Tenderest of Mercies

I'm discovering tender mercies almost daily, allowing me the realization that Heavenly Father is aware of even the smallest and most insignificant details of our lives, because they seem huge to us in the moment.

  They often come as I'm reading scriptures and can amazingly apply one from that very day to my current intriguing situation.

Or when I'm talking to a friend from home who needs a shoulder or asks for counsel, and I suddenly know the right words to say.  Somehow.

Or when I need some quick alone time for personal reasons, and it's suddenly there.

Or when there is overwhelming joy in Sister Xia's home life because of the upcoming, long-awaited baptism of her father, and a thought comes to me of something that I might offer her that might be meaningful for this wonderful event that she will miss, because she is on a mission.

My busy, but very attentive sister Susan, who provides inspirational words each week with a letter in the mailbox for me to retrieve on usually just the day I need her wisdom.

A very special tender mercy came in the form of my little Sierra, with whom I can now exchange knitting of our hearts, as we offer prayers for each other in certain special moments for the specific trials "which do so easily beset us."  This has been a HUGE tender mercy!  It makes me cry with gratitude for her prayers.  A LOT.

Of course the day the cheerful FedEx man came and rescued my package on some random East LA street, as I stood there, forlornly wondering what to do next with it...

My sweet past companion, Sister MaryAnn, who seems to sense the moment I need a positive word from her, and she calls or sends a card or treat.

Ever and always, the person I run into who knew Arlyn by some arbitrary way.  Through the sale of a tractor, or through insurance, serving in their bishopric, or any other number of ways.  They know him and still remember him.  I love that!

Or any one of my children or grandchildren, who also send me emails that give me the right lift at exactly the right moment.

The words I hear from prophets and apostles through my ear phones on beautiful, early, quiet mornings that I walk by myself through the neighborhoods of Alhambra.  And then when I get to BUSY Huntington Drive, with so much morning traffic already whizzing past me, I get to intentionally listen more carefully to the quiet, uplifting words coming into my ears, though the busy world around me keeps trying to distract my attention.

My sweet sister-in-law Jolene, who sends me weekly letters that bear me up.

Memorable p-days that rejuvenate my soul and add to my sense of adventure while I'm serving a mission in Los Angeles, CA.

This last p-day included a single sister, Sister Beck, from the mission office, who works with missionary housing.  She lives here so she knows the way to stuff and what fun things to do.  We went to Newport Beach, the actual beach of Corona del Rey, and enjoyed walking along the sandy water's edge. 

We enjoyed an exceptional lunch at an old bank building built during the Depression, turned into Crab Cooker.  They keep their fresh fish in the old bank's vault.


Then we had a nice, quiet session at the Newport Beach temple.  What a fun day!  Sister Beck will be leaving on her own full-time mission soon, so we better hurry if we're going to get another p-day in with her!

One wondrous tender mercy is a lazy Saturday to sleep in and catch up on housekeeping, journals, and blogs, and no hair to fix! And a chance to remember so many of the tender mercies that fill my life continually.