Category: Timing

Stay Put

Uncertainty if I had come to the right place, I considered going elsewhere instead, yet an impression led me to stay put.

Once I reached my planned destination to purchase a gift for an incredible person’s momentous occasion, due to inclement weather and uncertainty if I had come to the right place, I considered going elsewhere instead, yet an impression led me to stay put. 

As in-person gatherings have become sparse due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, my connection with those I used to see on a regular basis has changed some, in the sense I am not as aware of their to date interests and happenings in their lives. 

When I was invited to attend a special occasion for one of them, I wanted to give them a gift, however, as I pondered what to get them, I was completely blank of ideas. Until, early one morning, it was a tender mercy the perfect gift idea came to me in a dream. 

Days prior to the event, it was a tender mercy an evening opened up for me to be able to go out and buy the gift, to which I was grateful as I did not want to procrastinate up to the day. 

Upon arrival to the store I assumed had the gift item, I paused before exiting the car as doubt struck me that perhaps the store I had come to did not actually have the gift item and where it was a rainy night, I did not want to step out of the car into the rain, go inside the store, and walk aimlessly around looking for it if they did not have it. As I considered driving to a different store, I was impressed to stay put and first look up on my phone whether the item was carried in the store where I was at already, and if not, what stores around me carried it. 

It came up on my search that the store I was at did carry the item, however, at a more expensive price then a couple of other stores in the area. Before deciding to go to one of the other stores, it was a tender mercy I recalled the store I was at had online coupons whereas the other main retail stores near me did not. When I looked up what online coupons may be available, there was a 20% off coupon which would bring the price of the gift item down to a comparable price of the item in the other retail stores. 

With this information, I decided to stay put and go inside the store. As I walked around, I came across a similar, even better, more ideal version of the product I sought to purchase, however, it cost quite a bit more than I had budgeted. Yet, with the online coupon, it was more affordable and an amount I was willing to pay. Before going to the register to check out, being that I had not been in the store for awhile since the COVID-19 pandemic surfaced, it was a tender mercy I decided to roam the aisles as I came across a display rack on the complete opposite side of the store with the exact same item as the one in my hand at a discounted 60% off. I was thrilled. At that price, I went ahead and picked up a second of the same item. 

When I arrived at the register and asked for a price check, the item came up full price, however, when I shared with the cashier that the item was in two different locations in the store, on one side at full price and on the other side at 60% off, an employee, a manager I presume, went to the discounted display rack and approved the purchase at 60% off. Woo hoo! It was a tender mercy I did stay put and not only did the store have the gift, they had an even more ideal and better version of it, and I was able to get two of them, a double gift, for a final price close to equivalent the regular price it sold for in other retail stores.

When have you questioned if you had arrived at the right place for something in particular and as you considered going elsewhere, you felt impressed to stay put and further information confirmed you were in the right 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.

Best-Laid Plans Even More So Improved Upon

And, when my best-laid plans are even more so improved upon, I am overjoyed!

Strategizing and coordinating events in the most optimal and efficient way as possible from setting up large group rotation schedules to planning out the best routes to travel when running errands to multiple places all over town is something I thoroughly enjoy. And, when my best-laid plans are even more so improved upon, I am overjoyed! 

With Christmas only a week away and it being the last day of school for our kids before the winter break, I was concerned about not catching those I wanted to deliver gifts to prior to their possibly leaving town for the holidays. I connected with each via a text message asking if they would be around prior to a specific late afternoon time, allowing a cushion for me to pick up our newly spayed puppy from the veterinary clinic within the designated final two hours before they closed. Ideally, I hoped to arrive within the first hour as I was anxious to get to her as soon as possible and spend the rest of the evening providing her comfort and my undivided love and attention as she began the two week incision healing and recovery process.

As almost everyone, except for a couple, one-by-one, quickly responded to my message, the majority of them shared the same approximate time for me to come by. Their places of residence were in several different neighborhoods stretched out in my community. Strategizing the coordination of how to get to each home within the short available window was a fun, albeit bit tricky challenge for me. When delays transpired that extended the time longer to get from one place to another, I revamped my plan a few times to best optimize the distance I needed to travel and keep within the allotted timeframe. Along the way, when I knew I would arrive later than the originally planned time, I reached out to adjust the time. It was a tender mercy each one kindly obliged to the alteration and indicated they would still be home. 

My plan though well laid out, even so, with a couple homes left to go, it was a tender mercy an unexpected call I received from someone I thought was in a pinch and needed my help further refined my best-laid plan. Immediately, I rerouted and headed their way to assist them and learned just before reaching their place that they did not need my help. As a result of rerouting, I happened to pass a home I was going to deliver to last and saw that they were outside. It was a tender mercy I was able to drop off their gift lickety-split and from there able to deliver the remaining gift and pick up our puppy thirty minutes sooner than I had anticipated.

When have your best-laid plans been further refined and even more efficient and optimal than you had well-devised?

tendermercym❤️ments~jld

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

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

tendermercymoments@gmail.com.

What To Do? What To Do?

What To Do? What To Do? Each evening, we have enjoyed well spent, quality hours of fun together eating a Christmas treat and playing a game.

What To Do? What To Do?

As my children are getting older, I still want Christmas to be a magical time of year. I LOVE Christmas. It is magical for me and I don’t ever want that to go away. With the Christmas season upon us, I so wanted to come up with activities our two kids still at home would enjoy doing all together as a family during the days leading up to Christmas day. The question was “What To Do? What To Do?” I spent a lot of time thinking about what to do without any answer coming to me, until the answer came through a series of events and then I could barely contain my excitement and giddiness to share the idea, first with my husband and then our kids. 

A couple of days prior to the first of December while on a drive with one of my children, I asked them about our Christmas traditions and which ones they liked and would like to continue to carry on this upcoming Christmas season. As I went down the list, the activities our family has done in year’s past did not so much interest them any longer, except for one, ice skating. Desiring to come up with more than just that one activity our children, who are not so little anymore and will be leaving home all too soon, would enjoy was a challenge. 

During our dialogue, it was a tender mercy I was prompted to ask them if they like games to which they said yes in a casual kind of way and it was expressed again what they, as of late, had brought up several times before of a game we did not have that they were interested in playing. Traditionally, every year for Christmas our family has unwrapped a new game. Of the number of games we have, most have only been played once or not at all as we gravitate to our favorite top go-to games—Ticket To Ride, Settlers of Catan, Boggle, Apples To Apples, Rook, and Phase 10. 

Though following our conversation I was still unsure what to do that would engage our children to enjoy the spirit of the holiday all season long up through Christmas day and my prayers to know what to do continued, the prompting kickstarted what became a fully formed idea that began on December 1. 

On this mid morning Tuesday, it was a tender mercy I felt impressed to reopen an email I had received from our women’s Relief Society organization at church about an upcoming homeless care kit collection service activity. Even though I would be unable to attend the activity, I wanted to help out. Upon my also going to our Relief Society Facebook page to see if there was a list of what was needed to then gather what items our family had on hand to donate to the cause and deliver them to the Relief Society President that afternoon, the first thing I saw as I opened up Facebook was a friend share on their Facebook stories the #LightTheWorld calendar. Not realizing as the day began that it was December 1st nor was I at all aware the #LightTheWorld countdown would be happening again this year, grateful to not miss the opportunity to start with day 1, it was a tender mercy I saw the post when I did and the first day of the countdown was about donating to a charity to which it so happened I was in the process of doing.  

From there, it was a tender mercy I was prompted to open up another email from our ward Bishop regarding an Angel Tree to which I wanted to help out in that way as well. As I began taking an inventory of what gifts for what ages I already had on hand from purchases I have made over the years and saved specifically to give for birthdays and Christmas, I discovered an unexpired sealed box of cordial cherry chocolates from last Christmas.  

While in route the few minutes away from my place to drop off the items for the homeless service project with plans of returning home right after, it was a tender mercy that per the series of events above, a spontaneous, on the spot, impression as to what activity to do that would suit our family well dawned on me. It was to do a 25 day Christmas countdown in which each day one family member would secretly wrap a Christmas treat of their choosing and a second family member would likewise secretly wrap a game of their choosing from our current selection of games or the purchase of a new game and then a third family member would unwrap the treat and the fourth family member would unwrap the game and we would spend the evening eating the treat and playing the game. Every day after, up through Christmas day, we would rotate who did what. I was super ecstatic about this splendid idea and could not wait to share it with our family. 

After delivering the items, I straightaway drove to a store nearest me to purchase the very game my child had most recently, here and there, requested. Originally, I was going to drive to a store further away because it was where I had seen the game days earlier, yet it was a tender mercy that I felt impressed to go to the store just up the street from me and being that they too had the game, I saved a lot of time not sitting in rush hour traffic and money for gas had I traveled 4x the distance to the other store.  

Once home, I couldn’t wait to gather our family together to share the idea with them. With giddiness and enthusiasm, I began by asking them what day it was. One of our children responded with December 1. They then asked if we were doing the #LightTheWorld countdown. It was remarkable this child remembered it from the Christmas past and I happily shared that we, without initially being aware, participated in Day 1 and then I proceeded to excitedly present the activity idea that had come to me. 

It was a tender mercy that everyone was on board and where I had hoped that one day we would take the time to play our other games, now was that opportunity. Also, it was a tender mercy that the 25 day countdown idea came on December 1. As we began the countdown that evening, the child wanting the new game was pleased when they opened up the first wrapped gift to see the game of their choosing and that it would be the first one we played, and our other child opened up the wrapped cordial cherry chocolates.

It has been an incredible Christmas season thus far. Our 25 day Christmas countdown has been a daily event everyone has looked forward to with joy. When I asked my children, “If we didn’t have any gifts on Christmas day and this is all we did, would they be ok with that?” They said yes. Each evening, we have enjoyed well spent, quality hours of fun together eating a Christmas treat and playing a game. 

When has an answer to a prayer in which you desired to know “What to do? What to do?” come by way of a series of events? 

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 Back-up Plan To The Rescue

Fortunately, a back-up plan to the rescue did not preclude the mammogram screening from happening within the specific window that was best for me.

A strategic process that has gone smoothly every other previous mammogram screening I’ve gone in for was almost disrupted. Fortunately, a back-up plan to the rescue did not preclude it from happening within the specific window that was best for me. 

This is one of those appointments that I do not schedule out in advance due to not knowing exactly where my body will be in relationship to my menstrual cycle. It was a tender mercy that the imaging center accepted walk-in visits. And, where deodorants and lotions interfere with the testing and applying lotion is a necessity for my dry skin, being able to spontaneously decide the day of for when it was most optimal for me to shower and skip the lotion around my chest area and hold off on the deodorant till after the screening was a tender mercy. 

Upon arriving at the imaging center for the routine annual health mammogram screening, while in the parking lot, it was a tender mercy I was impressed to contact my insurance company to confirm if the imaging center was still in-network this year as it had been last year even though their office location had recently changed. Initially, because the new address was not showing up when the insurance representative looked it up, the center was considered out-of-network. However, it was a tender mercy the insurance representative reached out to the imaging center and learned that they would be billing from their previous address until their new address was updated with the insurance company. Based on that, the insurance representative was able to confirm that the imaging center was still in-network and the visit and screening would be covered in-network. 

Once inside the office, I was informed that the internet service had just gone down 20 minutes prior to my arrival and they would not be able to check me in. Oh no! Of all days, on the day and during the time most ideal for me when I was prepped and ready! The options I had was to wait until the service came back up whenever that may be or return home and wait until I got the call that it was back up again to return for the screening. I opted to wait. 

Within a few minutes, it was a tender mercy the front desk staff member had an ingenious idea, a back-up plan to the rescue. I was asked if I had been to their office before or if I was there for the first time. Where I was a walk-in, it was assumed I was coming in for the first time. Upon my responding that I had been to their prior location a year ago, they contacted one of their other offices that was not impacted by the outage. Since my information was already in the computer system, they were able to check me in, complete the screening, and once the service was back up, they were able to upload my mammogram images to my information in the computer. It was a tender mercy that due to the employee’s back-up plan to the rescue I was able to get the screening done during the most ideal time for me.  

When have you been prepped and ready for something that was almost put on hold and a back-up plan to the rescue did not preclude it from happening during your most optimal timeframe?

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.

How Did That Happen?

After decades of having a fear of dogs and declining my kids request for one year after year, our family now has a puppy. How did that happen?

What do you know! After decades of having a fear of dogs and declining my kids request for one year after year, our family now has a puppy. How did that happen?

As a youth, I was nipped from behind by an angry unrestrained dog as I was walking home one day. After that occurrence, I’ve pretty much stayed clear of dogs and avoided petting them. Though I have enjoyed observing them from a distance, I have not wanted them close by me. 

When our kids repeatedly asked for a dog each Christmas, I was giddy when I would come across a creative dog gift I could give them in place of a real dog. The most memorable gift was the “fur real dog” and an awesome dog book that was so relatable and spot on to the desires of our children and the concerns of mine. Another memorable gift came from our children to my husband and I, and it is one I use often. It is a cute dog print plush fabric they purchased and sewed around the edges and made it into a blanket. 

Though fear was the primary reason for my not wanting to get a dog, over the years I would also share with my kids the secondary reasons for my not wanting a dog such as their odor, chewing at furniture and stair railings, cleaning up vomit, poop and urine in the house and vomit and poop outside in the yard, veterinary appointments, the expense of boarding while traveling, etc. 

A couple of months ago, prior to visiting a loved one with a puppy, our children once again asked if we could get a puppy. I said that if I did well around the loved one’s puppy then I would be ok looking into our getting one when we got back home.  What? How Did That Happen? How did I go from not wanting a dog to now being okay with one? I don’t know, other than the timing felt right. 

Surprisingly, I did really well being around the puppy and I did not experience any fear at all. As such, upon our return home, my kids and husband began researching about different dogs. It was a tender mercy we all agreed on and liked the same kind of dog, a labradoodle. 

Once we decided on the breed of dog, our children then made a list of all the labradoodle breeders within a 4 1/2 hour radius of us. It was a tender mercy that though most of the breeders on the list did not have any puppies available, the second breeder on the list referred us to one of their breeder friends, not on our list and located less than an hour from our place, who had one puppy pick available in their litter of seven after a recent buyer cancelled and the puppies were exactly what we were looking for in size, color, and generation of breed. As labradoodle puppies are in high demand in our area, the timing of our contacting the breeder was a tender mercy as they had not yet updated their website to indicate the availability status for the last puppy and we were able to secure placement for the last pick.  

In my initial dialogue with the breeder, I expressed my fear of dogs as well as my excitement to have a puppy and that what was most important to me was that the puppy got along with every family member, especially me considering my longtime fear of dogs. Though there was no guarantee if the last puppy would be the best fit for our family, it was a tender mercy that all of the puppies in the litter were cute and based on that alone, we would have been pleased with any one of them, though their was one in particular we wanted the most. Fortunately, it was a tender mercy that the last puppy left was the very one we had wanted and the one the breeder felt would be a perfect fit for our family. And that she is. She is sweet, has a calm temperament,  and interacts so good with each of us. 

Upon bringing her home, it was a tender mercy that as she sat on a blanket in the car between our two youngest teenage children, throughout the two hour car ride that included a few stops along the way for my husband and I to purchase puppy supplies we did not want to get before we were sure we were bringing a puppy home, she did not have any accidents in the car or need to stop to go potty before we got home. 

Caring for a puppy has been quite exhausting, particularly puppy potty training and maintaining a vigilant eye on her all throughout the day. It has been a huge tender mercy that around the clock she has had a family member able to care for her as everyone has been home full time from my husband working remotely and our children doing virtual learning due to the continued COVID-19 pandemic precautionary measures in place.

It has also been a tender mercy that an opportunity to facilitate an Emotional Resilience class has coincided with the timing of when we picked her up from the breeder as there have been many doozy of days while potty training her and not being able to get ahead of her messes for which I have been able to utilize, apply, and implement the skills and tools I am learning each week in the class to not give in to believing that I am not cut out to be a puppy owner. 

Another tender mercy has been that I have not needed to take on the nerve-racking attempt to clip and file her sharp nails that grow out quickly as she files her front paw nails all on her own via our stone fireplace. 

Additionally, within the first week and a half of having her home, she has visited the veterinary clinic twice, once for her initial puppy exam and the other time for an ear checkup when she started whimpering upon her ears being touched and I noticed redness on the cartilage side of one of her ears. 

Due to the timing of both appointments, I took her by myself as no one else was available to go with me. Being alone with a dog would have before now made me extremely nervous and I would not have been able to do it, however, I was not afraid. How did that happen? How did I go from not wanting a dog near me to now having a dog in my lap and holding and stroking her fluffy hair? It was a tender mercy that as I visualized and imagined the joy of having a puppy, I was able to love on her and not panic or feel fear. 

Also, being a first time dog owner and not knowing what I was doing or how to do certain things related to her care, it was a tender mercy the veterinary doctor offered to show me how to give her a tablet for ticks and fleas and to put medicine in her ear for a mild yeast infection. Watching the veterinary doctor do it was a tender mercy as I am a visual learner and seeing it done gave me a little more confidence that I could do it on my own.

When have you gone from absolutely never wanting to have something, for whatever reason, to overnight being completely ok with having it and wondering, “how did that happen?”

tendermercym❤️ments~jld

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

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

A Quick Reaction Time

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

tendermercym❤️ments~jld

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

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

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.

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.

Conflict Of Interest

When faced with overlapping opportunities to separately bond with a couple of people I care about, as to a conflict of interest, I was not capable of effectively bonding with each of them individually at the same time.

When faced with overlapping opportunities to separately bond with a couple of people I care about, I opted to multitask and interact with them simultaneously. However, as to a conflict of interest, I was not capable of effectively bonding with each of them individually at the same time. 

During a call with one of them in whom I felt strongly impressed to reach out to that I had not phoned in a very long time, the other one followed up with me about a place they had asked earlier if I would take them to that was closing soon. In that instance, I was faced with a conflict of interest. 

Both individuals are important to me. On one hand, I was not ready just yet to end the pleasant and engaging phone conversation I was having with the one and on the other hand I wanted to take the other, sooner rather than later, to where I had previously agreed I would take them. So, I decided to stay on the call with the one via earphones at the same time as taking the other where they wanted to go.  

Not knowing the call would last as long as it did before saying our goodbyes, most of my undivided attention all the while out and for a time after returning back home resided with the one on the call while only split second moments of dialogue here and there were had with the one I was with in person. 

Although it was a tender mercy I acted when I did on the prompting I received to reach out to the one per a phone call, I felt horrible that in my decision to multitask, I was not then fully present with the other. Internally, I felt such sorrow and remorse.   

All throughout the call, I observed the countenance of the one I was with and sensed they had concerns. Upon the close of the call, I reached out to them and asked about their experience while we were out. The emotions they expressed I gathered as much. Though it hurt deeply to hear them verbally share them out loud, I did not hedge or skirt around my actions when called out for it. 

It was a tender mercy that as I took personal accountability and ownership for my actions and apologized to them as well as expressed my own frustration and disappointment for not being solely present for them, a distance between us that was created as I tried multitasking was lessened. 

When have you experienced a conflict of interest that involved people you care about and your expression of sorrow and remorse to the one you let down by not being fully present for them helped heal a distance that had been created as a result of your actions? 

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.