Category: Proactive

A Cherished Season

When have you experienced throughout a cherished season of your life, the flow of incredible, enumerable tender mercies from Heavenly Father?

A cherished season of my life, one opportunity in particular, right here, right now, years in the making, a journey, yets, unknowns, and proactivity amidst yearnings. Varied encapsulated moments have led to this treasured gift I am extremely grateful and thrilled exists for me and for you! 

This divinely inspired chapter, a snippet and a cherished season of my life’s journey began over 15 years ago. 

Month’s back, I was interviewed by a producer of a website, The LDS Women’s Project, and asked about how my Tender Mercy Moments blog and Tender Mercy Moments Mini Retreats came to be. In a nutshell, the condensed version, here goes! 

As the second oldest of 10 siblings, I would be asked if my husband and I planned on having a large family too. After my fifth pregnancy, my third being an ectopic pregnancy, I received a very distinct and impressionable impression that my family was complete and Heavenly Father was preparing me for something else.

Days, weeks, months, years, I waited, not knowing, and curious. Along the way, ideas of what that something might be came to mind, of which I proactively acted on, however, one that stands out was short-lived as I quickly experienced burn out and realized it was not sustainable for me long term and the others faded away after no time. 

Fast forward 10 1/2 years, while volunteering at my youngest child’s elementary school as a Copy Pal Liaison, coordinating and organizing scheduling of parent helpers for all grade level teachers to assist them with their copy room needs, a position I had since the school’s opening a couple of years earlier, I was impressed during the first semester of my child’s second to last year there to invite another volunteer to take on the position. The impression, a tender mercy, was a distinct knowledge that what Heavenly Father had prepared for me was now. What it was, I didn’t know just yet, until a couple of months later, that came at the end of January 2018.

Years earlier, in 2000, while my two older and only children at the time were young, during the holidays I attended a progressive dinner. I was awed at each home, decorated so beautifully for Christmas, a season I love and is for me a magical time of year! It was there and then, a desire surged within me to one day host an event similarly in my own home. 

A couple of years later, not long after our family moved to a new home and location, it was a tender mercy an opportunity presented itself in the form of a sign up to host a Christmas Girl’s Night Out (GNO). I continued to host this Christmas GNO for many years to follow minus the year my youngest was born. I was ecstatic, giddy, and on cloud nine! I loved hosting and every minute of preparing a variety of multiple homemade parting gifts for the event months in advance. This event, in and of itself, was a treasured moment and a cherished season of my life.

It was also during my time in this location while attending a Ward Relief Society talent show I came to learn what talent Heavenly Father has given to me. As I sat watching others get up and share their talent of art and music, having neither, I wondered, “What are my talents?” It was a tender mercy it was given to me at that time that my talents are spiritual in nature. 

Back to the latter end of January 2018, I was inspired to start a blog, mind you, writing is not my forte and a skill I struggle with profusely! Nonetheless, I heeded the inspiration. Upon the inspiration to start the blog, I was extremely grateful for the tender mercy that my two utmost desires were fulfilled. The first being, whatever the name of the blog, that it be long lasting, indefinite, one I would never need to rebrand and a name I would love ongoing. And two, I did not want to come up with content. Being creative in that way would be a real struggle, cumbersome, and overwhelming for me. 

After six weeks of trying to figure out the name for the blog, having involved my husband and children, it was a tender mercy, at long last, a name that surfaced, Tender Mercy Moments, felt 100% right, and almost 5 years later, it still does. The fact that the domain tendermercymoments.com was available, in and of itself, was a tender mercy and a testament to me of this, a cherished season of my life, had been prepared for me, for this time.

In addition, tender mercy moments exist and are present for each of us daily. Guaranteed! Heavenly Father is mindful and aware of each of us personally, individually, and uniquely 24/7! The question is, “Do we see His hand in our lives and daily recognize His awareness and mindfulness of us?” There may be one, two, multiple tender mercies, or more that we are not able to get a handle on from Heavenly Father in any given day! It is pretty remarkable! It is a glorious tender mercy there will never be a shortage or lack of content,  nor will I ever need to worry about coming up with content on my own, as content, tender mercy moments, show up every single day. Miracles have not ceased nor will His tender mercies.

After much trepidation, in the summer of 2018, as the blog was well underway, I stepped out of my comfort zone and began to share it with others.

Due to my massive struggle with writing, in the fall of 2019, it was an incredible tender mercy when the inspiration came to begin a Tender Mercy Moments Facebook page and post a daily Tender Mercy Moment Cue. I was elated as it relieved me of the hours I spend writing and publishing a blog entry! As each published post concludes with a question, “When have you … ?” to draw each reader to consider a relatable way they have recognized Heavenly Father’s hand in their own life, a Tender Mercy Moment Cue, a posed question, based on my own personal tender mercy moments in near real time, is posted daily for the reader to reflect on experiences of their own, associated with the cue. 

Combining my love for hosting and my talents that are spiritual in nature, it was a magnificent tender mercy when in the winter of 2019, the inspiration came to host a “Tender Mercy Christmas Girl’s Night Out”, and then the inspiration during COVID to host in February 2021 a virtual, pilot, Tender Mercy Moments “Sweet” Mini Retreat, followed by the subsequent inspiration to host the exceptional and phenomenal “Uncover Your Very Own Tender Mercy Moments” Mini Retreats that I began in June 2022 and I have been hosting every month since. The culmination of many treasured moments have led up to this now extraordinary season of my life, a cherished season of my life most definitely! I love every aspect of hosting and sharing my spiritual gifts with others! I love what I am doing and I am doing what I love! 

It has been a tremendous tender mercy that Heavenly Father has been by my side entirely, through the difficulty of writing and the technology aspect of blogging to my stepping outside of my comfort zone to reach out and share my gifts and talents through the tender mercy moments blog, daily social media Facebook Tender Mercy Moment Cues, and “Uncover Your Own Tender Mercy Moments” Mini Retreats.

When have you experienced a cherished season of your life, a divinely inspired chapter of your life’s journey, and the flow of enumerable tender mercies from Heavenly Father leading up to and during were incredible?

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.

Handling A Challenge Head On

Time and again, when I have gone about handling a challenge head on, the outcome of my efforts have been nothing short of a tender mercy.

How do you handle challenges? For me, I recognize if I do not handle a challenge head on, my challenges don’t go away, they just linger in the background and it is stress I don’t want weighing on me. So, how do I go about handling a challenge head on? I proactively take some kind of action to do what I can to work towards a resolve that will improve the circumstances I find myself up against. 

Between my college years, my transportation to and fro where I lived and the job I had was by bus. The bus stop closest to the office building where I worked was several blocks away. Each evening after work, I could either take my time walking to the bus stop and wait a length of time for a later hour bus to arrive or I could run as fast as I could to catch a scheduled bus that was departing just minutes after I got off work.

Desiring to get home sooner rather than later, I didn’t think twice or doubt my ability to accomplish a desired goal of getting on the earlier bus. I went for it and took off running. The result of my determination and believing I could do it paid off. Every time I made a run to catch the earlier bus, it was a tender mercy I got to the door of the bus just seconds after it arrived and before it departed.  

Today, while simultaneously listening to something through my earbuds that were plugged into my phone that was placed in a front pocket of my shirt and attending to replenishing our puppy’s food and water dish, as I leaned over her water bowl I had just filled up and was setting down, my phone fell out of my pocket and landed in the water. 

Though my natural split second inclination would be to freeze and assess the situation, it was a tender mercy I immediately pulled my phone out of the water. After wiping dry the front side of my phone and the exterior of my case, enclosed tightly around my phone, I also noticed moisture that was trapped between the phone and the case. It was a tender mercy I was able to remove the case quickly, wipe dry the interior of the case and the backside of the phone, and as I took to handling the challenge head on, my new phone, not more than a few weeks old, was still fully functional. 

And then, not long after, as I was just about to take our puppy out to go potty, before I could get to her, she peed on the kitchen floor directly in front of me. Right away, as I took to handling the challenge head on and went into a one man attempt to swiftly get her outside to finish up any business she still had remaining, and prior to, loosely lay paper towels over the area that was wet so other family members would not unknowingly walk in it while we were outside, it was a tender mercy my husband entered the kitchen at that very moment and offered to take her outside and I was able to stay back to clean and sanitize where she had peed before anyone else came into the room. Time and again, when I have gone about handling a challenge head on, the outcome of my efforts have been nothing short of a tender mercy. 

When has the outcome of your efforts been nothing short of a tender mercy as you have gone about handling a challenge head on? 

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.

Proactively Set In Motion The Ball Rolling

Through my active persistence to proactively set in motion the ball rolling, I was able to have a recall replacement part for my car installed in less than a week’s time and before the anticipated news of a joyous occasion to occur any day for a loved one took place.

While awaiting word of a special life’s event for a loved one to occur any day, I received a recall letter in the mail regarding the critical need to replace a faulty part in my vehicle that could cause my car to spontaneously, without warning, stall out at high speeds. I was concerned the immediate need to take care of this crucial recall could possibly delay my being present to celebrate with the loved one upon announcement of the anticipated joyous news. As I did not want to chance my car stalling on my way to be with them, I sought right away to arrange and proactively set in motion the ball rolling for a new replacement part to be installed as quickly as possible rather than wait on a service advisor at the dealership to reach out to me for when to get the repair done. 

At first, getting the ball rolling did not go so well and it started off very awkwardly. When I initially called the dealership’s service department where I would have the recall work done, the employee who picked up was following a standard protocol to set me up with a rental car to which I did not need. When I asked to speak with a service advisor, I was told one was unavailable and that the service area was very busy and understaffed. The employee took down my name and number and said it may take until the next day for a service advisor to get back to me. 

Later that evening I received a callback from a service advisor post shop hours.  Unfortunately, I did not recognize the number and therefore did not pick up the incoming call. When they left a voicemail, I listened to it right away and immediately called back the number they had given at the end of their return call to me, however, I got their voicemail to which I then left a detailed message expressing my desire for the recall replacement part to be ordered and that I would like to wait to bring in my car for the estimated 3 1/2 hour service once the part was in stock and that I was not in need of a rental. 

Though I was disappointed I missed their call, it was short-lived as I realized nothing could be done that night anyways as the parts department was already closed. Hopeful the service advisor would have called me back the next morning, come mid-afternoon when I still hadn’t heard back from them, I reached out to them through the service department’s main number and was transferred to their desk voicemail.

Desiring to touch base with them sooner rather than later due to the nature of needing my car to be operable as quickly as possible, it was a tender mercy I was impressed to look up the service advisor on the website for the dealership’s particular location to which under their name and photo was their work cell number. When I called the number, they picked up right away and from there I was able to more so get the ball rolling.

Not long after our call, I received, per my request, a confirmation message from the service advisor notifying me that the parts had been ordered. Where I was told it may take a week or so for the recall replacement parts to be delivered, it was a tender mercy it only took five days. As I continued to stay on top of the status, the process moved along very swiftly.

Four days later, I contacted the parts department to check on the status of the ordered parts and was informed they already had some of the parts in and they were confident the rest would arrive the next day and that I would be able to have my car serviced the day following. I was delighted and promptly contacted the service department to schedule a morning appointment two days out. 

The next afternoon, I followed up with the parts department to confirm if the remaining parts had come in to which they had. Later that same evening, I received a call from the service advisor returning my initial callback. I brought them up to speed that I had reached out to the parts department and was told the parts were in and that I would be coming in the next morning to have my car serviced.

Where the service advisor had been out of the office the day prior and they had not yet received an updated to date parts status report at the time of their call to me, they were unaware I was coming in the next day. They told me they would write up the paperwork that evening and everything would be in order to begin servicing my car upon my arrival the next morning. 

Through my active persistence, it was a tender mercy I was able to have the recall replacement part installed in less than a week’s time and before the anticipated news came from the loved one. 

When have you proactively set in motion the ball rolling to immediately care to a crucial matter that arose simultaneous to your awaiting a joyous occasion to occur and the crucial matter was resolved with swiftness before the exciting event you anticipated any day took place?

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.

Learning Of A Developing Health Condition Early On

Days following a routine well-woman exam, I came into learning of a developing health condition early on that I had no idea was going on inside my body.

Though totally unexpected, days following a routine well-woman exam, I came into learning of a developing health condition early on that I had no idea was going on inside my body. Fortunately, it was not yet problematic and one I had the immediate ability to do things on my end to forestall it from becoming that way.  

When I went in for my annual well-woman exam, I felt comfortable and confident I was healthy and well. Though I had noted to my doctor after their apologizing for having cold hands that I too tend to lean towards feeling cold at times, which was conclusive of my 97.7 temperature that was taken as soon as I entered the office, I attributed it to my getting older. At the same time I questioned if I may be coming into the normal and natural phase of menopause as I am unsure if I have also been experiencing hot flashes or just feeling flushed due to it being summer time. The doctor expressed no concern. My weight and blood pressure were good and the examination itself went very well. 

The next day, upon fasting, I returned to have routine lab work taken as part of the annual well exam. Again, I felt very comfortable and confident in my health and that all the results would come back normal. The only concern I had was of possibly passing out as I was feeling sluggish from fasting and I do not like needles. It was a tender mercy as I have a good vein they were able to draw blood from and the phlebotomist was awesome, I did not pass out.  

A couple of days later, a day before I anticipated getting the results back, it was a tender mercy that preceding a midmorning call from a triage nurse at the doctor’s office, I had a subtle thought enter my mind when I awoke that morning. It was a nonchalant and peaceful thought that passed without my thinking anything more of it. I had the thought that it was good I was getting the results of the blood work now so that I may attend to a concern before it becomes serious. 

While listening to the nurse share with me two results just slightly out of range, it was a tender mercy the thought I received when I awoke prepared me for the call and I was calm. Right away I went into proactive mode and took the initiative to find out all I could about the readings and what they meant. It was a tender mercy I learned what I did when I did. I have actively begun to implement what I can do to bring each back into a normal reading before my health in those two areas becomes a problem.  

Originally, when scheduling the routine, annual exam, the earliest I was able to get in for an appointment that worked with my schedule and when the doctor had an opening was in the Fall. With the Covid-19 spread on the rise and not knowing months out what that will lead to as well as a desire to travel this summer, returning just prior to the appointment and potentially needing to quarantine for 2 weeks after getting back, I wanted to get the appointment out of the way. I called the office several times in hopes that I could get in earlier if there was a cancellation. At the time, I did not know that speeding up the appointment would be beneficial in a very important way. Amazingly, it was a tender mercy that when I called on a Thursday afternoon, I was able to be seen the upcoming Monday afternoon which was ideal timing and within a window that worked for me.

It turns out that feeling cold is a symptom associated with a health condition that I learned from the lab results my body may be on the verge of starting to undergo. Luckily, no other symptoms at this time are present and all other lab work tied to the condition is normal. It was a tender mercy that in learning of the developing health condition early on, I have been able to immediately do something about it to hopefully prevent the condition from progressing to a problematic state. 

When have you come into learning of a developing health condition early on that you were unaware your body was starting to undergo and time was on your side to do what you could to forestall its progression? 

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.

My Persistence And Perseverance Paid Off

My persistence and perseverance paid off as I sought to resolve what became quite a cumbersome and complex matter days before an approaching registration deadline.

When an assumption that all would be smooth sailing upon registering again for a reoccurring event weeks away after the one over a month earlier had been cancelled, my persistence and perseverance paid off as I sought to resolve what instead became quite a cumbersome and complex matter days before the approaching registration deadline. 

When the reoccurring event I had paid for was cancelled due to the closures of public gatherings as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, I was under the assumption, as per a message I received from the organization, that the admission fee for the cancelled event would be transferred to one of two other scheduled dates during the summer months for the same event. However, when I called one week before the registration deadline for the first of the two dates, I was unexpectedly informed that my admission fee had been refunded back to me weeks earlier. 

Upon checking my credit card statement for the refunded amount that was intended to be applied towards the admission ticket for one of those two dates, the refund was not at all actually in my account. 

At first, I took the casual approach of waiting day after day for the refund to show up in my account to which it never did. Two days before the registration deadline for the first of the two dates and the one I preferred over the other, I once again called the organization back. I was advised by a call center representative to send an email to their support team for additional help regarding the situation after the representative had looked into it themselves and was unable to further assist me about the whereabouts of the refund.  

Not knowing how long it would take to hear back from them via a phone call or email message, the very next day, now one day before the deadline, I called the organization back again and asked if I may speak to a supervisor or manager. The representative who answered my call reached out to the organization’s finance department and an individual there determined that though the refund was released over a month earlier, the reason why the transaction had not fully completed to where I received it on my end was that it was stuck in their system. 

When the finance department was unable to do anything more than determine what had happened, they reached out to the back end of their department to expedite the troubleshooting of the matter to “unstuck” the refund for it to then go directly to my account. In the meantime, it was a tender mercy the representative processed the registration for the upcoming event date, one day before the deadline, and I was not held to paying the admission fee twice, but that they would instead bill me the exact amount I had already paid and then once I received the refund in my account, I would pay off the bill. 

In the end, several days later, I followed up once more regarding the issue after receiving a concerning status email that had since already been sorted out. As a result of my calling back, it was a tender mercy I was informed that a request I had asked for on the previous call panned out. I had asked if the organization would be able to reverse the refund from going into my account and have it instead immediately go to pay for the new admission ticket. My persistence and perseverance paid off. It was a tender mercy the time-consuming matter surrounding the refund to register for the next reoccurring event before the registration deadline was fully resolved within days versus weeks.  

When have you become aware of an incomplete financial transaction and as you stayed on top of the issue, your persistence and perseverance paid off and the situation was attended to immediately and resolved? 

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.

Matter Of Fact Plan Of Action

When plans changed unexpectedly, I did not skip a beat as a revised matter of fact plan of action transpired.

When my original plan for getting our kids to school changed unexpectedly, I did not skip a beat as a revised matter of fact plan of action transpired. 

On this winter morning, once we were all in the car ready to go, I started it up and noticed the tire pressure light was on. At first, I assumed the light was indicating a decrease in tire pressure attributed to the cold 37 degree weather, but as I recalled a prior tire incident, I immediately felt inclined to walk around the car and quickly glance at each of the tires before driving away. 

In doing so, I saw that one of the back tires appeared low. While accessing the condition of the tire, it was a tender mercy that right at that time, my husband had just stepped out of the house to leave for work and observed what I was doing. He came over immediately to assist. As I knew I would not be able to go directly to a shop to get the tire repaired before getting my kids to school on time, right away, I knew what to do. I decisively and proactively, without hesitation, went into Plan B action mode. 

While my husband was using an air compressor to add air to the tire, I shared with him my matter of fact plan of action to take our younger kids to school in the car used by our teenage drivers who were not using it at the time. It was a tender mercy the car was available as a backup and the worries I would have had about the possibility of the low tire going flat at any point during the approximate one and a half hour roundtrip commute was alleviated. And, as there was a concern on this very cold day whether the heater in the backup car worked, it was a tender mercy it did and we were warmed up fairly quickly. 

Though I had plans to take our car in to have the tire repaired preceding a scheduled meeting I would be facilitating not long after returning home from dropping off our kids, after calling the shop and learning of the lengthy wait time, due to the tight time constraint, I once again moved forward with a revised matter of fact plan of action to instead go to the shop following my meeting and before picking up our kids from school. 

By that time, it was then early afternoon and over the course of several hours since my husband had added air to the tire, the tire pressure had dropped from 35 psi to close to 15 psi. Although I was quite nervous about the slow leak causing the psi to drop so significantly and worried if the low tire pressure would hold up long enough to get to the shop 20 minutes away, it was a tender mercy the tire was not yet altogether flat. 

In hopes of being able to make it to the shop without getting a flat, I attempted to fill up the tire using the air compressor, but I didn’t know how to use it and when I looked up a YouTube video for a demonstration, it wasn’t any help either. So, I placed the air compressor and an extension cord in the trunk of my car and prayed and prayed and prayed that first and foremost I would make it all the way to the shop without losing anymore air. And secondly, if I did lose more air, I was prepared and prayerful that someone along the way would be able to help me.

Before leaving our home, I examined the tire once again and saw where a heavy duty nail of sorts had become lodged in the tire. Despite my naivety of how physics works, I was hopeful and optimistic that as the tire rotated around and around while in route to the shop, the pressure on the nail as it butted up against the pavement over and over again would lock and seal any air from escaping till I got to the tire shop. 

Along the way, although I felt anxious, I tried really hard to keep my mind focused on trusting in the Lord and staying relaxed. It was a wonderful tender mercy that not only did I make it safely to the shop without getting a flat tire, it was super amazing where now that I only had 1 hour before I would need to leave to pick up my kids from school that a garage bay was open and available when I arrived and I was able to pull right in before several other customers came in following behind me and my tire, which was discovered to have also had a screw in it too, was fixed right away for a very minimal charge. 

All in all, it was a tender mercy that before leaving home to take our kids to school, I became aware of the tire that was low before it became a full-fledged flat tire.

When have you had an experience to which you became aware of a situation before it resulted in something more so problematic? And, when have you had plans change unexpectedly and you were able to proactively with decisiveness move instantaneously forward with a revised matter of fact plan of action? 

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 For Me And One For You

With most all shopping carts being used by other patrons, it was a tender mercy that when you and another shopper not far behind you entered the store, there were still two available carts, “One For Me And One For You!”

“Yay, one for me and one for you!” was my quiet expression of gratitude when walking into a store full of shoppers and seeing that the only cart left by the entrance/exit was available for me as well as spotting an unattended cart nearby for another shopper that came in not far behind me whom was also desirous of having a cart. 

Post Christmas and New Years as the holiday break was coming to a close, I went to a particular store to return a couple of Christmas presents that did not work as intended and to purchase a few end-of-season clearance and regular priced gift items. Once inside, I noticed a long checkout line and the number of available carts had dwindled down to one. It was a tender mercy that when I arrived, there was at least one remaining shopping cart by the entrance/exit. 

As I settled my personal belongings and returns into the cart and was preparing to step away, I observed another shopper that had come in soon after I did looking for a cart. Though I could have kept the last cart for myself as per the phrase “first come, first serve”, I was willing to give it up to them, however, I too needed a cart. 

With a very sore shoulder from overextending one of my arms a few days earlier, carrying anything caused uncomfortable pain so going into the packed store and being able to snatch up the last available cart near the entrance/exit was a welcomed tender mercy for me. 

Yet, I didn’t want the much older shopper than I to be without a cart so I scanned the area from where I was standing and it was a tender mercy I saw an isolated cart close by in a section between racks of clothing and shelves of merchandise. I turned to the other shopper with an expression of elation, optimistic that we would each have a cart, “one for me and one for you.” 

However, not knowing if the cart with an article of clothing on the seat was being used by someone who may have gone into a nearby toilet room, as I approached the restroom to see if it was vacant or not, an individual stepped out and did not claim the cart when asked and no one else was nearby so it was assumed it had just been randomly left behind. It was a tender mercy we each now had a cart. 

When have you gone into a store and there was a limited quantity of something you and another shopper desired and you were grateful that with what remained there was “one for me and one for you”, meaning one for each 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.

Before and After

Every so often I go to a chiropractor to receive an electrical stimulation therapy treatment for when my legs are either moderately or severely restless. When I became aware, through happenstance, that my chiropractor’s office would be closed for a couple of weeks later in the month, I was worried that a heightened discomfort in my legs would likely kick in when the chiropractor was out of the office so I proactively scheduled the next soonest available appointment, which, fortunately, was less than 24 hours later.

Although for several days I had been enduring a subtle restlessness in my legs, I was trying hard to ignore it was happening. Being in denial and not wanting to accept that my legs were on the verge of needing another treatment so soon after my last one and very much desiring they would not worsen, I did not anticipate that very evening the restlessness in my legs would reach an intense level beyond the mildness I had been pushing through and tolerating. They were now driving me nuts to the point I flat out could not focus, process information, or concentrate on hardly anything. I had reached my threshold. Coincidentally, it was a tender mercy I had set up a few hours before the appointment for the following day.

All the next morning and into the early afternoon preceding my visit, I felt out of it, off, and drab. I was especially self-conscious of my faltered clarity of thought when stopping at a couple stores prior to my appointment and interacting with someone who looked familiar to me and with another individual who knew me personally, but I couldn’t place anywhere we had previously met. As my conversation with the latter continued for about 10 minutes, it was as if I had amnesia. I could not rack my brain to recollect or remember any dialogue we have ever had before that day. And, I was concerned that my side of the dialogue was coming through distorted. As I smiled and made an effort to retain all that was being shared with me in hopes of figuring out where we had met and how she recalled specific details about me, I felt like a mess and was too embarrassed at the time to ask those questions. 

At my chiropractor visit, I learned that the probable reason and source of the irritated nerves and muscle soreness in my legs was that my hips were out of alignment. After an adjustment to balance my hips and a treatment for the restless legs and muscle tightness, I was immediately able to think more clearly and my conversations with others were definitively better and improved. 

It was a tender mercy that simply balancing my alignment along with a therapy treatment made all the difference in my cognitive wellness from a state of being in a haze to regaining the ability to focus, concentrate, and process information as well as carry on a coherent dialogue with others. 

When have you had a simple and timely adjustment and/or treatment from a practitioner that changed your overall health dramatically?

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.*

Slow Leak

After I arrived at the car dealership for a routine tire rotation and learned that my timing for when the service was to be done was unexpectedly off and I opted to wait for the next regular maintenance to take care of it, the thought came that since I was already at the dealership I might as well have the pressure in each of my tires checked. 

As the weather had been fluctuating up and down for quite some time, I assumed the reason my tire gauge light came on was because the tires needed air. As the tires were checked, I was informed that the pressure in one of the tires was lower than the rest. Upon examination, it was identified that a nail in the tire was causing a slow leak. 

It was a tender mercy that through a quick and easy complimentary service, the slow leak was discovered and I was able to drive immediately to a tire shop nearby for a price less than what was quoted by the dealership to have the tire patched and repaired right away before it went completely flat in an inconvenient and/or dangerous place. 

When have you gone in for a routine visit (car, doctor….) and separate from the purpose of your visit, you casually requested a look at something else and an issue was caught early enough and treated before a more serious, catastrophic experience occurred? 

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.*

Worst-Case Scenario

While traveling to an event I was attending for the first time in a part of town where businesses had barred windows, I felt uneasy and outside of my comfort zone. Even though the actual location of the event seemed ok, I did not feel completely safe. Being in a questionable environment, I was vigilant and cautious of my surroundings as well as conscientious of my desire to exude confidence and have faith that my time while at the event would be positive and valuable. 

Upon arrival, I backed in to the only available legal parking spot remaining on the property and closest to the building which was on the grass in front of a railroad track. Once out of my car, I was approached by a friendly, considerate delivery guy who expressed his concern for me being parked too close to the tracks and shared that if a train came through, he did not want rocks on the track to kick up and hit my car. I responded with gratitude and returned to my car moving it forward several feet away from the tracks. It was a tender mercy the fellow was there when I pulled up and provided that information with me as sure enough, partially through the event, while I sat near a window that overlooked where I had parked, I heard an approaching train and observed it go by.  

After my brief interaction with him, it was another tender mercy that as I did not know where to enter the building, another attendee who arrived shortly after I did showed me the way. She happened to be directly involved with the event and invited me to follow her via a shortcut, through a side door that opened right to the event. As I entered, I was warmly welcomed and greeted by others.  

When have you been in a place outside your comfort zone and the timeliness of kindness shown to you by another was beneficial and helpful? 

As much as I appreciated the timeliness of the acts of good will, I was, likewise, leery and apprehensive being in a new place and among individuals I was meeting for the first time. 

Once inside, within a few short minutes, I realized that I did not have my phone with me. I had last used it in the car when I turned off my phone navigation system after parking. As I always keep my phone on me when I am out either in a back pocket or in my purse, I became worried when it was not in either place. In one second I had my phone, and the next I did not. 

Aware of my heightened sense of feeling unsettled on top of having passed several people when I discovered my phone was missing, my mind went to the worst-case scenario that I had been pickpocketed. A part of me was skeptical and unsure who I could trust and ready to accept the loss of my phone, whereas, the other part of me was hopeful that I had simply misplaced my phone. Although I experienced a sudden panic, rather than allowing myself to dwell on the former possibility, I leaned in the direction of the latter taking a proactive “benefit of the doubt” approach while trying to not only appear calm, but also stay grounded and clear minded. Immediately, I backtracked my steps a couple of times and repeatedly checked all my pockets and my purse.  

As I stayed focused, prayed, and continued to search without giving up, it was a tender mercy when I went back to my car a second time and leaned over the driver’s seat to look inside the middle console, I saw my phone partially lodged between the console and front passenger seat.   

After finding my phone, I realized that in my hurried attempt to get back in my car to move it more so away from the railroad tracks and then get into the event as quickly as possible, I had set my phone down in the front passenger seat and only grabbed my purse when I got out. 

When have you experienced a troubling situation and the actual outcome was better than your worst-case scenario thought?

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.*