Day 2-- Tender Mercies

(1 Nephi 8:8) And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies.

I have been writing this post for a few weeks now. I am very grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord that have been bestowed upon me over these past few weeks, but also over this past year and a half. There have been so many wonderful things that have happened to the boys and I, that were out of my control, too many to list, so I will only speak of a few from the past few weeks. I need to thank my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for all of it. I know all comes from them. And if we are worthy, we will receive the things we need in our lives.

Some of what I have been dealing with, has been the result of being a single parent, having a home based business, and also the economic times we live in. I have been somewhat overwhelmed lately, with a lull in my daycare. A few months ago, I was turning business away because I did not have the space to care for them, but as of today, I am very open for the next few months. I have one full time infant boy, and two part times toddler girls. Until the end of October I will be this way, then I will have two more newborn babies to start. And another to start sometime at the beginning of next year.

So over these past two months, I have really had to look over my budget and try to cut and trim as much as I could to make ends meet, which is already very tight. It has been very stressful...and unfortunately some things have come up that have made it even tighter. I had to put 4 new tires on my van, and then a week later I had to put a brand new battery in the van also.

Then we had a class at Enrichment Night about budgeting and also using coupons to cut our grocery spending. I have always loved to use coupons, but have not been able to afford to go out and buy the newspaper. So I have been relying on the ones that come in the mail mostly, and my gracious neighbor for giving me his newspaper last year (maybe I can get his again this year when he's done). The lady who taught the class said she has been able to cut her grocery bill from $150 a week, to almost $30 a week, with the use of store, manufacturer, competitor and coupons on the containers. There is a store here that will double coupons on a specific day up to a certain amount, and another that will take competitor coupons, so I hope I can use this for my benefit in the future to help lower my spending even more than I already do. I am really good at budgeting, and knowing how to make it all work, being a single parent and also a stay-at-home mom. It can be trying, but well worth the effort as I have seen in the past.

Thanks to Tender Mercies of the Lord, I was given an upgrade to a higher priced safer set on my tires for the lower price as the ones I intended to purchase. And wonderful faithful priesthood holder friends of mine, I have a new battery in my van. Also the Relief Society Presidency was in tune with the Spirit to know that the members of their ward needed to learn of new methods to cut excess spending, ways to save, and get out of debt.

I am so eternally grateful for the gospel in my life, and for the blessings I receive for being a member of it. My testimony has grown so much over the past 19 months. I have always had a testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but lately it has been strengthened immensely. 

I also believe in the power of prayer. As I was sitting on my porch emotionally distraught over my situation with my van battery, because it would only happen on a day when I had many errands to run, and a first soccer practice to get too. As I sat, I prayed to my Heavenly Father to allow me to be the recipient of a tender mercy, because I did not know how I was going to get all that I needed to get done accomplished, without the use of my vehicle. And thanks to the wonderful members that listened to the Spirit to take the time out of their busy lives to help me accomplish all that I needed to.

I have tremendous faith in the Lord that He will protect and provide me with all that I need to sustain my life and my children's lives, but sometimes we fall short, and that is what the Atonement of Jesus Christ is for. When we repent of our shortcomings, we can be more blessed by this gospel and the tender mercies that are available.  When we are living our lives as righteously as possibly and following the teachings of our leaders and our Prophet, we will be blessed beyond what we can ever magine.

There is a pretty bad flu bug going around right now, H1N1. And there are schools that are closing due to the number of children affected. In one week at Chandler's school they sent home 60 kids in one day and I think 30 another day, due to symptoms. Chandler was sent home one day for a fever, which I found out later was very slight, not even a whole degree above normal. Within 2 hours and without medication, he was just fine. I am blessed that my children have not gotten ill with this or any other sickness that may be going around. That is also a blessing. I pray every day that my children will continue to grow strong and healthy and be able to stay in school, and learn as much as they possibly can. It's exciting to see the new things that Chandler, Owen & Hayden come home to tell or sing (Hayden) to me. Hayden is learning his colors in English and in Spanish, and he is only in Pre-K. Awesome!!

We find happiness in the midst of the trial of our faith. The Lord manifests Himself to us through His tender mercies, which we find along the road of happiness. We see with increased clarity His hand in our lives. -I don't remember where I found this or who said it.

David Bednar said in a talk from May 2005, titled "The Tender Mercies of The Lord"
"Recall how the Savior instructed His Apostles that He would not leave them comfortless. Not only would He send “another Comforter” (John 14:16), even the Holy Ghost, but the Savior said that He would come to them (see John 14:18). Let me suggest that one of the ways whereby the Savior comes to each of us is through His abundant and tender mercies. For instance, as you and I face challenges and tests in our lives, the gift of faith and an appropriate sense of personal confidence that reaches beyond our own capacity are two examples of the tender mercies of the Lord. Repentance and forgiveness of sins and peace of conscience are examples of the tender mercies of the Lord. And the persistence and the fortitude that enable us to press forward with cheerfulness through physical limitations and spiritual difficulties are examples of the tender mercies of the Lord."

"...life is good if we live in such a way to make it so. Believing, desiring, deciding, and choosing correctly are the simple actions that define an increase in happiness and an increase in the inner assurance that transcends this life."  -Benjamín De Hoyos

I truly believe that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know who I am, they know my strengths and also my weaknesses. I know that they hear and answer my prayers. I know that we are all recipeients of the Tender Mercies of the Lord on a daily basis, and we may not see them when they happen, but as we reflect on our lives we will rellize that we are blessed, and we are loved. I am very grateful for all trials that I have to endure in my life, they help me to grow mentally, physically and spiritually. I have to say that I do not enjoy all of them, so are very stressful, but there is purpose in everything, and that is part of the test of why we are hear on this earth. We will take all that we have learned with us into the next life.

Do you see the Tender Mercies of the Lord in your life? I hope you do, and if you don't...take the time to sit, ponder and contemplate your life, and all that you are blessed with. It's amazing all that HE gives us. I am so grateful for the ones in my life, big or small.

Love to all,