Category: Gratitude

When I Couldn’t See

When I got in my car and I was preparing to head out, I first applied make up to my eyes and noticed I could not see with my left eye. I realized that my contact had popped out.

Months ago, I had a thought to put contacts in my purse. Today, it was a tender mercy when I needed a contact, I had one available in my purse. It was also convenient that I could reach inside of my purse to get a replacement contact for the one that I had lost instead of getting out of my car, unlocking my house, and going back inside. I was able to more easily leave because I had a contact with me and it was pretty amazing that I could see better with the new contact than I could with the one that fell out!

When has an earlier thought or impression that you followed through with blessed and helped you days, weeks, months, or years later?

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.*

Daylight Saving Time

First thing when I woke up, in my mind I thought through everything I was hoping to do during the day, which included attending a call-in meeting, and I was feeling overwhelmed with the limited hours and a shortage of time to do it all.

At the designated time, I phoned in to the meeting and couldn’t understand why I was not getting in on the call. As I was anticipating the meeting to begin at any moment, I was hearing a recorded message, “the meeting has not yet started”. I continued to wait and wait and wait until a quarter past the hour. It didn’t make sense to me why it was not starting at the scheduled time. A few hours earlier I’d received an email that the meeting would be held at the time I called. Uncertain as to what was going on, I replied back to find out if the meeting would still be taking place.

And then it dawned on me—Daylight Saving Time (DST). It had snuck up on me the day prior and I had completely forgotten. I hadn’t turned any of our clocks back and I didn’t pay attention to the time on my phone that reset automatically.

I had, after all, not missed the meeting. In fact, I was on it an hour early. I laughed and was extremely grateful for this realization.

It was a tender mercy that the remembrance of Daylight Saving Time came before I missed the call all together and when I wanted time to stretch a little further, it just so happened that I had one more hour to accomplish my tasks. I felt relief and relaxed. That was all the time that I needed. That extra hour made all the difference.

When have you been concerned and felt overwhelmed with a lack of adequate time in the day to do all you hoped to do and you realized you actually had more time on the day of or the day after “fall back” Daylight Saving Time?

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.*

Not All Was Lost

My husband and I were desirous and looking forward to attending the homecomings of two returned missionaries. They were the first of our son’s (himself being almost 3/4 of the way through his mission) group of friends to return home after serving a two year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and we were awaiting word as to when they would be taking place in their respective home wards. Time got away and I heard nothing until one day while in dialogue with a friend at church, I learned that they had already happened. I was bummed to hear the news that we had missed their homecoming talks.

Later that same afternoon, our family was attending a meeting at church. As we were preparing to exit the building, I looked down the hall and I saw one of our son’s friends in the foyer. It was a joyous reunion! As I was talking to him, the other returned missionary came out of the chapel. And shortly thereafter another one of our son’s friends also came out of the chapel into the foyer. Being able to talk to and see these two returned missionaries and the other friend of our son’s was an incredible experience!

When hours earlier I was sad that I had missed their homecomings, it was a tender mercy that here they both were in our building and we crossed paths and saw each other at that very moment in the foyer as we were preparing to leave the building and they were entering their meeting that was about to begin. It was awesome!

When have you been disappointed that you missed a missionary homecoming, a friend or loved one’s birthday party, baby shower, graduation, wedding, etc. and the circumstances and timing of crossing paths with them later was remarkable, replacing the sadness of wanting to have attended their special occasion to the joy that not all was lost and you were now seeing and spending one-on-one time with them?

tendermercym♥ments~jld

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

*If you would like to receive an email when new posts are published, please send your name and email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com.*

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.*

I Know We Have Them, But Where?

Fall is a fun time of year. There are pumpkin patches, apple orchards, apple cider, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin carving, corn mazes, trick-or-treating, chili cook offs and so many more fun activities to do together as a family.

When my husband was preparing dinner, he had a thought to make caramel apples. He went to the fridge and pulled out the apples and as he began washing and prepping them, he asked me if we had any caramels. I was certain we had caramels. As I looked in the pantry, I found a bag that had only two remaining caramels. I was hopeful and confident that we had more packages, but I did not know exactly where. As I was trying to recall where I have kept them in the past and feeling overwhelmed about checking in multiple places, it was a tender mercy that they were in the first place that came to my mind.

In addition to having the ingredients to make the caramel apples, it was also a tender mercy that as it had been raining all day long, we did not have any extra-curricular activities in the evening. As a mom, driving kids to and fro on bad weather days is stressful and not wanting to go out, it was a tender mercy that on this night we were able to enjoy the comforts of staying in and the fall season eating delicious, juicy, sweet caramel apples.

When has it come to your mind where something you knew you had was located? And, when has the timing aligned nicely that on a bad weather day when you did not want to go out, your evening was free and you were able to enjoy the comforts of staying home spending quality time with family?

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.*
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Look Behind

While helping to shop for pants that were the right size for a family member, we couldn’t find anything. Of all the variety of pants and the number of tables and shelves with jeans on them, we couldn’t find the right size in their preferred color and style. We looked and looked until we had looked through all the piles. As we were about to leave empty-handed, I had a thought to look behind a stack we had previously looked through and what do you know, there was another stack directly behind the front stack. In there were 2 pairs of jeans the right size. It was a tender mercy to have received the impression to look behind. As I acted on it, not only did we find them, but we also got them on sale.

When have you felt impressed to look behind what you could see in front of you to find that what you were searching for was sitting behind something else?

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.*

Read Now, Listen Later

When taking my car in to get the oil changed and the tires rotated, I was told that the wait time would be an hour and a half. I came prepared knowing that there would be a wait time. I wasn’t sure for how long so I brought reading material with me and things that I could listen to while I was waiting. I had a lot of good things that I wanted to accomplish and do in that timeframe, one was adding to my blog and two was listening to podcasts that were inspirational, uplifting, and educational.

While I was listening to a podcast, I had an impression and a prompting that during that time period I could better use my time by reading from the scriptures. Recently, our Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson shared with and invited and encouraged the women of our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to read The Book Of Mormon before the end of the year.  I have chosen to follow that counsel.

Finding time to read is challenging. I am on the go constantly running errands, picking up my kids, and doing different activities. Sitting down is not something I do a lot of, however, during this hour and a half the impression came to read my scriptures. I immediately put away the podcast that I was halfway through and chose and elected to read my scriptures. It was awesome!

I had maybe 30 minutes at that point in time, and anything is something that I wouldn’t have normally. I felt it was a wonderful tender mercy to have that impression and prompting to read my scriptures then rather than listen to the podcast because the podcast could be listened to while in the car driving and when I’m walking around and taking care of dishes, laundry and such. It was fantastic—a wonderful tender mercy to have that time allotted to be able to read from the scriptures!

When have you felt impressed to use your time differently and it ended up being a better, more efficient way for you to accomplish your desired goals?

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.**

Following Prophetic Counsel

When President Russell M. Nelson, the Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints extended an invitation for all women of the church to do a 10-day social media fast and read The Book of Mormon before the end of the year, I had a willing heart to participate, yet I was wrestling and struggling with a couple of things trying to decide what I should do.

I was perplexed when I saw a Facebook page I turned to for inspiration doing the 10-day fast. It frustrated me. I could not understand why when they are a source for good and a light to the world they would remove themselves and shut down for 10 days. Six months earlier they also participated in the social media fast our Prophet encouraged and invited the youth of our church to do. I was bothered beyond bothered six months earlier and worked through those emotions as I recognized their team was inspired and they followed what they felt prompted they should do. So fast forward six months when this invitation was extended to all the women and again they were inspired to participate in the 10-day fast. I was bummed and annoyed, but I worked through the emotions a lot more quickly this time around.

That led me to question whether I should be adding anything to my blog for the next 10 days or not because my blog also publishes to Facebook. A couple of days following the announcement I pondered and contemplated the “letter of the law” versus the “spirit of the law” and re-read President Nelson‘s invitation several times, particularly the words, “I invite you to participate in a 10-day fast from social media and from any other media that bring negative and impure thoughts to your mind.” I personally am drawn to things that are good, but do on occasion get caught up in spending more time than I should on social media. My blog is a source for good and it is uplifting. As I went walking with a friend several days later, I shared with her that I was trying to figure out what was the right thing for me to do—continue blogging or take a break and set it aside for 10 days. Her words confirmed the feelings I had felt when I prayed asking Heavenly Father directly what I should do. The answer I received was that it would be all right for me to continue to blog as I felt impressed and prompted to do so.

I know that when counsel is given and we lack understanding and are frustrated and we want to follow and know for ourselves how to go about doing it, we can turn to Heavenly Father and ask Him.

One other question I asked Heavenly Father was whether I should read The Book of Mormon starting on page 1. I was currently in the book of Helaman. When the announcement came, I wondered if it would be ok if I continued right where I was as my starting point. Following my sincere and heartfelt prayers and studying out what I should do, I felt good about beginning and ending in Helaman.

At the end of the 10-day social media fast, I came to realize a couple of things. One, if I had really wanted to go to the Facebook page mentioned earlier for inspirational messages I could’ve gone to past posts. I didn’t think about that at all until the social media fast had passed. Two, I was humbled by the many others whose uplifting and wholesome Facebook pages I follow also participated in the social media fast. I had no idea because I didn’t search for them during those 10 days. I was amazed that even others who share good information took a break themselves from social media. What I gained the most from the experience was the more concentrated effort I gave to focus on what Heavenly Father wanted me to do to be a light in the world and spending more in-person quality time with others.

It was a tender mercy that I was able to receive an answer for myself from Heavenly Father to how I could personally follow our Prophet’s invitation. I did not have to give up blogging to participate in the 10-day social media fast and I could start right where I was at in The Book of Mormon and read the entire book finishing where I began.

When have you wrestled with and were unsure how to precede with direction given by an inspired leader and you received a personal confirmation from Heavenly Father what was right for you to accomplish and fulfill the invitation you were willing and desired to accept?

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.**

Oranges

For days my allergies were really bad. I was a mess. I was miserable. One morning, I was wanting Vitamin C. What I really wanted was orange juice or an orange. The closest thing that I knew we had were lemons. I squeezed some lemon juice in a cup of water and hoped it would help. Later, I noticed after one of my children made their own lunch that they had an orange on their plate. I excitedly expressed, “we have oranges?!” I was amazed! Seeing the orange on my child’s plate drew me to the fridge to see that we had more. What a tender mercy and a huge blessing to discover in this way, that what I wanted most we had.

When have you been grateful to realize and learn through someone else that what you really wanted and needed you already had— perhaps it was similar to the orange or maybe it was a skill or talent, strength, confidence, etc?

tendermercym♥ments~jld

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

**To receive an email when new posts are published, please send your name and email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com**