Category: Focus

Circulation Of Blessings

As communities around our city rallied around the needs of a couple families who tragically lost a loved one, a circulation of blessings occurred, for the grieving families and for each who served them in one way or another.

As communities around our city rallied around the needs of a couple families who tragically lost a loved one, a circulation of blessings occurred, for the grieving families and for each who served them in one way or another.

Though the intent and focus of the service rendered was for the grieving families, I was awed while I partook in one of the many opportunities to give a little financially to these families, and joy followed upon what I realized was a circulation of blessings, as giving to these families, in turn, resulted in individual blessings for all, myself included. 

It was quite a remarkable moment as I considered the circulation of blessings taking place, how giving to the grieving families also blessed, in a variety of ways, those who gave, no matter how small or great their proceeds. From fundraisers such as donut sales, truck vendors, GoFundMe, a carnival covered overwhelming financial expenses, thoughtful and personalized art given provided emotional support and strength.  

These gestures of kindness were given out of love. At the same time, as residents came together to help the mourning families, I observed beautiful benefits that transpired for the givers as well, which included exposure to community member’s gifts and talents, fresh eyes on new businesses, and also, character growth and refinement such as compassion, etc. 

The circulation of blessings for me personally as our family provided a little financially, included multiple tender mercies, very simple, yet, meaningful. 

For one, feeling immense gratitude for the generosity of a food truck owner giving all proceeds to the two grieving families and joy for my willing desire to help, when I approached a food truck window to pay for what I had ordered and handed the cashier cash for the amount I owed, they adjusted the amount for less. What I did not know before then is that the food would have cost more if I had paid with a credit card. It was a tender mercy I had paid with cash versus a credit card as paying a tacked on credit card fee would not have gone to the grieving families and would have removed more out-of-pocket from our family budget that could be applied for other essentials.

Also, not only was it a tender mercy I was on top of when the food truck would open and the convenience of having a meal already prepared and ready to eat, as I was not up to making something, but also the timing of the food truck hours coincided as an escape to temporarily step away from existing chaos in our home.

Additionally, as I have an appreciation for eating at food establishments that are new to me, it was a tender mercy this was a great opportunity and reason to not only help the grieving families, but also become acquainted and support a startup local business. 

On top of that, as I went to the bottom of a hillside where I understood the food truck to be located and found no one there, it was a tender mercy I was familiar with a road up and around to the upper hillside versus cautiously reentering and driving back home via the main thoroughfare, as along the upper path I fell upon the food truck. 

When have you observed a circulation of blessings that came as individuals rallied around the needs of another and the extension of kindness bestowed and what you could give to help, in turn, brought about blessings for you, as well? 

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.

Despite The Perils That Lie Ahead

Despite the perils that lie ahead, I set aside our own well-being to first ensure the safety and protection of another.

Though I had a very direct and decisive plan to get myself and one of my children home as quickly and safely as possible on a winter advisory evening, due to an unexpected delay, despite the perils that lie ahead, I set aside our own well-being to first ensure the safety and protection of another. 

On this cold 30 degree evening, around dusk, as I was taking one of my children to an outing to meet up with their friends, the roads were fine. I am a cautious and vigilant driver as it is and while in route I became even more so as I noted a warning on a highway message board that icy conditions existed on the road. It was a tender mercy we did not encounter any ice along the way and we arrived safely to the destination. 

Soon after I dropped them off, it began raining. Figuring the roads would be more so unsafe to travel on as it grew darker, rather than drive the distance back home, I stayed out to window shop and grocery shop while they were with their friends. Upon completion of the activity several hours later, as I returned to pick them up, the highway was already slick and would assuredly become worse as the temperature dropped further into the late evening hours and early morning. 

Along the practically empty highway and frontage roads, while myself and other drivers, some with their hazard lights on, traveled slowly, patrol cars were out coning off portions of the highway to which I anticipated it would not be long before the major roads would be closed entirely. 

Before the roads became any more treacherous, my plan was to pick up my child and get home as quickly, which was not all that fast due to the road conditions, and safely as possible. Not wanting a repeat experience I had a couple of decades prior when hitting a patch of black ice, losing control, and ending up down an interchange embankment, I drove very carefully. 

At one point, as I crossed over a bridge with only one lane open due to a fire truck in the other lane attending to a vehicle that appeared to have spun out, my vehicle began to fishtail slightly back and forth a few times over the entirety of the icy bridge, narrowly staying clear of the firetruck as I passed by it. Amidst the tense and surreal brief seconds that ensued, my thoughts turned immediately to a fireside message I recently heard by Noelle Pikus Pace about looking where you want to end up. Recalling the experience she shared, it was a tender mercy I was able to repeatedly steady and maintain control of my vehicle.    

At the next exit a short distance past the bridge, I got off the highway and continued on my way to reach my child by means of the frontage roads. The time it took to get to them was slow. Once I arrived to pick them up, I was relieved I had made it to them safely and I was SO ready to be home. Well, it so happened that as my child came out, all their friends exited at the same time too, however, one did not have a ride and was waiting on their parents to arrive. 

Not wanting the friend to remain by themselves, without hesitation, I set aside our well-being, my child and I, to first and foremost ensure the safety and protection of my child’s friend. While we sat in the warmth of my parked car together till their parents arrived, it was a tender mercy as I observed the serenity of the quiet nightscape around me, I felt not only gratitude to momentarily be off of the hazardous roads, but I also felt a stillness and calm despite the perils that lie ahead as the road conditions deteriorated with each passing minute and uncertainty if the passageway home would be open.

Once the friend’s parents arrived, my child and I slowly ventured our way back home along icy roads and across multiple bridges, including a critical one that was frozen. It was a tender mercy we made it home safely and each friend confirmed that they, likewise, had as well. 

When have you set aside your own well-being, despite the perils that lie ahead for you, to serve another whom you observed was in need and after they were situated and all was well, you were watched over and kept safe 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 which includes an audio version of the posts as well, please send your name and email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com.

A Quick Reaction Time

It was a tender mercy my quick reaction time protected our family from serious harm as well as our not going off course.

During a four day road trip en route back home along a touristy path to further stretch out and extend our family vacation a bit longer, over and over again, a quick reaction time upon multiple near potential and serious accidents and an almost consequential delay kept our family safe and on course. 

At times when I have been unable to shake off situations that catch me by surprise and struggle to regain my bearing and center myself or get a handle on whatever has turned my world upside down, a domino effect of other things consecutively going badly, one after another, seems to then occur.

It was a tender mercy that after each close call incident along our path back home, I was able to immediately resume driving with an unrelenting, engaged focus and a composure that was solid and unrattled. I was able to continue onward with confidence and keep each isolated incident behind me in the rear view mirror and not let it negatively affect or impact me beyond the moment when it happened.

The various occurrences that took place in which it was a tender mercy my quick reaction time protected our family from serious harm as well as our not going off course included—

The time when I was merging onto an interstate and my abrupt and controlled swerve in the nick of time kept our vehicle from nearly colliding side by side with another car right at the point where our lanes merged. And, at a later time when I was concerned we were going to get sideswiped by a car driving too closely in the lane next to us, my same abrupt and controlled dodging maneuver to steer away from the vehicle kept us safe.

The time I was midway through a traffic light that had turned yellow as I approached the intersection in a business corridor and a driver turning left also drove through the yellow light and crossed in front of me. Being that I was traveling at a slow speed, I was able to brake suddenly before any impact between our cars took place. 

The time I was able to sufficiently slow down in time and swoop around the back end of a double trailer truck without going onto the shoulder of the highway when a truck driver crossed in front of me as they exited a roadside business, and the length of their semi-tractor-trailer truck blocked all the lanes on our side after they stopped in the median before turning left to enter the highway headed in the direction behind us.

The times I kept our car steady when jostled during multiple gusty wind areas on the interstate. 

The time our auto headlights seemed to have gone out as dusk turned to total darkness and I was able to quickly turn on a different light setting that appeared dimmer and have visibility to navigate that way until the auto light seemed to work again after I rotated the auto light setting off and then back on again. 

The time I was blinded for a split second by the bright headlights of cars coming at me from the other side of the interstate and the automatic lane departure warning sensor in my car beeped as I steered outside of my lane and my quick reaction time upon hearing the alert kept me inside my lane during the brief moment of not being able to see.  

The time I was on a straightaway stretch of road and overlooked a crucial turnoff I needed to take and within less than a 1/2 mile of passing the unseen road, I realized I was headed in a direction that would have prolonged our drive time substantially and I was able to turn around right away and stay on the shortest route to our destination. 

When have you been on a road trip and you and your passengers were protected from a potentially serious accident or almost going off course due to your quick reaction time, and following each occurrence, you were able to remain composed and focused on the road as you continued onward? 

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.

Still There

...phew, at the end of the adventure the item was still there where I had initially placed it and in working order.


While vacationing, late one afternoon our family went tubing down a river. It was fun, yet not as relaxing as I had hoped. While on the river, I opted to keep an essential and not so easily replaceable item on me the whole time, with the intent it would remain safe and secure. Despite a perilous moment in the rapids soon after I fell behind everyone else as they were carried briskly downstream per a straighter course than I, phew, at the end of the adventure the item was still there where I had initially placed it and in working order.  

My plan while on the river was to stay in my tube the entire time and enjoy a leisure ride effortlessly floating along and taking in the scenery all around me. As such, I selected of the two tube options, one with a deep height circumference that would more so keep me up and out of the water. 

Throughout our adventure, I kept our car key remote with me. To keep it dry and secure, I slipped it onto the waistband drawstring of my denim capri shorts and double knotted it tightly. I then flipped the knot with the key attached inside my capris between my pants and an undergarment. My top layer shirt I kept untucked to lay over top my capris. I then put on my life jacket. As the bottom of my pants legs had an elastic hem, I pulled them up to rest them just below my knees. I was hopeful that if in the event the car key remote slipped off the knotted tie, whichever pant leg it fell into, it would stay pocketed and not escape the elastic hem.

While on the bus that took us up to the drop off location where we would begin the tubing adventure, we were informed of several islands downstream and instructed to go around them on one particular side as we approached them. As I neared the first island, no matter how hard I tried to steer myself via my hands to paddle in the direction we were asked to go, I was unsuccessful. 

The closer I got to the island and continued to make no headway in navigating over to the side I needed to be on, I quickly got out of the tube and tried to walk and pull the tube over to that side, but with the swiftness of the water and not being able to firmly plant my feet on anything, it was a challenge as I fought against the force of the river. I gave it my all.

All the while in the water and at the river’s mercy, after clearing the island, I prayed to stay calm as I attempted every possible way I could to get back in the tube. Unable to plop back in as I had no footing below me, I tried to grab a branch or protruding rock on the edge of the bank to hold myself steady long enough to get back in, however, that didn’t work. As the water propelled me aggressively forward, I hung over the outside of the back end of the tube. After what felt longer than it probably actually was, it was a tender mercy I reached a temporary calm spot in the river and a place where I could quickly stand up adequately and get back in the tube sitting upright.  

During the time I was in the water, I was concerned that the inside of my car key remote may have gotten wet and would no longer work. Once back in the tube, I hoped the sun’s heat would not only dry my clothes but also that my dry clothes would soak up any possible water that may have gotten inside the car key remote, however, time and again as I crashed into the rapids, water toppled onto my lap and soaked up my clothes. 

Even after being directly in the water and drenched multiple times throughout the tubing adventure, it was a tender mercy that after exiting the river, not only was my car key remote still there where I knotted it on the drawstring, but also when I returned to our car, the remote had only a little bit of moisture on the outside and it still worked. 

When have you been concerned that something you intended to keep safe and secure may have become damaged or gone missing due to life’s happenings, and it was still there in the place you put it and in one piece?

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.

Summited Through The Obstacles

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.

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.

What I Was Not Asking

It was through asking what I wasn’t asking that ended up easing my angst when I have questioned, “Why have I been inspired to share a gift of mine with others through means for which I am not naturally skilled?”

For months, I have questioned, “Why have I been inspired to share a gift of mine with others through means for which I am not naturally skilled?” I have been in a painstaking, uphill battle pushing forward day after day to accomplish what Heavenly Father would have me do at this time, which on numerous occasions I have wanted to back out of doing until I recently had an aha moment that what I was not asking of Heavenly Father was the very key that has contrasted how I am now approaching the intended process for which my gift is being shared. 

As I have mentioned a few times before in previous blog posts, writing and technology are both enormous challenges for me. These are skills that do not come easy for me at all and ones I have struggled with my whole life, albeit I have managed to do well at tasks requiring either or both due to much effort, dedication, and determination on my part and help from others. 

Right now, in this season of my life, I know the Tender Mercy Moments blog is exactly what Heavenly Father would have me to do. Even so, everyday I have felt a great deal of angst as blogging requires utilizing both writing and technology skills. Preceding the steps necessary to publish a post, I have often been frustrated and discouraged mainly with how long it takes me to not only write a blog entry but also daily, simple, one sentence Tender Mercy Moment Cues, each in accordance with my own to date tender mercy moments. 

As such, I have turned my head side to side many of times and said, “I don’t get it.” I don’t get why it is through these areas which I don’t have a knack for that I have been inspired to share with others my gift of being able to see good among situations that are troubling, essentially recognizing tender mercy moments from a loving Heavenly Father who is mindful and aware of you and me throughout life’s journey. So much so, I have asked Heavenly Father on countless occasions if I could just stop blogging altogether. However, like needing to go to the bathroom, it is at times something we may not want to go and do when there are other things we would rather be doing, yet the nudge and urge to go won’t stop. 

Although the direction I have continuously been inspired, line upon line, to go and do doesn’t make sense to me, I trust Heavenly Father. I know He has a purpose and a reason why I am to move forward in this particular way. Even though I don’t know what that is right now, I do know my why I blog and what drives my desire and motivation to keep writing, no matter how difficult. It is to help and bless you, my reader and/or listener, recognize and see His hand in your life and His daily awareness and mindfulness of you.

So far, each time I have leaned towards stopping and have cried hard to Heavenly Father about the extreme difficulty aspects and components of the process have been for me, I’ve received either a positive message from someone right in that moment regarding my blog or added clear inspiration affirming that I am to continue onward as well as frequent spiritual confirmations to stay the course time and again.

One afternoon, as I stood outside, taking in the beauty around me, it was a tender mercy a distinct eye-opening moment changed the how I now approach elements of blogging from photography and writing to publishing each post. The turning point that moved me out of feeling so distressed while blogging was when I asked Heavenly Father what I was not asking. I asked for help to experience joy during the process. Though I value and appreciate very much the final result of each blog entry, for a good majority of the time, energy, and effort spent leading up to that point has not in the least been easy. 

Instead of focusing on how long it takes me to write a post and my deficiencies that have become quite apparent as I’ve placed a lot of pressure to expect more of myself than what I know how to do, I now approach the daunting process not with angst, but with an excitement to what I will learn along the way that will help me to enhance, develop, and improve upon what skills I lack, including that confidence in my abilities will increase. I still don’t get the why I am to share my gift via my weakness in writing and technology, yet I still give blogging my all and do my best. In addition, I am now embracing joy in the process, gratitude for the growth, knowledge and skills I have gained thus far and will continue to gain. 

When have you struggled with the means in which you were inspired to share a gift or talent with others and it was through asking what you were not asking for that ended up easing your angst? 

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 post as well, please send your name and email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com.

Back Up Again After The Fall

Even after slipping and falling while mountain biking, I was determined and set to get back up again after the fall and finish the course.

While participating in an outdoor adventure with my husband and children, one that I had never before done, I was a bit nervous from the start to the finish of our mountain biking experience, but I did not let it show. At one point along the way, as I made a jagged turn, slipped, and was unable to regain my footing before landing, I was determined and set on getting back up again after the fall and finishing the run. 

A couple weeks prior, as Spring Break was approaching, our family came together to discuss and plan out what we wanted to do during that time. It was decided that we would each select one specific activity of our choosing that we would then all do together. Among the activities was an indoor waterpark, outdoor ropes course and zip line, escape room, drive-in-movie, and mountain biking.

I enjoy biking, leisure biking that is. However, mountain biking is a different kind of terrain for me to which I was partly apprehensive, but willing to give it a try. As I love being in nature, I figured if I kept my mind focused on that aspect and that alone, I would do just fine. It would not only offset my anxiety of riding an open chairlift to the top of the mountain, but also offset my anxiety while biking down a narrow, rocky trail with threatening edges and intense switchbacks along with other bikers, who by far were faster, more experienced and gutsy than myself.

While ascending uphill the first time around, I was unaware that there was a safety bar attached to the chairlift. It was a tender mercy when almost 3/4 of the way up, one of my children in a chairlift ahead of me noticed that I was riding unrestrained and made it known to me that there was a safety bar I could pull down in front of me. After I gently brought it down, I felt more secure and at greater ease while being high above the ground. 

Once at the top of the mountain, of all the runs, I opted to time and again go down the singular green course that was marked as the easiest of them all. The first time downhill was a dry run. I was pleased that though it was a challenging course, for a beginner like me, it was doable. The second time downhill was my favorite. I was comfortable, felt relaxed and really enjoyed the ride. On my third time downhill, I missed staying up high along a berm going around a bend and turned too sharply into loose dirt within the mid and lower portion of the switchback. Being unable to steady myself, I slipped and fell.

Although I tried resisting the fall, my feet and bike had no traction. I was sliding sideways into base so to speak. Once I came to a solid stop, as I lifted myself back up on my feet and brushed off my pant legs, I could feel my right elbow, right knee, and the inner portion of my left foot start to sting. 

Considering that I was wearing fitted pants and a fitted jacket, I felt it best to keep the sustained injuries covered and not expose the open sores to dirt and debris until I could properly care for them. It was not until we returned home that I observed the extent of my injuries. It was a tender mercy that though my leg was scuffed up just below my right knee, there was no bleeding, only the appearance of broken blood vessels and a visible, yet painless bruise, my right elbow had no scraps or marks whatsoever only a slightly tender internal bruise, and my inner left foot had nothing more than a tiny nick. It was a tender mercy that my having worn long pants and a long sleeve jacket not only served as a covering from exposure to the elements, but also as a protection from being more so injured.

Despite the fall, once I got back up, I was determined to finish the course and I was set on being able to round that same bend over and over again undeterred. It was a tender mercy I did not get stuck in a mental block and I was able to continue mountain biking the remainder of our four hour time at the bike park without again slipping and falling.

Even though the luster of riding casually and blissfully down the nature trail was somewhat lost after I fell and I became more cautious and deliberate as I maneuvered down the course, at times skimming one foot a top the ground as I came around the switchbacks to stay upright and not lose my balance, I strived to simultaneously soak up and take in as much as I could of the beauty around me.

When have you been somewhat nervous about trying something adventurous for the first time and though you fell down and got a little scraped up, you got back up again after a fall and finished the course multiple times over?

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.

Why Am I Struggling So?

While writing up a blog entry, I couldn’t figure out why my post was not coming together and it was troubling me…until I stepped away to take a much needed break. In part, it made sense since writing is not my forte, however, it is something I do on a regular basis and many days I do fine, but today was extremely challenging and a struggle for me.

It was a tender mercy that immediately as I set it aside and moved away from it, one of my children came to me with the exact same question I was stewing over, “Why Am I Struggling So?” only from the flip side. I was intrigued and delighted. 

For them, it was with basketball. On this particular day, they were very pleased with their basketball accomplishments, yet, they brought up how interesting it is that on some days they do well and on other days they don’t do so well. I was curious…what makes the difference? Such as, a bad hair day versus a good hair day, a bad writing day versus a good writing day, a bad workout day versus a good workout day and on and on… 

Per our conversation, these various thoughts came to mind. 

1.  What I was writing was a significant post that had potential to bless the lives of many, and as such, the adversary was working full force to prevent and thwart my efforts from it getting posted. 

2. Einstein had many a bad days, but he didn’t give up and kept going and great things came from his perseverance. 

3. How often do we tackle a project like a renovation and think it’ll be easy, but once we get into it, we find issues—rusted out pipes, mold, termites… etc. Although the repairs and fixing it up is tedious and frustrating, the effort extended results in an amazing finished product. 

4. Perhaps, it opens the door for other good things to happen redirecting and focusing our energy, for the time-being, elsewhere. For instance, in basketball, rather than practicing 3 point shots that, for whatever reason, are not sinking like usual, improving upon lay ups instead. With writing, maybe setting it aside and engage in a completely different activity and area of interest for an essential breather to clear one’s mind. Or, with bad hair days, trying a different hairstyle that may result in discovering an amazing new style that only came to be because of a bad hair day. 

5.  In addition, another family member shared a reminder that there is opposition in all things. 

As I reflected on each of these points, I had an enlightened perspective when I returned later to my writing. Even though it took longer than most to write up the specific blog post, I did not give up and eventually it came together. 

In a nutshell, my takeaway was that things of great importance and worthwhile may require more painstaking effort and to not give up when something isn’t working out in the moment(s); and, that struggles and “bumps in the road” do not necessarily mean stop doing what valuable thing you are doing, particularly, when it doesn’t feel right to do so, and “throw in the towel”, but rather step away to do something else for a time and then come back and try again.  

When have you been at a point of contemplating giving up on something beneficial you were working really hard on that wasn’t coming together and a conversation with another, right at that time, inspired you to keep going and pressing forward? 

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.* 

Oh Where, Oh Where Could It Be

As the summer days are becoming hotter and hotter, being outdoors where I’d like to spend some time can be unpleasant and intolerable. In helping to make sitting on our patio during these months more bearable and enjoyable, my husband installed a misting drip line. As he was up on a ladder nailing in the tiny mounting clips while I was assisting holding up and straightening out the line, the clips were not going in very easily into the wooden veneer siding and several times they slipped out during hammering and fell to the ground.

Being that it was near dusk at the time and we didn’t know how many of the total clips provided we would need until the installation was complete, it was a tender mercy that as tiny as they were, I was able to spot where they had landed among the dirt and leaf debris on the concrete flooring.  

When have you found something tiny and valuable you had dropped at a time conditions of visibility and where it had fallen were not the greatest?

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.*