Category: Peace

Say What?

Say what? How is it that doing good for another could adversely affect oneself and possibly others?

Say what? How is it that doing good for another could adversely affect oneself and possibly others? 

Unlike other impressions I have received for to take action immediately, on this occasion, I did not feel an urgency to right then and there stop what I was doing, rather, to go and do once I was dressed and ready for the day, at my own steady pace, and before an appointment I was scheduled to be at a couple hours later. I felt Heavenly Father was mindful of me that I not cut short or rush the care I needed to give to myself, of which was a tender mercy. His mindfulness of me, and the minimal window between said events and timing for the recipient, fell perfectly aligned.

I was impressed to deliver a very specific treat to a friend. It was a treat I would first need to go the store to get. I started out at one store that did not carry it and then onto another store. While in the first store, with the treat not yet in hand, I texted my friend to find out if they would be home during the limited timeframe I would be available to come by. As I awaited their reply, I was confident the treat would be at the next store and I trusted my friend would be home to receive it. It was a tender mercy both were affirmed, the specific treat was at the second store and my friend responded they would be home after having just finished running errands. 

Upon arrival at my friend’s home, I was invited inside. As a precautionary measure out of respect due to the prevalence of a COVID-19 variant, I sat a length apart from my friend on their couch. During our brief dialogue, they shared with me that they had recently been in contact with someone who had COVID. 

Slightly thrown off, “say what?” was my internal response and the following internal question, “How is it that I was impressed to bring my friend a treat if Heavenly Father knew they had been in contact with someone with COVID, that in turn, being exposed, I could get it and/or pass it on to another person?” It made no sense. I was not so much concerned for myself, however, concerned for an individual I was about to meet at my appointment who was headed a few days later on a trip to another country. 

Though it did not make sense why I would be impressed to bring them a treat if doing so would bring about potential harm to myself and others, it was a tender mercy I was eased with a realization that all around me were persons who had either had it, were exposed, or asymptomatic, no one immune, each susceptible, for which I felt a peace to not let the gravity of fear take hold and that all would be fine. It was a tender mercy the news did not set me back and I returned my focus to the joy of service rather than projection of the unknown future. 

When have you felt impressed to do something kind for someone, and with it, you learned, post follow-through, of potential harm that could come to you or others as an outcome, of which your “say what?” concern was replaced with peace of mind? 

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 totendermercymoments@gmail.com.

Heavenly Help For Guidance And Direction

I was confident as I sat in my car in the parking lot looking up at the temple that I would receive heavenly help for guidance and direction to know what to do in my situation. 

One trying evening as I sat on our family couch uncertain of what lie ahead in my future, I felt impressed to immediately go to the temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Though it was a late hour and the temple was closed, I was confident as I sat in my car in the parking lot looking up at the temple that I would receive heavenly help for guidance and direction to know what to do in my situation. 

While in route, the darkness of the evening, along with the dark sky area I was in gave off an eery feeling and not the peace I thought I would feel per my impression to head to the temple. In addition, along the shortest path to the temple according to GPS, each turn I took, road construction had blocked the passageway. I was faced with detour after detour. 

As I was approximately a block away and could find no way to get closer to the temple, an unsettling feeling that was all encompassing, I decided to head back home. As I drove away, it was a tender mercy I was able to see the upper portion of the temple between a gate that separated the neighborhood I was in and the temple grounds a little way off and what then struck out to me was a long banner spread out across someone’s porch that said, “Let God Prevail”. Though I did not make it all the way to the temple, it was a tender mercy I was led to this banner, an answer from Heavenly Father. 

A separate unrelated occurrence within days of this experience, again heavenly help for guidance and direction came. As a Covid-19 letter from the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was issued, three things that stood out to me in the letter were the words, “urge”, “a very high” and the absence of a mandate/command from God himself. I was conflicted as to up to that time I had received clear direction for me from Heavenly Father what to do and this letter was in opposition of what I had received for me from Him. So, I took my concern directly to Heavenly Father and shared my conflict and how confused I was seeking once again heavenly help for guidance and direction to know what to do for me. 

I prayed that on Sunday our family Bishop would share something that would provide a clear answer for me. Following the talks and prior to the meeting coming to a close, it was a tender mercy the Bishop got up and spoke to the letter and shared the importance of personal revelation for ourselves and our family and asked whatever that may be for each individual, mask or not mask, vaccinate or not vaccinate, to not let our personally inspired direction divide our Ward family, that respect for one another and acceptance be shown one to another. 

Peace entered my soul and confirmation that the answer I had received prior to the letter had not changed. That confirmation was once again confirmed when I read a letter from a former Bishop of a congregation I had attended with a like message.

Again, approximately a week and a half following the above first and second experience, while attending a BYU Convocation, with a tender heart, a lump in my throat, and holding back somewhat near visible tears from flowing down my cheeks, I reminisced my experience over two decades earlier the heavenly help for guidance and direction I had received.

I felt intense emotions of gratitude for the privilege, blessing, and tender mercy it was for me to be able to attend BYU and how my life has been touched and enriched and in turn, my immense desire to bless and enrich the lives of others. “Enter To Learn, Go Forth To Serve” means so much to me and I become emotional each time I think of these words and see them on BYU Campus. 

As I felt the weight that so much depended on the essay portion of the application to be accepted to BYU, due to my struggle with writing, I reached out in prayer to Heavenly Father. Through the heavenly help for guidance and direction I received, it was a tender mercy I was accepted to BYU. I was a transfer student from Ricks College, a two-year school from which I had recently graduated and I applied to BYU prior to my mission to Japan for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in hopes of attending following my mission to which I am ever so grateful I had the blessed opportunity to do so.  

When have you experienced uncertainty, been conflicted, or had a desire of your heart and as you reached out to Heavenly Father, heavenly help for guidance and direction came?

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.

Not The Anticipated Probable “What if” Scenario

When a scenario I had never heard of before was presented to me and one that was not the anticipated probable “what if” scenario alternatives that had entered my mind, my fear and anxiety dissipated.

Upon a prompting I received to obtain preventive protection in the event of a sustained injury, trepidation set in as my mind contemplated probable “what if” scenarios I envisioned lie ahead for me. When a scenario I had never heard of before was presented to me and one that was not the anticipated probable “what if” scenario alternatives, my fear and anxiety dissipated. 

A couple of days before my annual well-woman visit, out of the blue, I received a prompting to get a tetanus vaccination booster. To this unexpected peaceful impression, angst also set in as I wondered why I would need it and thoughts of painful, “what if” scenarios that may be in store down the road for me from stepping on a rusty nail or broken glass to being in a car accident entered my mind. 

I knew I was given a booster within the last decade, however, I could not recall exactly the date. On the evening prior to my appointment, without any thought of the prompting, it was a tender mercy as I was casually organizing and decluttering a bin of papers, I came across my last tetanus vaccination record.

While at my well-woman appointment, I asked whether the office in-house lab gave vaccinations. Though they said no, I knew I was to receive it. So straightaway, following my appointment, I went to a CVS store. 

As I walked inside, it was a tender mercy when greeted by a concierge, I was able to bypass an entrance line designated for those receiving the COVID-19 vaccination and alongside the concierge, they guided me straight back to the pharmacy. While I awaited to be set up to receive the vaccination from the pharmacist, it was a tender mercy that during a brief dialogue with the concierge, they shared a reason for the tetanus is to be able to be in close proximity to infants and month old babies, a why I had never heard of before and one that would not incur an injury to myself or others. All of a sudden, my trepidation for the anticipated probable “what if” scenario I considered a likelihood washed away. I was relieved. 

Because of the prompting, though I do not like needles, I did not fear getting the vaccination, only the probable “what if” scenarios that would warrant preventative protection. And, because of the enlightenment from the concierge, it was a tremendous tender mercy that when the pharmacist indicated they were done, I didn’t even realize I had already been given the vaccination. I thought they were still prepping the site to administer it to me. Due to my relaxed state, the pharmacist described the needle like going into a sponge verses a rock. Not only did it not hurt when the pharmacist inserted the needle into my arm, my arm was not sore after either. 

When have you feared an anticipated probable “what if” scenario associated with a preventative prompting and a non-injurious scenario shared with you dissipated your anxiety? 

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.

This Too Shall Pass

Amidst the time period of nerve-racking worry and concern, it was a tender mercy I felt comforted “this too shall pass” and relieved once it did.

Here we go again! Another first-timer puppy owner scare! And, like the ones before, once again, a surety all was well came. On this occasion, it was when the phrase, “this too shall pass” entered my mind.

Our 6 1/2 month old puppy is notorious for eating paper products—napkins, paper towels, receipts, book covers, etc. out of the trash and off of countertops. 

In an instance, while preoccupied and not solely focused on her, it was a tender mercy an out-of-the blue, spontaneous alert to check on her and check on her now popped into my mind. In rapid succession came the question, “where is she?”; acknowledgement she was missing; another similarly posed question, “where did she go?”; an instinct that she had gone into our master bathroom; and a prayer while in immediate route there that I would get to her in time before she ate something she was not to eat.   

Sure enough, she had gone into the bathroom. However, by the time I got to her, per the evidence of small remnant pieces on the bedroom floor next to the bathroom of an item that had been thrown out, it appeared she may have eaten some of it, though I was not for certain if she had.

I was really concerned. And especially so because it was her bedtime. I questioned, “Do I keep her up or put her in her crate for the night?” I wrestled profusely with what to do. I read up on google about various options to handle what she may have ingested—from giving her hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting within 15 minutes of ingesting a foreign object, or if that time had passed giving her straight pumpkin for the fiber to help in removal of it within 10-24 hours, or feeding her rice in place of her regular diet until she pooped it out. 

Being that the veterinary office was closed and I did not know until the day after that a veterinarian was on call after hours, the only person I knew to reach out to was Heavenly Father. As I knelt in prayer desiring to hear an answer to my prayer, one by one I asked about each option and the response for each was a no. Rather, the answer I received for what to do was “you do not need to do anything”. 

I questioned if the dialogue between Heavenly Father and I was actually me giving myself the answer. Urg! So frustrating! I have come to recognize His voice and yet here in this important moment, I was not sure whose voice I was hearing, my own or Heavenly Father’s. I did however feel a peace to do nothing, but I was not content. I wanted a surety that the answer I received was from Heavenly Father, so once again I turned to Him in prayer for help to know with certainty  if the answer came from Him. 

Through my desire to undoubtedly hear Him and faith I would receive that clarity, I decided to read a random article in the Liahona. A few paragraphs in, I stopped at a paragraph that began with the word nothing. I questioned if that was the confirmation I needed. Though I still felt a peace and comfort to do nothing, I was not settled and sure that I was hearing the answer from Heavenly Father or from my own thoughts. 

After I kept our puppy up for a time and saw no signs of her having any issues, I placed her in her crate. She slept well all night long. Sometime during the night, as my mind was in rest and relaxed mode, I awoke to these words, “this too shall pass” in reference to all the other questionable items that she had before ingested and pooped out and that it would be the case this time as well. It was a tender mercy these words solidified and confirmed that I did not need to do anything. 

Once up for the day, I continued to research all I could to educate myself regarding every concerning question I had. I also reached out to a veterinarian and received concurrence that I did not need to do anything unless our puppy showed signs of having problems which she had not up to that point behaved any different than her normal self. She ate, pooped, and peed like clockwork. Eighteen hours later, it was a tender mercy a portion of what she had ingested did pass and a couple hours after that, the rest, I assumed, came out. Amidst the time period of nerve-racking worry and concern, it was a tender mercy I felt comforted “this too shall pass” and relieved once it did. 

When have you been concerned about what to do in an unsettling situation you had experienced before and you received a confirmation that like the prior similar instances, “this too shall pass” and all would be 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.

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.

I Don’t Always Know What Is Best

When have you had an “I don’t always know what is best” moment in which a better decision than the one you were about to make came by way of a peaceful impression?

As a mom, I don’t always know what is best. Have you ever taken on something your kids could do because you were concerned with looming what ifs it didn’t get done or in the way you hoped and therefore you decided to do it yourself instead? Essentially, trusting yourself over trusting in your kids.

As our adult children have ventured out on their own post high school graduation to attend college, they have left behind memorabilia and possessions they did not want to take or needed with them. Recently, as my husband desired to declutter our attic, he contacted one of our children via FaceTime to go through and assess together with them their stored belongings to see and decide what they wanted to keep, have sent to them, or have thrown out. 

In the end, what remained for the keeping was a backpack, a few memorabilia, and an important document of recognition which all fit nicely inside the backpack. The backpack was then set aside to be given to them whenever the next time was that we would be with them again. Right around that same approximate timeframe, one of our other adult children called and shared their plans of driving home from college to spend Thanksgiving week with us. 

Perfect! It was a tender mercy that on their return trip back to school, they would be able to take the backpack to their sibling that was unable to come home for the holiday. And, in addition, hand-deliver a Christmas stocking to them filled with wrapped gifts from my husband and I. 

Initially, that was the plan, however, as my mind gravitated to “what if” concerns, I was reluctant and hesitant about sending the backpack, Christmas stocking, and gifts with our child upon the close of their visit. As they would be driving almost a full day and straight through the night to get back to their college residence, worry and fear set in for their safety and well-being, especially during the longer hours of night driving due to daylight savings and if they encountered possible inclement weather conditions along the way. 

If in the event they were in an accident, my mind pictured the loss of the belongings we sent with them scattered about the roadway that may or may not then make it to their sibling. Oh, how my mind goes into natural worry wart mode.  

That being the case, I felt it would be better to not send the belongings with them, but rather wait till our family drove out to visit our adult children at a time when I was confident our travels to them would be much safer. However, I don’t always know what is best. Upon my hedging on what to do, it was a tender mercy I received a peaceful, calm impression that all would be well during our child’s travels back to school. With that impression, I sent their sibling’s belongings, Christmas stocking, and gifts with them.   

It was a tender mercy our child made it all the way back to school safe and sound and that all throughout their travels I felt a constant peace and calm. Also, it was a tender mercy that my husband and I were able to watch via FaceTime the child who was unable to come home open up the gifts we had gotten for them to enjoy during the Christmas season. 

When have you had an “I don’t always know what is best” moment in which a better decision than the one you were about to make came by way of a peaceful impression?

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 Sacred And Special Place

Enjoying every moment of my short time on the grounds of this beautiful, sacred and special place.

With the spread of the coronavirus still ongoing, a sacred and special place, the temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints closest to me has been closed and not fully operational in months. During a brief time the gates of the temple property were open for a drive-by viewing to pay respects to an older gentlemen in my ward congregation who had recently passed away, I had the opportune blessing of being able to leisurely walk the grounds around the temple.    

This well-regarded church member was a former Temple President and Sealer in this sacred and special place. In lieu of a public memorial service that could not be held due to coronavirus health measures in place precluding large gatherings, prior to his passing, he requested that his funeral procession travel through the temple parking lot en route to the cemetery where he would be laid to rest.  

Upon receiving the news of his passing and the invitation to attend his drive-by viewing at this sacred and special place, I was unsure I would be able to make it. It was not until the day of, at the very hour I would need to head out to arrive right at the time of the drive-by viewing was I certain it would work for me to go. Being the time had already past for to arrive the recommended fifteen minutes before the viewing, I questioned if it was worth it to go. As I thought about staying home instead to take on a weeding project that was long overdue, it was a tender mercy a General Conference talk by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf entitled “Of Things That Matter Most”, a quoted reference in his message in regards to that which is good, better, best entered my mind and I knew that attending the viewing was best and the weeding could wait. 

I quickly changed into a skirt outfit and off I went. I arrived at the intersection of the temple lot three minutes before the scheduled drive-by viewing, which unfortunately the hearse had already driven through the temple parking lot, however, it was a tender mercy that the light at the intersection was red and from where I was in the line of stopped traffic I was able to see the hearse exit the intersection and travel away from the temple.

Moments later, I pulled into the temple parking lot just as church members and friends were departing. Though I missed the full drive-by viewing, it was a tender mercy I arrived when I did as I had the opportune blessing to park and enjoy a quiet and peaceful walk around the temple. I soaked up and enjoyed every moment of my short time on the grounds of this beautiful, sacred and special place.

When have you had the opportune blessing of being present on the grounds of a sacred and special place during a time it was temporarily open?

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.

Right Under My Nose All Along

A consistent and profound tender mercy was right under my nose all along to which I casually noted here and there, but overlooked and didn’t pick up on entirely until I took a look back at my past week.

For over a week, I have been waiting day after day for a standout tender mercy moment to occur, one I could write a full blog entry relating my experience. Though minute ones of significance were happening daily, a consistent and profound tender mercy was right under my nose all along to which I casually noted here and there, but overlooked and didn’t pick up on entirely until I took a look back at my past week. It was then I saw more evidently that the standout tender mercy moment was the complete and utter stillness I felt regularly among a lot of uncertainties and chaos.  

For months, the activity level in our home has been low-key relative to what our normal comings and goings were preceding the COVID-19 outbreak. With nonessential businesses in operation once again, albeit to a differing degree, the past almost week and a half for me has been unusually packed for the first time since March of this year with either an appointment or a celebration of some kind every single day. 

Not knowing if businesses would be mandated to close again due the influx of recent coronavirus cases, I proactively scheduled various appointments for myself and my kids during a current available window. It was a tender mercy it so happened that all of the appointments including multiple celebrations consecutively lined up on my calendar for nine days straight with only one function taking place each day. I was grateful it worked out that way and that I only needed to focus on one event per day and they all occurred close together and before the possibility of any cancellation or postponement. 

Ironically, with so much to be concerned about and easily stressed over as to additional health protocols required upon entering various offices, food and other establishments as well as the current turmoil that has been taking place in our nation, it was a tender mercy that despite the ruckus going on everywhere, I felt a complete and utter stillness which I more fully recognized as I reflected back on the days past to be a standout tender mercy that was right under my nose all along. 

When have you not fully recognized a profound tender mercy in the moment or moments it was right under your nose all along, but looking back you saw it? 

tendermercym❤️ments~jld

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

*If you would like to receive an email when new posts are published which includes an audio version of the posts as well, please send your name and email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com.

Letting Up On My Self-Induced Stringent Schedule

In letting up on my self-induced stringent schedule, I experienced a peace I did not know I would feel.

Over the last several months, normalcy of life has changed. Even so, as I stuck to my same ongoing rigid schedule by when I have wanted a very specific daily task completed, I began to feel constrained and limited from what more I could be doing during the day. A focus on this task set for the same time each evening weighed heavily on my mind until I realized it was not necessary to continue to keep that time fixed so tightly. In letting up on my self-induced stringent schedule, I experienced a peace I did not know I would feel.

This set schedule originated as a result of my many hours spent carpooling, running errands, and attending meetings throughout the day while my kids were at school and being unable to complete the task any sooner. Yet, wanting it completed before our family returned home from school and work, I designated a certain time that was the same each day in the early evening by when to have it done.

When the stay-at-home order due to COVID-19 went into effect and my kids began distance learning from home, even though my activities outside of the home decreased substantially and my day was now not as filled up in the same way, I continued to maintain the same designated time for to complete the specific daily task. In doing so, I began to feel a heaviness weighing on me over the course of the day as I was constantly thinking about this daily action item I still had left to do. It was a tender mercy I realized I was placing this enormous weight and strain on myself unnecessarily and putting off for later what I now had time to complete sooner. 

As I let up on my self-induced stringent schedule and took care of the task at whatever time it worked to do so rather than wait for the designated time set by me, it freed up my day tremendously. I have felt lighter, more joyful and productive with the openness of what more I have thus been able to do each day. 

This moment brought me back to 24 years ago and reflecting on a set schedule I had in regards to marriage. 

Due to my parent’s marriage ending in divorce while I was in college, I was not anxious to get married very quickly as statistically the odds increased of my marriage ending the same way. I set a parameter for myself, which made logic sense at the time, that I had to date a potential spouse for at least nine months before even considering marriage. I felt that would be adequate amount of time to really get to know someone. Because I did not want the same thing as divorce to happen in my marriage, I was on the lookout for very specific red flags while dating.  

Within the first month of my husband and I dating, I had a couple of spiritual experiences regarding marriage for which I pushed aside and ignored because my plan was not to marry someone I had not known well enough within the timeframe I concluded was ideal. When he proposed to me six weeks after we met, I then understood why I had received the spiritual experiences when I did. It was to prepare me for a different plan than what I had set for myself. In fact, hours before he proposed, he was standing behind me in my college apartment while I was nonchalantly flipping through the pages of a bridal magazine on the living room coffee table having no interest and desire of getting married anytime soon. 

Upon him asking me to marry him a few hours after that moment, I reflected on those spiritual experiences and I said yes. We were married 6 months to the date after we met. Although the length of time from our first meeting one another to courtship to proposal to marriage was short, I knew that the timing of our marriage was right. We have been married almost 24 years now and all throughout as the bumps and hardships have come and gone amidst scores of bliss, I have continued time and again to feel the same peace and know that the timing for us was right. 

When have you let up on a stringent schedule you set for yourself and you felt a peace in doing so as well as it opened up wonderful opportunities for 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 which includes an audio version of the posts as well, please send your name and email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com.

Freedoms In The Midst Of Restrictions

Despite orders on a state and national level precluding certain activities from taking place for the time being due to the coronavirus pandemic, there have been many freedoms in the midst of restrictions to which I have enjoyed and valued very much.

For years, I have heeded the spiritual counsel given by modern-day prophets to prepare, alongside with my husband, for any number of potential catastrophic circumstances or devastating situations that may come our way. As such, although schools, churches, parks, and businesses have most recently closed temporarily due to the coronavirus pandemic, I have not felt any anxiety, stress, panic or fear. I have felt at ease. Despite orders on a state and national level precluding certain activities from taking place for the time being, there have been many freedoms in the midst of restrictions to which I have enjoyed and valued very much.   

~It has been a tender mercy that although state and local parks have closed, the nature preserve directly behind our house has been open, where our family has spent time outdoors many of days riding numerous bike trails and leisurely enjoying the walking paths, there and in our neighborhood as the spring temperatures and weather this year have both been ideal and beautiful. 

~Even with church buildings closed, it has been a tender mercy we have been able to continue to worship and have a Sacrament meeting in our home as a family each Sabbath Day.  

~In the wake of many products for weeks being hard to get because of the insufficient supply ratio to the sudden overwhelming demand for them, it has been a tender mercy that all of our essential needs have thus far been adequate due to our efforts to have consistently prepared ongoing for times like now long before the outbreak of the coronavirus.

~Before the stay-at-home order, when I frequented stores on a regular basis as I prefer in-store shopping, I would make frivolous and unnecessary purchases here and there to which the minimal costs for each item pulled together would add up quickly. For me, the money I have saved with “nonessential” businesses currently closed has been a tender mercy. 

~On days preceding the stay-at-home order when family members went off to school and work and the house was very quiet, I wanted to be out and about constantly. With our home now filled with family togetherness 24/7, it has been a tender mercy I have surprisingly not become stir crazy and had the itch to get out of the house. 

~Also, during this timeframe of enclosure, I’ve learned I am more so an introvert than I had ever thought myself of being and it is a tender mercy how content I have been days on end without being phased and feeling any disruption to my core being.

~In addition, it has been a tender mercy that for the first time ever I have not been constantly on the go. The stay-at-home order has opened up a lot of time for me to relax and enjoy so many of my at-home hobbies and the treasured opportunity to spend priceless quality time together as a family.  

When have you treasured the many freedoms in the midst of restrictions that were present for you during times like these? And, what have been those freedoms in the midst of restrictions that you have valued during these times?

tendermercym❤️ments~jld

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

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