tender mercies

Last Thursday my friend lost her battle. I was paralyzed when I heard the news. Her battle was so short...this was her second battle. My thoughts turned to her family; husband, daughter and son. What can one do to help them at this horrible time?

Then I thought of my own daughter at school. She had not heard the news. I knew it was only a matter of time before she heard. With technology today word spreads so quickly. This was not the kind of thing you text her. This was her friend's mom and at 15 it is hard to grasp the reality of the situation.

I had a game plan. Wait until lunch time and then I could tell her. I only had to wait until 10:30 that morning. Surely she wouldn't find out before then. At about 9:30ish I got a text. Oh, no!! How could this be? Yes, it had happened.

A loving, caring person text my daughter to see how she was coping with the news. Problem...she didn't know! Well, she soon did. Tears streaming down my daughters face, she walked into seminary. There was no better place for her at this moment.

As she sat in her seat coping with emotion and the devastating news, the class got ready to begin. The spirit promptly began whispering to my daughter that she needed to share this story. She sat there and at first resisted and ignored the promptings. It wasn't long before she could ignore those promptings any longer. She raised her hand and asked if she could share something. Of course, replied the teacher.

My daughter shared the beautiful story of a loving mom and family. Her brief second battle and how quickly she lost. Leaving her sweet family behind to grieve, mourn and trying to move on. This family is not of our faith. Our faith believes in eternal families and that we will be reunited again someday. This story brought the class to a discussion on the plan of salvation, some gospel principles and how fortunate we are to have the knowledge we have.

How grateful I am for a seminary teacher who let my daughter share and who helped her come to terms with a sad event. She couldn't have been in a better place. At the end of that class, the teacher told my daughter that he had prayed that day that someone would have something to share that could start a class discussion. The spirit is amazing! Prayers were answered on both sides!

There are tender mercies occurring around us each day. Are we aware? Do we listen to the promptings, so that those tender mercies can happen? I am thankful for the gospel in my life. As hard as this situation is...my faith, knowledge of eternal families and love of the gospel gives such great comfort. Not only for me, but also for my children.