The Tender Mercies of the Lord

This one will be short...to make up for the last one...and more up beat too. I promise I'm not really the gloom and doom type. Well...I guess maybe I am pretty good at being the gloom and doom type but it's not the usual me? Ya, lets go with that one!
Have you ever had a day where you think to yourself "I deserve a reward just for being nice today and not killing anyone"? They happen occasionally for me, and yesterday was certainly one of them! I woke up with that grumpy chip on my shoulder that kept confirming to me that there are far too many stupid and annoying people in this world. I feel pretty guilty about this because one of my closest friends is in town (she lives on the other side of the country) and she was my first appointment for the day. While her hair color was processing I got to play with her absolutely adorable baby girl, who we will call Minnie (because I love Minnie Mouse and sadly enough the first thing I saw when I looked up from my computer to think of a good alias was a Minnie Mouse doll. Yes, I know that's a little childish. No, I do not care.) I loved every second I got to spend with Minnie and her Mom and I am so grateful that I started my day off with them because my next appointment was a doosey!
You know that one crazy old lady that every one in town knows but has a different nickname for? The one that feels shortchanged by life so she expects everyone to bend over backwards for her? The one who is racist, loud, inappropriate, and overbearing? Ya...so...I have the great privilege of having the crazy lady's undying loyalty. Yeah. Me. so I got to spend 4 hours yesterday perming and setting her hair.  It is all I can do to be nice to her on a good day so yesterday was definitely a challenge. By the time I finished her hair, one of the girls one the other side of the salon said "man! that woman wears me out all the way over here!" so you can imagine what direct contact with her radioactive personality is like. After finishing all of my other appointments and being sucked emotionally dry by the crazy lady, I was pretty much begging for some kind of reward for surviving the day!
Well, I got my reward today, over and over! It wasn't any of the rewards I had requested (yes I did list off rewards during my evening prayers that I felt were appropriate for simply enduring my day...I know...I can be kind of a brat to Tinfu...I'm sorry.) My rewards today were very small and simple and yet so amazing. I constantly had the spirit confirm to me that numerous occurrences today were tender mercies. Even just in conversations today people would ask me about something in the recent past and I would update them on it and as I did the spirit would whisper "see...tender mercy". I lost count of all the Tender mercies that were brought to my mind today. When I wasn't realizing a new tender mercy I was searching my memory trying to recall the scripture about the Lords tender mercies being over all...but I couldn't remember the rest of it. I just looked it up. "The tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith..." Even the tender mercy scripture was a tender mercy today! If his tender mercies are over me then doesn't this say that he hath chosen me because of my faith? who knew I still had faith? I'm feeling a little better about life today...!
Now to end, I wanted to get on here and share a huge tender mercy from the other day but it never happened...so here it goes...
I found a new Mormon message the other morning and it made me cry. I have loved this story ever since the first time I heard it as a teenager so I was so excited that I could now listen to it in an apostles voice. I always caught on to the part about how Tinfu knows what he wants you to become so trust him...but this time it dawned on me that for the past 14-16 years I have loved a story about how sometimes it really hurts to not get what you think you deserve, and that getting angry at the one who knows what you truly NEED does not benefit you in any way. He is the Gardener here...He knows what he wants me to become. Even if it hurts when he cuts me back, it is still for my benefit. Ironic, isn't it?

Also I apologize that this really wasn't a short post...I just dont know when to shut up...

What Was I So Afraid Of?

Well I am now a married woman and I'm thinking What was I so afraid of?  I am a 31 year old Mormon female and until now unmarried. I felt like in this Utah culture I was considered anciently old and there must be something wrong with me.  I even got told once by a Bishop that because I had many opportunities to get married,where some woman haven't had any that I would forever be a messenger angel and never make it to the Celestial Kingdom.  This statement really affected me.  I kept thinking..wait...should I have said yes to theses previous guys and gone through with the wedding??  But at the time I felt like it either wasn't the right time or the right guy for me.  I didn't want to settle and I didn't want to get married just because everyone else my age was. So I turned them down and continued down the single path of life each day feeling older and older and losing hope for my fairy tale happy ever after. Even when I did meet the right guy I wasn't prepared and had no desire for marriage. Luckily he is a VERY patient man and stuck around for years for me to see what was right in front of me.  I kept thinking back to the previous guys and thought... maybe I did blow my chance.  Maybe I was just to scared.  And maybe things would have been just fine, but I never felt peace until my current husband proposed.  I had watched as all my friends had gotten married and then started having kids.  Now most of my friends are on child number 2 or 3 and I am just barely getting started!  Ha ha I've decided when the timing is right and its God's timing also then things just come together.  I never did have the "I just knew" answer come to me like a bolt like most of my friends, but I did continue to feel peace and calm and comfort.  I just kept moving forward and praying the God would stop me if this was going to end up being a catastrophic decision.  I felt lots of interference from Satan, but still clung to that calm and peaceful feeling. I know I made the right decision even though I know life won't be all easy and perfect even now.  But the thing is, my hubby is my teammate, he is the one I feel I can be myself with and is my equal.  Someone that will work together with me on our life's trials.  I really feel like things can happen in the blink of an eye.  Many friends of mine met and married their spouse within months and they are very happy.  I think hope is key, but also living life in a way that makes you happy.  Get out and meet people.  Go to ward activities, be open to new friendships..Who know their brother could be your future spouse!  I even think online dating can be a blessing.  I have had many friends have lots of success meeting their spouse online.  Sometimes we have to wait longer for what we want, but through those trials and time spent wondering and on our knees praying,  when we finally do receive the thing we have been waiting for it is more amazing than we ever thought and we are so much more appreciative and humbled.