“The Lord's tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ” - Elder David A. Bednar

Friday, May 20, 2011

Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words

My husband is currently finishing his thesis - so most of the child care and house work falls in my lap. We're also living with my in-laws while we buy our first home - and to help out I cook 3 nights a week and clean.

One night I felt very overworked and under-appreciated. I'd been cleaning/organizing all day while caring for my (demanding) children.

While making dinner with my fussy 3 month old on my hip the utter exhaustion that only a sleep deprived mom of young children knows hit me and I was spent - emotionally and physically.

I had made a resolution to not complain anymore about anything. Complaining doesn't help. So I was keeping my mouth shut and wishing someone would offer a hand or notice my hard work or something!

While standing at the stove, in walked my mother-in-law, who as a kindergarten teacher that had just taken her students to the zoo in the rain, had also had a very long day. She put her arm around me and whispered "Do you know you're worth your weight in gold?" and gave me a little squeeze.

Wow. Just a few simple words and everything changed. My attitude improved, my exhaustion dissipated, and I felt loved and appreciated - by both my mother-in-law and a loving Heavenly Father who knew exactly what I needed to hear and sent someone to say it.

I was left alone in the kitchen to finish dinner, my heart was full, and my eyes wet.

Something so simple made a huge impact.

story submitted by
Barbara S.
Kaysville, Utah

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

A Picture of Profound Worth

The tender mercy I share has become my measuring stick for when to know I've done all I could and now it's time to give my burden to the Lord.

When I was 17 a classmate and I traveled together from our small town to Ogden for the State Wrestling tournament. Our school was pretty good and expected to take state that year. The excitement was in the air as many others from my school were also traveling out and getting hotel rooms. It was no secret how some of them planned to celebrate the occasion. It just so happened that my girlfriend had relatives close by so we stayed there to save money.

Now the fact that this girl and I were even friends, according to our peers, was "odd." The reason we were oddly matched is because, at the time, I was considered a "goody-goody" type, and she was a "party-girl" type, as she called herself. I wasn't bothered by what others thought about our friendship because I had a secret plan to help her see a new way of life.

Once we arrived at her family’s we got ready, then headed to the tournament. My girlfriend made an unexpected turn off the freeway and drove in another direction from the Event Center. "We are just going to make a quick stop first." She said. As we pulled into a hotel parking lot, my heart fell hard and fast. My secret plan for my girlfriend somehow jumped tracks to another plan entirely! I felt trapped.

My pleas to wait in the car for her return were seemingly unheard. I finally agreed to her promise for a brief “hello” and showing face, then leaving.

I felt a heaviness of heart as I entered and looked around the room. I recognized everyone; most of us had grown up together since grade school. I liked most all of them, it made me sad to see their behavior. Immediately, behind that thought was that of the girls from my young women's class at church. I’d been made president of the class and knew they'd be disappointed to hear that I was at this party. I found my friend and informed her I'd be in the car.

A few there with her asked that we get a picture before we left. Amazingly everyone stopped and collected together to get a picture, with me. I told them I would only be in the picture if they promised to put all the beer cans down first, which they did, I thought. The picture was snapped, followed by an eruption of laughter. I whipped around to see that many had only held the beer behind their backs but brought them out for the picture. I was surrounded by it, and I knew they had a plan for the picture.

As a note: my friend didn't plan for that to happen, and, today, she is a stalwart member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. At that moment I felt utterly betrayed and was inconsolable as she followed me from the room. I told her over and over, the girls from my ward would never understand if they saw that picture. I was devastated, and knew of nothing believable I'd be able to say to recover from this.

That night I knelt and recounted the story to my Heavenly Father. I expressed deep sorrow for being in that room and the damage that picture would do. I asked Heavenly Father to please forgive me and somehow prevent that picture from being seen.

Two weeks later, my girlfriend rushed up to me in the hallway at school. Out of breath, she, and another girl from the party, told me they'd been looking all over for me, and thrust a stack of pictures into my hand. As I looked I could tell they were the pictures from the party.

I thumbed through them very slowly, and then came to one that was a complete blur; nothing at all recognizable, but it was the only one of the stack that way. "What's this one?" I asked, holding up the blurry one. "THAT one is the only one of all of them that didn't turn out!" my girlfriend replied, "It's the group picture we took with you!"

In that very moment, I was completely aware, Heavenly Father was mindful of ME; that of all the millions of His children on the earth at that time, I mattered to Him, and HE, through my Savior, Jesus Christ had extended a tender mercy to Sonja.

story submitted by
Sonja S.
Hyrum, Utah

Friday, May 13, 2011

The Little Miracles

I had made my 2 cute sister-in-law’s vow to buy red shoes before the end of the year 2011, this was December 2010. A silly goal, but nonetheless important for any young single lady.

I just so happened to take one of my s-i-l to the DI...and would you believe it? Red heels, her exact size...$3.

The next week I just happened to be browsing DSW and found some really awesome heels that looked just like the ones I pictured for my other s-i-l. So I had her check them out online. They were $40, but totally worth it—right?

She had to work the next day, so she gave me two twenties and I ran to DSW to buy them for her. When I got to the register...they said they were 40% off, plus with some other random discount, and I had a $5 gift card...so they were only $14.

They both wore their new heels to a fancy Christmas party that same month! It’s the little miracles in life isn’t it?

story submitted by
Natalie S.
Farmington, Utah

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Other Angels

My mom died a week before I turned 17, my junior year of high school. Although it was a difficult time, and to this day is something I think regularly of, the Lord blessed me.

A dear friend and member of the bishopric, Brother Brady, gave me a blessing. In it, I was promised that I would not miss out on the blessings that having a mom around bring...that there would be others that would fill the needs of my mother{not replace}.

Well, a year passed and I was engaged! I was thrilled, but I thought again of my talented mother. She would have been able to sew bridesmaids dresses, make the wedding cake and help me plan a glorious wedding...and I am cheap--frugal, so I didn’t want to pay exurbanite amounts for this either!

Well, my future mother-in-law was a seamstress, and sewed 6 beautiful bridesmaids dresses.

My cousin saw me at a family get-together and asked if there was anything she could do to help. I jokingly said, “can you make my cake?” She smiled and said “yes—I would love to, I am making Becky’s {my other cousin} too”.

My wedding was beautiful...and the weather was PERFECT {that’s where my mom really helped out}!

There have been innumerable times in my adult life that I have missed my mom being “here”...but equally the amount of times that I have been blessed and touched by other angels.

story submitted by
Natalie S.
Farmington, Utah

Monday, May 9, 2011

A Small Price Tag

I grew up very poor. So after graduation I completely set off on my own and was financially independent in every way. Three years later when my handsome husband returned from his mission I knew it was only a matter of time before we got engaged (although he hadn't figured it out yet).

Knowing that I would be paying for my wedding by myself I was always on the lookout. One day I was window shopping downtown and saw a "bridal gown clearance" sale sign. So, like any girl - I had to look!

Not expecting to find or buy anything that day I perused the racks. Stuffed in between a wall of other dresses was my 99 dollar gown. My style. My size. Huge puffy skirt. Loved it! Especially for that price tag. And since it was the only one left I couldn't leave it.

So I gratefully bought it - knowing that the Lord had blessed me that day. A huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders for a small price tag. A miracle for a poor working college girl with a wedding on the horizon.

story submitted by
Barbara S.
Kaysville, Utah

Friday, May 6, 2011

Flabbergasted

My husband and I had just moved into a new apartment that had washer/dryer hookups on a Saturday! Yay! And we were expecting our first child in a couple months. We had been working regularly, built a small savings, and had the money to buy a washer and dryer!

On Sunday, we went to church and saw a family that was in our ward previously, that had moved a month before us. The first thing that Larry asked us when greeting us was “do you by chance need a washer and dryer? The house we moved into came with a set, but we already have some”.

I was flabbergasted! Yes--we needed them! But we could have paid for them! This is the benefit of paying tithing.

story submitted by
Natalie S.
Farmington, Utah

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Something Small

The Lord has helped us in so many ways. Every day there is some tender mercy I have witnessed. One that recently happened in our family is a small one but that brought comfort to our sweet little boy.

We put him to bed and did our regular routine and he fell asleep only to wake up an hour later just really crying. I went in and comforted him and he fell asleep again and then woke up a little while later, this happened several times. I was so worried because this is not like him.

We discovered his back molers growing in, we gave him some numbing medicine and Tylenol and nothing would work he was getting more restless and was acting like he was in terrible pain. He couldn't fall asleep and was just screaming.

My husband then gave him a blessing using the priesthood and right after the blessing he fell asleep soundly in my arms and slept the rest of the night. It was something small to help us out with a teething issue but really it strengthened our testimonies that He does love us and He wants to show us that love.
How grateful I am for His love.

story submitted by
Shauna W.
Smithfield, Utah