evening eating the treat and playing the game. Every day after, up through Christmas day, we would rotate who did what. I was super ecstatic about this splendid idea and could not wait to share it with our family.
After delivering the items, I straightaway drove to a store nearest me to purchase the very game my child had most recently, here and there, requested. Originally, I was going to drive to a store further away because it was where I had seen the game days earlier, yet it was a tender mercy that I felt impressed to go to the store just up the street from me and being that they too had the game, I saved a lot of time not sitting in rush hour traffic and money for gas had I traveled 4x the distance to the other store.
Once home, I couldn’t wait to gather our family together to share the idea with them. With giddiness and enthusiasm, I began by asking them what day it was. One of our children responded with December 1. They then asked if we were doing the #LightTheWorld countdown. It was remarkable this child remembered it from the Christmas past and I happily shared that we, without initially being aware, participated in Day 1 and then I proceeded to excitedly present the activity idea that had come to me.
It was a tender mercy that everyone was on board and where I had hoped that one day we would take the time to play our other games, now was that opportunity. Also, it was a tender mercy that the 25 day countdown idea came on December 1. As we began the countdown that evening, the child wanting the new game was pleased when they opened up the first wrapped gift to see the game of their choosing and that it would be the first one we played, and our other child opened up the wrapped cordial cherry chocolates.
It has been an incredible Christmas season thus far. Our 25 day Christmas countdown has been a daily event everyone has looked forward to with joy. When I asked my children, “If we didn’t have any gifts on Christmas day and this is all we did, would they be ok with that?” They said yes. Each evening, we have enjoyed well spent, quality hours of fun together eating a Christmas treat and playing a game.
When has an answer to a prayer in which you desired to know “What to do? What to do?” come by way of a series of events?
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 which includes an audio version of the posts as well, please send your name and email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com.
Days before the close of summer break, per a recommendation given to my husband for scenic locations to check out in our area, our family went for a hike along a rocky ridge to a cascading waterfall inside a canyon, not far distant from our place. Along the way we summited through obstacles that overwhelmed my anxiety, yet it did not stop me from my desire to reach this spectacular destination.
Though it was a rather short drive away, the speed of traffic en route was extremely nerve-racking for me and most especially when we approached the base of the canyon as the lanes veering off to go up in the direction we were headed merged into one.
I love driving through canyons and seeing the beauty of nature from the trees to the flowing streams, wildlife, etc. however, I experience intense anxiety in fast paced traffic, and even a bit more so along windy, albeit wide, highway roads through mountain passes.
Before entering the mountain pass, as we drove through the bottlenecked area at the base of the canyon, my anxiety skyrocketed. Once the lanes opened up again, I was able to relax a little, however, my anxiety continued as a few miles up the road we turned off the main highway and drove up a tight paved road with switchbacks and drop off edges to the parking lot where the hike began.
Once on the little more than single-file dusty hiking trail that weaved in and out of the sun’s heat, navigating over large rocks and around tree stumps hoping not to sprain an ankle, twist a knee, slip and fall, or overexert myself to the point of exhaustion, I was conscientious of each step I took and I stopped to take breaks.
After the nerve-racking drive up the canyon highway, traveling along the treacherous, narrow and here and there curvy side road, and an hour of hiking all the while out of shape, it was a tender mercy, with an “I Can Do This” mental mindset and the courage to “go and do”, I summited through the obstacles overwhelming my anxiety and made it to the refreshing waterfall.
When have you summited through obstacles that overwhelmed your anxiety and with mental strength and courage you made it the distance to see a worthwhile scenic site?
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 which includes an audio version of the posts as well, please send your name and email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com.
Breaking away from negative thoughts that came as I struggled to grasp the know-how to use a specific technology function on my device was put on hold until after my determination to first get the function up and running.
On this casual, laid back, rainy day as I sat down in a chair in a room looking out at the landscape just beyond my backyard with my device in hand, I was excited to implement the function. I thought it would be a simple and easy process. Unfortunately, it was not. Every so often while on my device working, I had inadvertently come into seeing the steps involved.
At first, I was confident I could navigate through what I thought I had recalled was the way to set it up. However, as time slipped by, I became stumped and baffled that the how to get it up and running was eluding me.
It was difficult to understand and know why this process to which I thought would be easy had turned out to be quite challenging. Discouragement started to surface and comparison of my weaknesses to the strengths of others on many fronts began creeping into my thoughts and lingering there. I questioned, “Why do simple tasks for others take me so long?” “Why can’t I figure out how to troubleshoot technology or complete supposedly easy processes in a relatively shortened period of time?” As I was bound and determined to figure out how to get the function up and running, comparing myself to others remained at bay.
After a long, arduous while of not giving up, I finally accomplished what I was trying so hard to do. In the end, I was extremely frustrated, irritated, unrelaxed, and on edge. As I acknowledged my heightened emotions, it was a tender mercy I was prompted to go and do something I enjoyed that was a no-brainer. Breaking away from negative thoughts of my many deficiencies came as I engaged in an activity that for me was fun and therapeutic. I made some yummy no bake cookies I had been craving earlier in the day and wonderful chocolate chip cookies that other family members were craving.
When has acting on a prompting to go and do an activity that for you was enjoyable and therapeutic after working on something that was really hard helped you break away from negative thoughts of your deficiencies?
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 have been struggling with something that is really hard. I have been struggling with writing.
Why is writing so hard for me? Even though I’ve been blogging for two years now, (my first published post) writing for me has not gotten any easier, if anything it seems to have become more difficult. Why do I blog? Because I have tender mercy moment experiences that I have felt strongly impressed and guided to share with others and the means I have felt impressed to do it is through a blog.
I definitely appreciate and value each finished blog post, however, what it takes to get to that point is super hard, hours of editing so that my description of my experiences are concise, cohesive, and coherent. Though it takes me a long time to come to a place that I feel comfortable publishing most post entries, I am pleased with the end result, albeit imperfect.
As I have been struggling a great deal writing out my tender mercy moments, it has been a tremendous tender mercy that I have received divine help.
For days now, despite there being no shortage of tender mercy moments, personal and sacred in nature, I have experienced a lull in not having a tender mercy moment I felt impressed to blog about publicly and considered that maybe my time and season after two years of blogging was coming to an end.
While being in this unusual space of abeyance, it was a tender mercy an impression to post an earlier published entry entered my mind. As I wondered which entry I should repost, it was another tender mercy that of all of my published posts, I was drawn to one in particular from a year and half ago. I don’t know the reason why it was that specific one other than I felt an assurance that it would touch and bless at least one reader.
Although it felt strange to repost an earlier entry, at the same time it felt right. Ironically, after reposting it, I began listening to a Virtual Couch Podcast episode by Tony Overbay in which it so happened the episode I selected was one he originally recorded eight or nine months earlier and was replaying it for the reason that the relevancy of the message was applicable just as much today as it was back when it was first recorded and there were now new listeners to his podcast whom may not have heard the episode when it first came out, me being one of them.
In addition to that amazing tender mercy, I then recalled how grateful I have been when Jordan Page of funcheaporfree.com has reposted her grandma’s banana bread recipe here and there on her blog. As both Tony and Jordan have been sharing content online for much longer than I, knowing that they too repost prior entries to their site was a comforting tender mercy.
On this day, it was another tender mercy as a family member reached out to me asking about something they hoped I could send to them, that while looking for it, I came across a book on a shelf in our home that I didn’t even know we had from a class one of our children had taken some time ago entitled, “Mindful Writing”.
As I browsed through the first chapter, it was a tender mercy I felt additional comfort when I came across several sentences by the author, Brian Jackson, relaying the struggle and challenge it is to write, “Learning to be a good writer is a lifelong process that will challenge you in every new rhetorical situation. I’m still learning how to write, after thirty-five years of doing it and fifteen years of teaching it.” … “Writing—and I ain’t tellin’ you anything new here—is hard. It’s a challenging task.” … “As I said, I’ve been writing and studying writing for a long time, and I still struggle to get my writing where I want it to be.”
Why did his words bring me comfort? Because for the past two years of blogging I’ve been waiting for my weakness in writing to become a strength and realizing that other writers struggle with writing too was comforting.
When have you been struggling with something that is really hard, waiting for the day when you’ll master it, only to realize and find comfort that others with seemingly more experience than you in a similar discipline struggle too?
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.
“Yes, Yes, you are doing something right!” As a mom, parenting can be a real struggle. I absolutely love being a mom, however, often I question if I am parenting the right way. Today, I received an affirmation of one thing in particular to which I was immediately overjoyed, so much so, I clenched my right hand as I raised it above my head and quickly brought it back down by my side in a victorious manner all the while resoundingly expressing to myself in second person, “Yes, Yes, you are doing something right!”
On my way to picking up one of my children from early morning church seminary, I was listening to an episode of Real Talk. One specific quote, “The gospel of Jesus Christ should be caught not taught” mentioned non verbatim by one of the hosts referencing something spoken of by Elder David A. Bednar captured my attention. I looked up Elder Bednar’s broadcast talk and the words resonated with what I’ve done with my kids ever since they were little.
When they would ask me for answers to questions—general life questions, homework questions, where they could find such and such, etc. I would often reply with “What do you think?“ Although they would get frustrated with this response, I did not want to just give them the answer outright. I wanted them to process through and consider the answer for themselves first. Most often, as I guided them, they would come to the correct answer all on their own. I absolutely love the phrase/proverb, “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Hearing first the quote and then reading the talk by Elder Bednar was a tender mercy as it provided me a thrill of affirmation that “Yes, Yes, you are doing something right!”
When have you questioned if you were parenting the right way or not and you received a form of affirmation that indeed, “Yes, Yes, you are doing something right!”?
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.
