Category: Communication

A Well-Intentioned Thought Interrupted From Being Expressed

There have been so many times and instances while dialoguing with others that right before I speak a well-intentioned, loving thought, there is a distraction or disruption. Through the brief, or even split second interruption, I quickly become aware and realize as the other person resumes the conversation, following the disruption, and provides additional information and context, that my thoughts, though kind, if they had become words, would not have been applicable in a healthy or helpful way for them and would have done more harm than good. I would have been embarrassed and felt quite awkward. It has been a tender mercy on those occasions as I am about to open my mouth to say, albeit, loving and caring words, a sudden disruption has come between the thought and the immediate verbalization of the thought. In those times, I am glad and relieved for the timing of the interruption.

When have you almost shared a caring, well-intentioned thought with someone and an interruption came between your thoughts and verbalizing your thoughts, stopping what could have been a sorrowful, awkward moment for you and a painful, uncomfortable experience for the other person?

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.*

Clarity

I experienced a spiritual trial I never thought I would ever experience. For over two decades I had been going to a place, a physical place, a beautiful place where I felt joy, happiness, and peace. When I heard of changes that had taken place there, I felt anxiety, fear, and doubt. I was uncertain if and how the changes would affect and impact me. I distanced myself completely away from what had been a good thing for me for so long and lost all zest in going back. 

I kept my feelings and emotions inside until one day I was asked by someone if I would go there with them. My feelings and emotions came to the surface. Speaking out loud helped me work through and process the depth of my anxiety, fear, and doubts. It was a tender mercy when the opportunity to speak to my trepidation presented itself. As I opened up and was vulnerable in sharing my concerns, the underlying reason and cause that I had blocked, came out. Through speaking to it out loud, I felt a comfort being able to get to the core of my worries.

Soon after, although acting on an inspired prompting to go back, I felt an uneasiness and nervousness. As I spent time at this beautiful place, even with the changes that had occurred, it was still a good place and I was able to feel the same joy, happiness, and peace. Throughout the crisis, I never lost my faith in what I believed and in what I knew. A quote I really like by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf is, “Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith.” Fear held me back and talking about it out loud brought me forward, to continue appreciating what I had enjoyed over the course of so many years.

When have you lost a zeal and zest for something that used to mean a lot to you because of a change that left you “in the dark” and talking through and processing out loud your deep core worries, you were comforted and able to return back to what you once loved doing? 

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.*

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.*

Water Softener

After several years of use, our water softener went kaput and stopped working. When we set it out on the street on trash day, it was anticipated that either the recycling truck or the regular garbage truck would take it away; however, that was not the case.

I happened to be sitting in a front room on both occasions when each of the trucks, at different times, came by. When the recycling truck didn’t take it, I wasn’t too concerned and figured the regular garbage truck would take it. When I saw that the regular garbage truck was also going to leave without taking it, I jumped up, ran out of the house, got their attention before they drove off, found out why they were not taking it and what I needed to do to dispose of it.

I learned that because of the weight of the hardened salt still inside, it was too heavy and they were not allowed to lift anything heavy. The option provided was to either take it to the landfill ourselves or remove the salt with a pressure washer and then set the water softener out with the regular trash pickup the next week.

It was a tender mercy I was in the front room at the time and had looked out the window when they pulled up to see that they were about to drive off without taking the water softener. It was also a tender mercy that I was able to get their attention before they drove off considering the one dumping the trash into the truck was wearing ear phones. In addition, I was able to speak with them directly, on the spot to ask them why they were not taking the water softener and what I needed to do to throw it out when otherwise at the end of the day when bringing the trash cans back inside the garage, we would’ve had no idea the reason it was left behind.

When have you put something out in the trash hoping for it to be taken away and when the garbage truck was about to drive off without it, you were present to ask them about 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.*

Locked Out

Soon after stepping outside to do some quick yard cleanup, 40 minutes prior to picking up our youngest kids from school, I found myself unable to get back in the house.

The front door had automatically locked behind me and the keypad to get back inside the house was not working. Without my house key and phone on me, I was in a predicament. I went into action right away to find a solution.

Several ideas and options immediately popped into my mind. I first rang the doorbell, not anticipating my daughter who was home at the time would know it was me ringing the doorbell, instead of a solicitor, and open the door. While unsuccessfully finding something small and soft to throw and tap a second story window to get her attention, I stood below it and called out her name. When she looked out the window, I was grateful she heard and saw me and relieved she came to my aid!

Her schedule varies from day to day and it was not only a tender mercy she was home, it was also a tender mercy she was near the window to hear my voice. On top of that, she knew how the front door keypad worked and shared with me what I needed to do in the future. If she had not been home, I would’ve needed to quickly figure out another way, without a phone in hand, for our kids to be picked up from school and had to wait until much later in the evening to get back in the house.

When have you locked yourself out, of your house or car, minutes before you had some place you needed to be and someone was close by to help?

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.*

Catching Spills

After making chili for a church function, I was unsure how I was going to transport it as I was concerned about it spilling in the car on the floor and the seats. I had a few minutes to figure it out before we needed to leave to be on time. As I asked my husband what we could do, he had a brilliant idea to put the crock pot inside a medium sized stock pot. It fit perfectly and if there was any spilling, it would be in the stock pot rather than in the car on the floor or the seats. It was a tender mercy that in a moment when I was trying to find a quick solution, my husband was standing nearby and thought of one right away. It was an ingenious solution.

When have you been on a time crunch trying to figure out a solution to a concern and it came by way of someone standing close by 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.*

Continued Expression of Gratitude

It was weeks before I came to a knowledge that we were missing our HDMI adapter. One day while in our church library, I noticed a hand-written note with an adapter attached and the name and number of a family friend in another ward who found it. Initially, I did not realize it belonged to us and then came to learn that my husband left ours on a TV he checked out of the library a month earlier when teaching a Sunday School class. Seeing the note and finding out it was ours before we knew it was missing was a tender mercy eliminating any fret, anxiety, and stress I would have felt over trying to figure out when and where we used it last. When I saw our friend later passing by in the hall, I reached out to express an exuberant thank you.

About a month later, a youth Sunday School teacher came to the library looking for their HDMI adapter that they had left on the TV the Sunday prior. For a number of weeks they returned to the library asking if anyone had seen it or if it had been found. Sadly, the answer was no. I was hopeful that it would be returned to them just as ours had.

Then one day after church as I saw our friend walk by, my thoughts turned to the happiness I experienced for their efforts in getting the adapter back to us as well as the sorrow I felt for the teacher’s loss. I once again expressed my immense appreciation and mentioned the teacher who was still looking for theirs. To that, our friend said they saw an HDMI adapter on their bishop’s desk and had wondered if it belonged to the bishop or if it was someone else’s. Following our dialogue, they asked their bishop and learned that the adapter was not his and it was given to me to return to the other teacher. I was beaming with excitement and gratitude.

Through this interaction and the sharing of information, it was a remarkable tender mercy that our friend also knew the whereabouts of the other teacher’s missing adapter. I felt joy being able to return the adapter to the other teacher.

When have you either been the recipient of a missing item returned before you knew it was lost or have casually mentioned another’s lost object to a friend and that friend had information and knowledge of its location?

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.**

Handy Paper Towels

When a family member’s sparkling flavored water fizzed over when they were opening it, another family member was quick to come over with a bundle of paper towels to assist with the cleanup. I was extremely grateful for the thoughtfulness of the one cheerfully and willingly helping, all on their own.

And, later as evening came and lights were turned off, while heading to our bedroom, I saw something scurry in front of me. I quickly reached for a light switch to turn the lights back on and noticed a teeny tiny lizard that was moving fast across our hardwood floors in the direction of our carpeted bedroom.

I wanted to catch it before it entered the room as there was no guarantee I would be able to see it if it blended in with the carpet. When I called out, two family members were behind me with paper towels to swoop up the lizard before it got any further. As I was keeping an eye on its location and did not have anything to catch it with nor was I wanting to stomp on it, I was grateful they came right away with paper towels in hand.

When have you been grateful to have paper towels close by to grab or they were handed to you when you needed them?

tendermercym♥ments~jld

“How have you noticed Heavenly Father’s awareness and mindfulness of you today?”

Wendy’s Half and Half Frosty

I was anticipating a smooth first day of school. After all, we’ve been through the first day many, many times. All went well initially as our older children left and I drove the youngest to school. The moment I returned home, my plans for the day began to be altered. By mid-morning I was exhausted and felt defeated, but was determined to not give up on my original plans. I pressed forward, yet made no progress. No matter how hard I tried to salvage what I could, I was making no headway. I felt like a chicken with its head cut off and I was going in circles. I was a bit frazzled, but still not willing to give up. I had much I wanted to accomplish during the hours our kids were in school.

My day was just not going well and the way I had planned. In the middle of it all, it was a tender mercy I felt impressed to reach out to a friend and in so doing I was encouraged to get out of the house and go get myself a treat. I agreed it would be a good thing for me. After reevaluating what little I was really accomplishing in the house, I saw that stepping away and coming back to the things that were not needing to be done immediately was best.

I had plans in the afternoon to buy school lunch items from Sam’s Club so what a better time than ever to leave the craziness of my morning behind and also getting a parfait sounded really good. I don’t often treat myself. I will pass up treating myself for one reason or another—not wanting to take the time to stop what I am doing, too many calories, costs money, etc. etc. As I considered all of the reasons to not treat myself, I also gave myself reasons why I should.

Do you ever have those thoughts running back and forth, “should I, should I not? Yes, treating myself is a good thing so I should but…” I really don’t know why I do that. I should be ok with treating myself, right? Are you the same? I mean, the parfait was only $1.59 and the calories were equal to what I’d eat for lunch. It was well past lunch and I could compensate at dinner. The inner battle for me is real. Is it for you too?

In the end, I ran out of time to get a parfait. The line was long and I needed to start picking up our kids from school. The fact that I made it to the store was happiness because it was part of my daily plans so I felt somewhat better and partially fulfilled, yet still overwhelmed thinking about all the “mom” homework I would be up for hours completing after our family’s evening activities.

Before I left home, I quickly ate one handful, two handfuls of Peanut M&Ms, one M&M at a time, more than I usually would. I told myself I needed the protein for energy. Does that count as treating myself? I counted it. Not exactly healthy. Well kind of—peanuts are healthy, chocolate is too. I was definitely reasoning my way into accepting this as a way of treating myself and then I saw it as stress eating, which is the opposite of how I actually eat when I am stressed, not eating at all. I was not yet allowing myself to slow down, separating the challenges of the morning to enjoy a relaxing moment for me to regroup.

As my plans were going awry, I needed to take a necessary break. I was doing my best and all that I could and the outcome I wanted was not happening so stepping away to regroup and come back to it later was great advise.

After leaving Sam’s Club and picking up our kids, it was a tender mercy they suggested we stop and get a 50 cent Wendy’s half and half frosty. This was a fabulous idea! Not only was it a great after school treat for their first day, it was also a wonderful treat for me to enjoy while pausing and removing myself for a time between the rough morning and the sure to be long night ahead. Double bonus! 😊😊

When have you had a discombobulated day and getting out of the house to regroup and enjoy a sweet treat was a nice picker-upper?

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.