Random Kindnesses and "Mother Mercies"

I was recently reading on a friend's blog about "Mother Mercies". You know, those little moments that we as moms are given that help make our lives and roles so worth it. Since then, I have been trying harder to seek out the positive in all aspects of my life and not dwell so much on the negatives. Well, I have to admit, I hadn't been doing so well with that lately. I had been letting life's little stresses and challenges get to me. After a tough plane ride home yesterday with two tired and cranky kids, our carseat getting lost from the flight, our dog being sick, some business-related problems, etc, I was at the end of my patience and positive attitude yesterday. When I woke up this morning to face the piles of laundry that needed to get done from our trip and the fact that there was pretty much no food in the house, I was already feeling grouchy and overwhelmed. I headed out to the grocery store and dropped Brynn off in the kid care area (yeah, a blessing right there). Then I began my race to get all I needed before the imminent crying that I was sure to face with Collin. This time was different though. My sweet little man was SO good today. In fact, he fell asleep in the cart as I was shopping. As I would pass people in the store, most of them would comment about how cute he was or how seeing him asleep like that made them miss their kids as babies. This was one of those "mother mercies" that brightened my day as a mom. Then, I paid for the groceries and went to get Brynn from the kid care area. The woman there said how sweet my daughter was being and that she wanted to keep her. Another little "mother mercy" (such a nice contrast to the embarrassing plane ride the previous day when I don't think anyone on the plane would have made me that offer.) As I was quickly loading the kids in the car, a woman parked next to my car. She walked over to me and offered to help me put my groceries into my car. I told her I would be fine, but she sweetly and quietly started unloading my cart and putting my groceries into my car. I thanked her, and she said she understood it must be a challenge to go shopping with two little ones. After we unloaded all the groceries, she even took my cart back to the designated spot in the parking lot for carts so I wouldn't have to leave the kids alone in the car. That lady literally changed the whole tone of my day. I went from being irritated and stressed out to feeling more optimistic about everything. It was a good reminder of how important it is to get beyond my own concerns and see the needs that others around me might have. There are so many opportunities to help someone else if I would just quit getting so consumed with my own little problems and worries. That lady really helped remind me that Heavenly Father is aware of each of us and our challenges (big or small), and though He may not take away the obstacles we face, He often sends reminders of His love for us and helps us get through those challenges.