Oh, Those Tender Mercies!

In the LDS culture, we like to watch for the amazing little things that happen to help us in our lives, and we call them "tender mercies" that come from our Father in Heaven. These are sometimes referred to as coincidences, intuition, or even "I just had this feeling...". I was soooo grateful for the one that happened this week:

I've been sorting through my wardrobe lately and bagging up the things I no longer wear, and placing those bags into my car to drop off at the Goodwill when I happen to drive by. Friday morning I made a quick stop and left two stuffed bags with the man in the drop-off bay and then briskly walked away to finish my errands for the day. About 15 seconds later I had an "alarm" go off in my head and I stopped abruptly to listen to the warning. The thought that occured to me was...."you might want to check those bags"...

Quickly, quickly I retraced my steps, walked into the bay and asked the manager where the bags I had just dropped off had been put. He searched a moment or two and then I spotted them tossed into a nearby bin. I pulled up the first bag, which had ripped open in the handling, and recognized what the content was: a dozen white tablecloths that were from the Church Relief Society closet! In that moment I remembered volunteering to wash them after an activity, after which they had been bagged and put into my car to be returned to the Church on my next visit. Gasp! I had just donated them to Goodwill!!

Oh my, Oh My! This heart of mine did a few extra beats, and I whispered "thank you, thank you, thank you" for the sweet tender mercy given so freely to me in that moment. The tablecloths were delivered safely and were used last night for a Ward Harvest activity. This time I didn't volunteer to do the laundering. :)