Category: Timing

Impromptu Lesson

On this night as our family began our “Family Home Evening”, I didn’t realize it was my turn in our weekly rotation to give the lesson. I was definitely unprepared. I almost didn’t do a lesson and was ready to skip past it, however, the opportunity to share a lesson during this special time together is a privilege, I feel, particularly as a mom. So I prayed asking Heavenly Father what I could teach that was pertinent and could bless our family right then. It was a tender mercy that I was immediately inspired with ideas and thoughts for a simply amazing impromptu lesson.

When have you experienced a time when it was your accountability to perform an action and you realized in the moment that it was to be done you were not prepared and ready to do it and after a quick prayer, an inspired impromptu means of accomplishing it immediately came to your mind and you were able to follow-through and fulfill your responsibility?

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.*

Having A Backup Option In Case

I was really happy when getting dressed for the day that I came across a blouse I especially liked and had forgotten about until I saw it when sorting through my clothes. When I got oil-free makeup remover on the shirt shortly before leaving the house for church, I was concerned, though not for long. It was a tender mercy I had another dressy top and cardigan I could quickly swap out that went well with my skirt without needing to change my entire outfit. 

Before exchanging my blouse, I wanted to try and get what looked like the “grease stain” out while it was still wet. I dabbed the spot with water and even though I had a limited amount of time, I let it air dry. I was worried that if I blow-dried it, the supposed stain would set in. It was another tender mercy the blouse dried very quickly. Once it air dried completely, the spot was still slightly visible so I dabbed it with water again and after it dried the second time around, I did not notice it. If it was still present, my hair was long enough to cover it up. 

Not only was it a tender mercy I had a backup top and cardigan to wear if necessary, in addition, the spot on the blouse cleaned up nicely and particularly fast. 

When have you been concerned when an article of clothing became what appeared stained just minutes before needing to be someplace on time and not only did you have a replacement you could quickly change into if necessary, even better, after dabbing the area with water, the “grease spot” cleared up?

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.*

Phew—No Parking Ticket!

Late Saturday morning as I was looking out our front window, I noticed our car was still out in the street from the night previous. I began to panic and my heart started racing rapidly. I was concerned that we had a ticket either on our driver’s side door window or windshield. 

In our neighborhood, parking on the street overnight is not allowed. And, if you do so, you can expect to come out the next morning and see a ticket on your vehicle. As I stepped outside to move our car back into the driveway, I was nervous. Then I realized it was Saturday and that on the weekends if you’re parked in the street overnight, you won’t get a ticket.

It was a tender mercy that on any night to not remember to bring the car back into the driveway, it was on a Friday night that I had forgotten and we did not have a ticket on our car. 

When have you expected to get a ticket for a traffic ordinance oversight and you were relieved when you were not, after all, in violation of a restriction and issued a ticket?

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.*

At A Moment’s Notice

On multiple occasions throughout the week during brief gaps between daily routine commitments and, at one point, prior to a set appointment, I was asked if I could assist someone who needed my help last minute. I had the flexibility in my schedule within those intervals to adjust quickly at a moment’s notice and adapt to the sudden shift away from my non-pressing, engaging time-filler activities to accommodate the request. It was a tender mercy the timing of the service opportunities fit snuggly and just right between my commitments and appointment. 

When have you experienced the timeliness of sudden, split-second opportunities to help another fitting perfectly between your commitments and appointments? 

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.*

Happy Medium

Days after Easter, I was ready to clear off the holiday treats from my kitchen countertop and free up the space. I started with a carton of chocolate covered marshmallow eggs. When I opened it, there was one mouthwatering marshmallow left inside. It looked yummy and I knew it would taste good, however, I didn’t particularly want to eat it right then. Even more so, I didn’t want to leave the carton on the countertop or place it on a shelf in the pantry for a single marshmallow or waste it by throwing out perfectly edible food. 

Although I wanted to savour it later, I didn’t think it would likely be remembered if I put it in a baggie to hang onto it so I decided to eat a portion and toss the rest. As I took the last marshmallow out of the carton, one of my children walked up to me, saw it in my hand, and shared that they had never before had one. When I asked if they would like it, they said yes. Along with their showing an interest, they also expressed an uncertainty as to whether they would like it or not so I offered them half. Where I did not desire all of it for myself in that moment, I gladly split the marshmallow and the half that otherwise would have been thrown out, they accepted. It was a tender mercy that the timing of my child’s approach resolved the dilemma of what to do with the delicious chocolate covered marshmallow egg without wasting it. 

When have you been tidying up your kitchen and clearing out near empty packages of unexpired good food that was taking up space, to which you were not personally wanting to eat right away or desiring to throw out, and you were able to share it with someone else without wasting 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, please send your name and email address to tendermercymoments@gmail.com.*

Not Settling For Mediocre

Upon completing a post entry for my blog, one of the finishing touches before it was ready to publish was trying to figure out which picture image to attach that corresponded adequately to the experience I was sharing. I had a couple of options I was considering as possibilities, yet, it wasn’t clear which one I should select. Although I was leaning more heavily towards one of them, neither felt completely right nor connected in the way I’d hoped for or wanted. 

Because I didn’t have anything else to choose from at the time, I decided to move forward and just go with the one I liked to a greater extent and it would have to make do. I was about willing to settle for “just ok” from the limited selection I had until I was abruptly interrupted and needed to take care of another matter. As I stepped away briefly and walked into another room, I observed on a wall a picture to which I immediately knew and felt was the perfect image for the post. It was a tender mercy that in the very moment I was close to publishing and settling for a mediocre image, I was drawn away to then come across an amazingly ideal and fitting image for my blog entry.  

When have you almost settled for a mediocre choice and in the very moment of decision an abrupt interruption guides you to another option that is even better? 

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.*

Naturally Awakening

As sleep deprivation and exhaustion set in after rising early in the morning following a night of not getting much sleep, I was in need of a nap prior to attending a meeting. Although I set my alarm clock, I realized when I woke up on my own that I had set it incorrectly. It was a tender mercy that although my alarm clock did not go off at the time I meant for it to ring, my body naturally woke up just in time to make the meeting and not miss it. 

When have you promptly woken up naturally on your own and not missed attending a planned event after having set your alarm clock wrong and it not going off at the time you had intended?

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.*

Spotted

Before the sun completely set after a spiritually-filled day of listening to and watching two amazing sessions of a semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on TV followed by a welcome visit from the missionaries serving in our area, I was excited to go for a walk with my husband and enjoy the beauty of the outdoors. On our way out the door, I spotted out of the corner of my eye the Redbox movies we had rented and watched the night before sitting on our kitchen countertop. 

In taking in and soaking up each of the inspired messages as they were conveyed and later pondering on them while in the relaxation and comfort of our home, I lost track of the movies and the plan to return them earlier. It was a tender mercy I caught a glimpse of the videos 1 hour before they were due and they were returned in time before being charged another day for them.

When have you forgotten about an item you had rented and before it was turned in late, you noticed it sitting out and took it back just in time?

tendermercym❤️ments~jld

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

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