Category: Patience

Peace From Within Came In Due Time

A peace from within came in due time after a number of consecutive tender mercy moments.

Nearly a year and half ago, I received a distinct impression that a big change would occur for our family. And, it was clear to me the time for the change was not right then. As to when I did not know until a few months back. It was a tender mercy it was then I received a confirmation over and over again that the time had come, however, there was a component associated with the change to which I felt unsettled. With a desire to be fully on board with this component as I was with the overall change itself, I sought to feel peace. A peace from within came in due time after a number of consecutive tender mercy moments. 

The process to my eventual feeling a peace regarding that component started off with a late night prayer before I read my scriptures with a hope that a peace would come by way of something I read. Amidst the words I read and reread as I desired to capture the gist of every verse, a very specific question of concern popped into my mind. I was enlightened to bring it up to my husband the next morning. When I did, he shared that it had not crossed his mind, however, it was a tender mercy he had received information that morning, unrequested by him, in his email inbox that directly corresponded to the question of concern and ruled out that undesirable circumstance I would not want to face. It was a tender mercy I felt of Heavenly Father’s awareness of me to provide an assurance all was well in regards to this critical detail of good to know importance associated with the component that may not have come up on my radar. Unfortunately, though I was grateful, I still did not feel the peace I desired to feel. 

The following evening, I drove to a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to seek for a peace the rest of my family and members of our extended family already felt regarding the component. While there by myself in the parking lot looking up towards the temple that was closed at the time, it was a tender mercy I was impressed to share immediately with a number of family members before they, who in that very moment were gathered together in the same place, returned to their own residences this statement that came to my mind, “Though I still do not feel the peace I desire to feel and I am continuing to seek it, I am willing to join you all on the journey.”    

And then, it was a tender mercy that back-to-back, I came across this verse in my daily scripture reading, 

2 Nephi 11:3 “And my brother, Jacob, also has seen him as I have seen him; wherefore, I will send their words forth unto my children to prove unto them that my words are true. Wherefore, by the words of three, God hath said, I will establish my word. Nevertheless, God sendeth more witnesses, and he proveth all his words.”

And, right after this scripture, Proverbs 3 verse 5 entered my mind, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

Each tender mercy moment was impactful. Even though I still struggled to feel peace after each one, a peace from within came in due time. The tender mercy moment that clinched it for me and the desired peace came was when I had an aha moment of realization that the opportunity to expand and do more with a hobby of mine would be available to me by means of this component. It was this tender mercy that impacted me the most in a very personal way. As I sought for peace, though it did not come immediately, I was grateful peace from within came in due time. 

When have you known that an inspired change in your life was right, but unsettled about a component of the change you desired to feel good about also, and specific to that, peace from within came in due 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 which includes an audio version of the posts as well, 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.* 

My Dress Criteria Was Met

On Mother’s Day, it took me 45 minutes to figure out and settle on what dress I was going to wear to church. As I was glancing over several different options and trying to decide between a variety of blouse/skirt combinations and dresses in my wardrobe, I was having a hard time coordinating an outfit that felt right and one that would hopefully fulfill all three of my desired criteria. 

First, knowing that after sacrament meeting there would be a special luncheon provided for all the women and girls over 12 years old and assuming we would be sitting on chairs set up in a large circle facing each other with our food plates on our laps, I wanted to wear a dress or skirt that fell below my knees. My second criteria was that I wanted to wear a seasonal spring dress. My third criteria was that I wanted to wear a dress or shirt with long sleeves as the days prior had been cool outside and I tend to feel cold in an air-conditioned building.

It was a tender mercy that after some time searching, I found a dress, initially unseen and hidden among my clothes, that fit all three criteria. The dress went below my knees, had accented roses along the midsection sash, hem and along either side of the v-neck, and, although it was short sleeved, I had a 3/4 sleeved cardigan that went nicely with the dress. 

When have you found in your wardrobe an outfit that met all of your desired criteria as you were getting ready for a specific occasion? 

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.*

System Is Down

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

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

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

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

tendermercym❤️ments~jld

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

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

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.*

Late Start

It was a particularly rough morning when carpool plans changed last minute. One of our children did not have a ride unless they left with me 15 minutes earlier than their usual departure time, lessening their time to get ready. As I waited on them, leaving several minutes later than I had planned to take one of our other children to school, who arrived 3 minutes before their bell rang, further delays occurred as frustrations arose resulting in what I thought would be a definite tardy for the child whose carpool plans had been altered.

I did not want them to be late. I prayed they would be on time, but the closer it got to the start time, it became apparent they would inevitably be late. Minutes after we arrived and I dropped them off, I received a message from them that on that day it was a late start. Instead of being late, they were early. I was grateful!

My prayer was answered in a different way than my specific plea that we would make it through the lights and turn arrows in a timely manner and traffic would be light. The traffic and intersection lights were not on our side and when I saw that there was no way to get there any sooner but to patiently wait it out, it was a huge blessing and tender mercy when I learned about the late start.

When have you prayed specifically for what you thought would help you arrive somewhere on time and when that didn’t happen and you resigned to the fact that you were going to be late, you learn that your prayer was answered in a different way and you ended up being punctual after all?

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 email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com

Denizen Jeans

I love Denizen jeans. They are the best fit for me. I came across them a couple of years ago and oh how I love, love, love my Denizen jeans.

With my short legs, I wanted to find pants that helped me look taller and less stumpy.  As I feel taller, my back straightens up and my stride is joyful. Finding the right jeans that looked and felt great from top to bottom has not been easy. Then one day, I came across Denizen jeans at Ross. When I tried them on, I liked everything about them including the price.

In my size, I like the small, medium, and long lengths in dark and medium blue. If I want to wear flat shoes, I can wear the small length and look and feel great. If I want to wear heels, I can wear the medium length and look and feel great. And, if I want to wear boots, I can wear the long length and look and feel great. They all look and feel great not just in the length, but also around my waist, my stomach, hips, and thighs.

I frequent Ross fairly often, mainly to window shop, but also to find clothes in my style and fit. My current size is hard to find and I often walk out empty-handed which is not a bad thing considering I don’t like spending money, yet I do like clothes. If I find the pants in my size and there are more than one, which is not very often, I will purchase a couple.

Over the course of two years, my size has changed three times and with each of those size changes, Denizen jeans have looked and felt the best. I love, love my Denizen jeans.

When have you been excited and thrilled about finding clothes that help you feel and look great?

tendermercym♥ments~jld

Visual Instructions

When I pulled up alongside my daughter’s car as she was preparing to fill it up with gas, each time I tried using my credit card, it was declined. I could not figure out the reason why. After several attempts, we decided to try another pump. As she drove to a different one, I went back to my car and noticed a picture indicating how to insert the card. I had been doing it wrong, sliding my card in backwards. From the image, I was able to put my card in correctly and grateful that the picture helped me figure it out so that my daughter was able to get gas in her car.

When have you tried over and over again to figure out how to do something with no success and you were grateful for a picture or diagram showing you what to do?

tendermercym♥ments~jld

No ICEE

It was a late evening one night when my two youngest children and I were leaving Sam’s Club after quickly shopping for a few items. Upon paying for our groceries, my youngest asked if he could get an ICEE and I replied, “No”.  I provided the reason for my answer that we had not yet had dinner and it was late and as soon as we got home, we were going to have dinner, prayer, scriptures, and head to bed.

By answering no, I was not well received. As many of you can relate, there was huffing, puffing, whining, pouting, and distancing. Some of the items I had purchased, my kids really like and they are considered an “extra” in our home, meaning I do not buy them everyday.

After acknowledging what he wanted and repeating myself several times, he continued to be an “unhappy camper”. By this time, I was speaking low and sternly and I gave him an option stating that if he continued getting upset, then he would not be able to have the luxury of the frozen Smucker’s Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches & Dannon Danimals Squeezables Yogurt for school lunches I had just bought for them. They would be off limits to him.

If he chose to use his words to express his emotions politely (ex. I really wanted an ICEE and I am upset that I am not able to have one) and maintain a calm composure, then he would be able to enjoy them for school lunches. I left the choice up to him. I firmly and lovingly expressed my position that whining, pouting, etc. was unacceptable, but politely sharing how one feels with words is acceptable. He chose to cease reacting to my reply in expressing his dissatisfaction in a less than favorable way and settled down.

Being familiar with the If/Then strategy of parenting, it was a tender mercy as I implemented it in this situation, the difference it made empowering my child to choose for himself the positive or negative consequence. I was prayerful and hopeful the strategy would work and it did. Yay!

Tired and hungry family members at night does not add up to a pleasant evening. It was another tender mercy I was able to hold my ground and not be influenced, swayed, or give in to the heightened negative emotions and maintain and control my frustrations, keeping my cool lower than how I was feeling inside. It was a difficult, yet good parenting moment.

I am certain I am not the only who has had this kind of shopping experience?  How do you handle these moments?  What has worked best for you and for your child? When has a parenting technique helped you maintain your calm during difficult moments with your child(ren)?

tendermercym♥ments~jld