A Rubber Band

While shopping, the bottom of my shoe separated from the top. I sought for a solution and considered a rubber band. I hesitated asking a store employee. When I decided to ask, they had one just the right size to double wrap and hold my shoe together. Awesome! I was grateful to continue shopping wearing my shoe intact.

Why did I hesitate to ask? I am one who is self-reliant and struggles asking others for help when I need it. I also did not want to receive something without paying for it first and at the same time I did not want to pay for a rubber band I had at home. I was essentially stunting myself. As I considered the logic behind my initial decision to not ask, I pushed my reasoning aside and asked an employee who happily found one and gave it to me at no charge.

Have you hesitated asking for help when you have needed it, holding yourself back for whatever reason, and then when you did ask, you were grateful for the blessing you received?

tendermercym♥ments~jld

Disguising Oily Hair

Today my hair needed to be washed. It was clear and visible to me that it was oily, but I did not have time to wash it before my day started. I considered options to hide it and cover it up like wearing a hat, but I didn’t own a hat so that wasn’t going to work or pulling my hair back in a ponytail, but if I did that it would still show it was oily on top.  So I thought of a style that would interweave my hair in a way not covering up my white highlights, but that my oily hair would not be as obvious and it would look clean and beautiful.  I was happy with the results and grateful for a solution to disguise it until I could return home to wash it.

What have you done on those days when you have been unable to wash your hair and you were still able to walk out the door looking nice and feeling good?

tendermercym♥ments~jld

The Strength Of The Youth

The Strength of The Youth Comes By Following Heavenly Father’s Loving Guidance And Direction.

The strength of the youth to stand for truth and righteousness is admirable. When one of my children came to me to let me know that they broke a rule while my husband and I were out on a date night, it was a tender mercy as I listened to them take accountability and accept responsibility for a choice they had made. Recognizing their wrong doing, as they approached me and addressed their actions, the comfort and safety they felt coming to me was warming as a mom as well as their desire to be honest and truthful.

I felt impressed that there may have been an unawareness of the correlation of our house rule to counsel that was given from a loving Heavenly Father through His Prophets to us. I reminded this child of the blessings associated with keeping Heavenly Father’s commandments and how following His loving guidance and direction we are able to always have His Spirit with us to help and bless us in times we need comfort, strength, protection, guidance, direction, answers to prayers, etc. and that we have agency to choose if we will follow Him or choose a different path. That decision is ours individually to make.

I shared that the house rule still stands and what they choose to do—to follow it or not is up to them. I expressed my thanks for their coming and talking with me. It was a very loving moment between the two of us as the Spirit of truth was spoken and felt.

When have you had a “strength of the youth” experience similar in which one of your children trusted coming to you to disclose a wrong doing and they felt of your love and the Spirit even as counsel was provided?

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.

Decompressing

I decompress by getting things off my chest whether that be sharing with my husband or a friend those things that are pressing on my mind and weighing on me, crying out loud to our Heavenly Father in private, or writing them down. And then, from there, enjoying a hobby like walking, reading, window shopping, playing boggle, watching an episode or two of a favorite TV series, or watching a movie.

The past two days I’ve been carrying a lot of weight resulting in anxiety and feeling tense and stressed.  I’ve had difficulty identifying the source until I openly spoke to my husband, while on our date night, what I was feeling and experiencing.  As I opened up, and he listened and shared some insight with me, my tightened chest started to relax and my shoulders loosened. That was the beginning of my being able to decompress.  The next morning, I felt much better after time conversing with my husband and an evening of relaxing and resting.

What do you do to decompress?

tendermercym♥ments~jld

Craft Room Supplies

I have had a craft room for a number of years that began when I hosted an annual Christmas party. That was a wonderful time and a season that past about seven years ago.  Since then, my craft room has remained mostly untouched except for times when my kids have school projects and they’re in need of supplies.

Most recently, one of my children needed paper to make origami designs for an up-and-coming Eco Fair.  Recyclable resources were needed, preferably with the least amount of out-of-pocket expense. It feels so good to have readily accessible resources available to help my kids with their projects.  I love seeing their creativity and ingenuity using what I have on hand to help with their great ideas. Being able to walk into the craft room rather than go to the store to purchase supplies saves so much time, energy, and stress. It is exciting, fun, and exhilarating to share what resources I have in buckets and on shelves, intended to bless the lives of others.

Do you get excited about resources that you have available and on hand that can help and benefit someone else?

tendermercym♥ments~jld

Overflowing Abundance Of Blessings

I met up with my youngest child and his school class today to tour a cavern. I was grateful for simple directions to the location. It was a tender mercy I did not get lost or turned around. How many times do you rely on GPS for directions and you find yourself in a completely different place than where you intended?  I’ve had that happen to me time and time again. Today, I was grateful that was not the case. I had a little bit of familiarity with where I was in the beginning to navigate with more confidence in myself than in GPS, and then I relied and trusted in the correctness and assistance of GPS the rest of the way.

It was a beautiful, scenic drive along a route with little traffic and my steering wheel had no pulling and tightness. I am not a fan of congestion or traffic and so the smoothness and easy flow of the drive was a tender mercy! My steering wheel for the past couple weeks has, on and off, tightened while turning. This morning, it happened briefly; but the entire drive to the cavern and back, it was a tender mercy there were no issues.

Preceding the approximate 45 minute drive, one hour before leaving, my right leg was acting up and was very restless. When I experience this discomfort, napping relieves it. After I dropped my children off at their respective schools, it was a tender mercy I had time to take a nap, resting my body before making the drive and I had no further problems with my leg.

And, it was a tender mercy there was a discount on the ticket price for school chaperones! I was happy for the discount. It was still pricey, but less, by several dollars, than an otherwise very expensive entrance fee ticket to the cavern.

A highlight of the field trip was the tender mercy of being able to spend time with my son at the cavern, particularly right now as he enjoys having me join him on his field trips. It was a fun and memorable experience with him!  He was very loving, kind, and considerate of me. He alerted me and kept me safe from bumping my head while passing through a tight place. He saved me a seat on a bench a couple of times in areas where we could sit down and listen to the tour guide rather than remain standing. He saved me a place next to him at a picnic table with his friends at lunch time. He expressed and showed his love for me throughout the tour and gave me hugs. I am grateful I was able to join him and share this special time together.

I had been to this cavern two years earlier with one of my other children. I wasn’t thrilled about returning with the mindset, “been there, done that”, but I wanted to be with my youngest and have the experience of being with him. In the end, I enjoyed very much the tour and was grateful I had returned as there was a lot I had forgotten. It was a fabulous afternoon, even if a bit cold and windy. The time with my youngest was valuable and priceless and worth the pricey ticket to revisit the cavern with him.

Yesterday, I was experiencing a lot of doubt, fear, and concerns and it was a tender mercy those doubts, fears, and concerns were lifted on my way home as I chose to listen to a CD, “Say Love” by my favorite music artist, Hilary Weeks. Her music spoke to my heart and provided a strength I was lacking yesterday. Today, I felt the Spirit and a renewed calm and peace.

It was all in all a very pleasant drive to and from the cavern and an all-around very good day with multiple tender mercies and I am truly grateful!

Do you have days that are complete flops and you feel depleted, lacking energy, strength, and stamina and then you receive an overflowing of blessings that give you renewed faith and courage to face life’s challenges? How do you work through those difficult times? I tell myself to put one foot in front of the other and keep taking baby steps forward, one step at a time, even if it is a shuffle and I can barely pick my feet up. As I serve myself (like brushing my teeth), and others (making a simple family meal heating up a can of soup), I am actively doing something to keep myself afloat. What do you do to keep yourself up and going between those not so good and good days?

I am grateful for the knowledge that each day is a new day and there is “light at the end of the tunnel”. The amount of time in darkness may be unknown, but the light will come if I keep moving forward. It is this knowledge I have preceding the hard times and a hope I hang onto during really hard times that helps me get through the bleakest of moments. If I did not already have that belief prior to the challenges, getting through the challenges would be even harder.

tendermercym♥ments~jld

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

Should I Shower Now Or Not

I was, no doubt, in need of a shower. I had hoped to have had one yesterday and that didn’t happen, so most certainly,  I needed and wanted a shower today.  As I was preparing to get in the shower, my daughter sent me a text message that she was heading off-campus for lunch. I worry when she is out driving. I want to be accessible to my children in the event that they need me in an emergency situation, so I was debating whether to shower then or wait till my daughter returned back to the school.

There are so many things that consume my mind with worry regarding my kids.  It is not unusual for me to put off doing what I need to do for myself when I’m concerned about their well-being.  I considered the unused time delaying what I could do for myself if I waited 20 to 30 minutes in limbo until I heard word that she had made it back to school.  As I contemplated and offered a simple prayer to know if I should shower now or not, I felt impressed to shower and take care of myself and everything would be ok.  I felt comforted and a peace of mind.

I am grateful today that a prayer I had in my heart asking Heavenly Father a question, “should I shower now or not”, I felt impressed to go ahead, shower, and everything would be ok.  In fact, everything was ok. It may seem small and silly, yet Heavenly Father knew it mattered to me and an answer right then and there was a blessing.

Have you ever been consumed with worry, so much so, that your taking care of yourself is halted for a time? What have you done to work through your worry and still care for yourself?

tendermercym♥ments~jld

My Response To The Spilt Milk Mishap

A Spilt Milk Mishap

My youngest accidentally bumped his cereal bowl this morning and the milk and cocoa puffs poured out on him, the table, and the floor. All the while, I was resting on a couch nearby listening. I did not want to get involved or interfere as I felt it would make matters worse. Even when he quietly requested, “I could use some help”, my response to the spilt milk mishap was to remain still and unseen right where I was at as if sound asleep.

I was impressed on how well he tackled the clean up. He was proactive and took initiative gathering paper towels to pick up the mess, followed by wiping the area down with a wet paper towel, and once dry, scooping and sweeping up most of the remaining cereal and placing his wet shirt in his laundry basket.

He was bothered that it had happened and grumbled slightly, but overall controlled his irritation and went to work. When all was done, he noted it took him about 10 minutes. I was impressed! It was a tender mercy I was able to listen from my vantage point to how well he handled himself and what he knew to do throughout the unfortunate situation without any involvement from me.

As I drove him to school, I shared my quiet awareness of his proactive action, complimented his response and taking the initiative to clean it up all by himself, thanked him, and gave him a fist bump. He smiled!

When have you stepped back to allow your kids to take care of mishaps such as spilt milk on their own and you were amazed at how well they handled the unfortunate happening?

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.*
 

Scheduled Bedtimes

We have scheduled bedtimes in our home for all the kids from the youngest, pre-teen, and teenagers; yet, most nights our kids are not in bed at their scheduled times because of extracurricular activities in the evening—Family Home Evening (FHE); Latter-day Saints Young Men’s/ Young Women’s; Scouts; sports practices and games; family movie night and weekend down time.

Tonight, we were all home.  It was a relaxed night. We had a casual dinner, the kids played basketball and rollerbladed outside, they played indoors, and we were able to maintain scheduled bedtimes. It was fantastic and very much needed! We get up so early in the mornings and late nights are rough. It was a blessing tonight that each of the kids were settled on or near their bedtimes.

Although, within 20 minutes after settling my youngest in bed, he came out sharing with me he needed medicine for 23 mosquito bites and he was unable to sleep because they were itchy. Fortunately, it occurred just after he went to bed so he was still able to get a good night’s rest after I applied the Benadryl Gel to each of his mosquito bites. We try, don’t we?

Our nightly routines (family prayer and scriptures, brushing teeth, pajamas on, personalized one-on-one parent/child time) are consistent.  Scheduled bedtimes do not change, but annually on their birthdays.  At that time, their bedtime extends 15 minutes later for the rest of the year and then changes again on their birthday extended another 15 minutes and so on. Bedtimes are based on their ages. For instance, when they are 12, bedtime is at 9pm; when they are 18, bedtime is at 10:30pm; and 15 minute increments in between. The actual time our kids go to bed changes nightly depending on the night and what activity is happening.  If nothing is going on, which is rare, regular bedtime schedules are maintained.

Are you able to maintain a regular bedtime schedule for your kids? If so, how do you do it? Do your kids know the schedule and the routine even on off days when you are out later than bedtime?

tendermercym♥ments~jld

Weak In Appearance; But, In Fact, Strong

While shopping at Sam’s Club, I was deciding on which container of laundry detergent I wanted to purchase. One container looked damaged and so I was looking for another that looked ok. In the meantime, an older gentleman that looked fragile offered to help and assist me in lifting the detergent out of the box and place it in my shopping cart.

I am sure to him it appeared as if I were struggling to lift the detergent out of the box when at the time I was only checking them out and not ready to decide on one yet.  Nonetheless, he helped me by pulling out one of the detergents (it happened to be the one I questioned; figures, right) from a box and attempted to put it in my very packed shopping cart. I expressed my gratitude for his help.  Although he appeared physically feeble, he had strength.  He walked away with a smile on his face and I was happy I accepted his assistance.

He was with his wife whom seem pleased as well. He was able to help and the service that he had rendered to me, I could see brought him joy. Although I was capable and had the strength to lift it out myself, in no way did I want to take that experience and opportunity away from him. He, too, was capable and able, although his frame looked weak and fragile. We have strength within ourselves that maybe others do not see because our strength is quiet and unnoticed. As we extend ourselves outward and share our strength, it can and will bless the lives of others.

My life was touched by this older gentleman, his strength and the service he provided me. Have you been thrown off at times when others have offered their assistance, but it didn’t seem like they had the strength or capacity to assist you? Have you been taken back when the appearance of one thing was quite the opposite and contrary to what you thought? Do you allow others to help you when their help seems questionable?

Life can surprise us sometimes and I am grateful for those opportunities to see things in a different light than what I initially considered to be the case, especially when the outcome is greater and better than I could have imagined. At the time the gentleman helped me, I was preoccupied with a phone call and was a bit tangled up with earbuds in my ear and my phone in the shopping cart and trying to stretch and get to the detergent without ripping out the cord was tricky.  I also had a slightly sore shoulder so even though I could have done it on my own, his help did come in handy and I was appreciative. And, in addition, for those who are OCD like me, the detergent container had a small indentation, but no leaking.  I did good to overcome my tendency to replace it and did not go back to trade it out, but kept it and purchased it.  Yay for me. That is huge!

tendermercym♥ments~jld

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