Compensated For The Substantial Oversight

Despite the ordeal that ensued upon our realizing our online order we had picked up was incomplete, without any hesitation from the restaurant manager, we were more than compensated for the substantial oversight.

While on a family trip visiting loved ones, it was decided one evening that we would all have dinner together via carryout from a local restaurant that was between both of our places of residence. Despite the ordeal that ensued upon our realizing our online order we had picked up was incomplete, without any hesitation from the restaurant manager, we were more than compensated for the substantial oversight.

Shortly after we pulled into the curbside takeaway parking spot upon our arrival at the restaurant, an employee brought out our food in a large paper bag with handles and additional bread upon our request. Before leaving, we scanned over the items in the bag to confirm it was our order and off we went. Approximately 20 minutes later, we arrived at our loved ones home excited to spend quality time together all the while eating warm and delicious food.

Well, it so happened that when I removed all the food from the bag and placed it on the kitchen countertop, only half of our order was in the bag. I looked over each item laid out multiple times just to be sure. Yep, we were missing half of the food we had ordered. 

Right away I called the restaurant to let them know what all we were missing and to ask if there was a second bag with our name on it that was not brought out to our car. The employee that answered the phone was as shocked and surprised as we were about our only receiving half the order and nope, there was not a second bag. 

As the employee then transferred me over to speak to a carryout employee, while on hold, my call was dropped. This happened several times. Eventually, after calling back again and again, I was transferred to a manager who more than compensated us for the substantial oversight of our not receiving all that we had ordered. Together with the food we had not received that was reordered, it was a tender mercy the half of our order that we had already received was also reordered, on the house. 

As I headed back to the restaurant to pick up our full order, it was agreed that while I was away the food I had just laid out and was still warm would be consumed as the round trip and wait time for the reordered food to come out would be a length of time, which ended up being about an hour and a half post the time we had initially picked up what we thought was the entire order. Also, on my way out, a family member suggested I ask the manager if they would be willing to compensate us dessert for our troubles.  

While driving back to the restaurant, I was super frustrated that we had not realized we were missing the other half of the order before we left the restaurant and that we were now not able to eat all together at the same time. Urg! I was not happy! I wanted to unleash my unhappiness at someone, fortunately, it was a tender mercy I worked through my heightened emotions in the car and was able to appropriately communicate what I was irritated, annoyed, and bothered about with my husband over the phone upon my arrival at the restaurant and I did not take my anger and lash out at anyone. Rather, what I did was express my gratitude  for the substantial compensation we were given. 

Once back at the restaurant, I went inside to speak to the manager in person. It was a tender mercy that when I asked about their compensating us with dessert, they did not hesitate to do so. Not only was it a tender mercy that we received all over again, on the house, the half of our order we had initially picked up, but it also didn’t hurt to ask about dessert not only once but twice when what was first given only accommodated a third of our party and when I asked if we could get a quantity for our whole party, they graciously obliged, as well as when the food was brought out the second time and in addition to a side dish that was missing, which the carryout employee went back inside and brought it out, another item that mistakenly appeared to be lacking was generously compensated for with double that item. 

When have you placed an order that arrived incomplete and the business more than compensated you for the substantial oversight of what all had been missing upon delivery? 

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.

Still There

...phew, at the end of the adventure the item was still there where I had initially placed it and in working order.


While vacationing, late one afternoon our family went tubing down a river. It was fun, yet not as relaxing as I had hoped. While on the river, I opted to keep an essential and not so easily replaceable item on me the whole time, with the intent it would remain safe and secure. Despite a perilous moment in the rapids soon after I fell behind everyone else as they were carried briskly downstream per a straighter course than I, phew, at the end of the adventure the item was still there where I had initially placed it and in working order.  

My plan while on the river was to stay in my tube the entire time and enjoy a leisure ride effortlessly floating along and taking in the scenery all around me. As such, I selected of the two tube options, one with a deep height circumference that would more so keep me up and out of the water. 

Throughout our adventure, I kept our car key remote with me. To keep it dry and secure, I slipped it onto the waistband drawstring of my denim capri shorts and double knotted it tightly. I then flipped the knot with the key attached inside my capris between my pants and an undergarment. My top layer shirt I kept untucked to lay over top my capris. I then put on my life jacket. As the bottom of my pants legs had an elastic hem, I pulled them up to rest them just below my knees. I was hopeful that if in the event the car key remote slipped off the knotted tie, whichever pant leg it fell into, it would stay pocketed and not escape the elastic hem.

While on the bus that took us up to the drop off location where we would begin the tubing adventure, we were informed of several islands downstream and instructed to go around them on one particular side as we approached them. As I neared the first island, no matter how hard I tried to steer myself via my hands to paddle in the direction we were asked to go, I was unsuccessful. 

The closer I got to the island and continued to make no headway in navigating over to the side I needed to be on, I quickly got out of the tube and tried to walk and pull the tube over to that side, but with the swiftness of the water and not being able to firmly plant my feet on anything, it was a challenge as I fought against the force of the river. I gave it my all.

All the while in the water and at the river’s mercy, after clearing the island, I prayed to stay calm as I attempted every possible way I could to get back in the tube. Unable to plop back in as I had no footing below me, I tried to grab a branch or protruding rock on the edge of the bank to hold myself steady long enough to get back in, however, that didn’t work. As the water propelled me aggressively forward, I hung over the outside of the back end of the tube. After what felt longer than it probably actually was, it was a tender mercy I reached a temporary calm spot in the river and a place where I could quickly stand up adequately and get back in the tube sitting upright.  

During the time I was in the water, I was concerned that the inside of my car key remote may have gotten wet and would no longer work. Once back in the tube, I hoped the sun’s heat would not only dry my clothes but also that my dry clothes would soak up any possible water that may have gotten inside the car key remote, however, time and again as I crashed into the rapids, water toppled onto my lap and soaked up my clothes. 

Even after being directly in the water and drenched multiple times throughout the tubing adventure, it was a tender mercy that after exiting the river, not only was my car key remote still there where I knotted it on the drawstring, but also when I returned to our car, the remote had only a little bit of moisture on the outside and it still worked. 

When have you been concerned that something you intended to keep safe and secure may have become damaged or gone missing due to life’s happenings, and it was still there in the place you put it and in one piece?

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.

The Underlying Source Of My Anxiety Fully Came To Light

For more than two decades, I have dealt with intense anxiety while traveling here and there in a car with no idea why or from where it originated. It was not until recently that the underlying source of my anxiety fully came to light.

For more than two decades, I have dealt with intense anxiety while traveling here and there in a car with no idea why or from where it originated. It was not until recently that the underlying source of my anxiety fully came to light. 

I have racked my brain for years desiring to pinpoint any occurrence from whence I acquired the anxiety. Repeatedly, the same multiple memories of driving incidences would come to mind—the time during my childhood days while in the backseat in our family station wagon when our car was one of several vehicles abruptly tapped forward at a traffic light…to a time as a passenger in a vehicle with a road rage driver…to a time in high school as an occupant in a small car with friends and the friend who was driving drove through a stop sign at a main thoroughfare and crossed several lanes of traffic…to when my mom almost ran a red light at an intersection when she misheard my siblings in the backseat say a word that sounded like go…to the time as a teenager on a family trip when I drove through a mountain pass at night and the lights of a diesel truck blinded my view momentarily as the driver rounded a bend heading downhill from the inner lane next to the mountainside and I was climbing uphill in the outer lane alongside a cliff‘s edge. 

Though all were scary moments and it was a tender mercy no one was scathed, I would shake my head and say “nope, none of those feel like the source of my anxiety” and I would continue to wonder and ask the question, “why do I have this anxiety and from where did it originate?” No doubt I have been impacted by each incident, yet nailing down the underlying source of my anxiety has alluded me, until recently when I was back in the city where my first driving accident occurred 30 years ago.

As I was driving home on a parkway during rush hour traffic, I received a premonition I would be in an accident. Moments later, the car in front of me exited the lane and entered a middle lane to turn into a shopping center and then the driver changed their mind and came back over into my lane right in front of me, at which time my front bumper hit their back bumper. Fortunately, it was a tender mercy no physical injuries to either of us or visible damage to our cars occurred. That being the case, the driver was satisfied all was well and we went on our way. 

The year or two following and for a number of years after, while attending college and serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I did not have a car. I either walked, biked, or used public transportation to get around. My first recollection of the apparency of my anxiety was while my husband and I were driving in highly congested areas on our honeymoon six or so years after the accident. From that point forward, my anxiety has surfaced every time I am in a car, yet I have not been able to put my finger on the underlying source until now.

Throughout my entire stay upon my return to this surrounding area where the minor accident occurred, I felt an overwhelming anxiety, greater than usual while driving from place to place. Then suddenly, one evening as I was out and about I had an aha moment, an epiphany. It was a tender mercy it became clear to me right then that my anxiety resulted from the accident 30 years prior. 

Interestingly, I have on many occasions shared the facts of the accident as it comes up in a dialogue from time to time with a purpose to express my gratitude for the head’s up warning, our safety, and that I was not ticketed. Where I was not physically injured, I had not connected nor realized that the accident had mentally impacted me and has shown up each time I am in a car and want for there to always be a conservatively safe distance kept between my car and the vehicles ahead of me in the event a driver quickly pulls in front of my car. It is when that safe distance is breached, I experience intense anxiety, which happens frequently. 

Though this knowledge did not eliminate my anxiety, it was a tender mercy that the underlying source of my anxiety fully came to light and I now know the why and from where my anxiety originated. In addition, it was a tender mercy when one evening as I was close by the very spot the accident occurred, I felt a peacefulness. 

When have you experienced bouts of anxiety to any degree of any kind and not known the why and from where it originated and you felt a comfort when the underlying source of your anxiety fully came to light? 

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.

Summited Through The Obstacles

With an “I Can Do This” mental mindset and the courage to “go and do”, I summited through the obstacles overwhelming my anxiety and made it to the refreshing waterfall.

Days before the close of summer break, per a recommendation given to my husband for scenic locations to check out in our area, our family went for a hike along a rocky ridge to a cascading waterfall inside a canyon, not far distant from our place. Along the way we summited through obstacles that overwhelmed my anxiety, yet it did not stop me from my desire to reach this spectacular destination.  

Though it was a rather short drive away, the speed of traffic en route was extremely nerve-racking for me and most especially when we approached the base of the canyon as the lanes veering off to go up in the direction we were headed merged into one. 

I love driving through canyons and seeing the beauty of nature from the trees to the flowing streams, wildlife, etc. however, I experience intense anxiety in fast paced traffic, and even a bit more so along windy, albeit wide, highway roads through mountain passes.  

Before entering the mountain pass, as we drove through the bottlenecked area at the base of the canyon, my anxiety skyrocketed. Once the lanes opened up again, I was able to relax a little, however, my anxiety continued as a few miles up the road we turned off the main highway and drove up a tight paved road with switchbacks and drop off edges to the parking lot where the hike began. 

Once on the little more than single-file dusty hiking trail that weaved in and out of the sun’s heat, navigating over large rocks and around tree stumps hoping not to sprain an ankle, twist a knee, slip and fall, or overexert myself to the point of exhaustion, I was conscientious of each step I took and I stopped to take breaks. 

After the nerve-racking drive up the canyon highway, traveling along the treacherous, narrow and here and there curvy side road, and an hour of hiking all the while out of shape, it was a tender mercy, with an “I Can Do This” mental mindset and the courage to “go and do”, I summited through the obstacles overwhelming my anxiety and made it to the refreshing waterfall.  

When have you summited through obstacles that overwhelmed your anxiety and with mental strength and courage you made it the distance to see a worthwhile scenic site? 

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.

Right Under My Nose All Along

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

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

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

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

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

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

tendermercym❤️ments~jld

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

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

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.

Letting Up On My Self-Induced Stringent Schedule

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When have you let up on a stringent schedule you set for yourself and you felt a peace in doing so as well as it opened up wonderful opportunities for you?

tendermercym❤️ments~jld

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

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