A Long Night at Work, A Really Good Song, and A Great Friend

I remember watching the clock, waiting for the final bell to ring and excuse us from my 6th period class. I don't know why I watch so anxiously at the clock. It must be an old habit because honestly sometimes it seems like I have nothing to look forward too after a long day of school anymore. It was a Thursday afternoon and sitting there in my human biology class I realized that the ringing of the bell almost never means I get to go home and relax for the rest of the night. Being a senior in high school, I am busy! I still had practice, homework, and a closing shift at work. No time to relax for me.

I tried to maintain a positive attitude at practice but I have to admit I was in a horrible mood. Some days it feels like I am caught in this vicious cycle or school, practice, homework, chores, work, and sleep. And I just can’t escape. Some days it isn’t so bad, like when I don’t have to work that night, but other times it just puts me in the worst mood.

After practice I hurried home and quickly did my chores and got a start on my homework. Before long I got ready for work and left the house. As I was leaving my dad was coming home and said “See ya on Sunday. Maybe.” And I felt a little guilty. My dad works two full time jobs and isn’t home as often as he wishes. He works at 4am and usually doesn’t get home until six or seven and tries to go to bed by ten in order to get a little sleep before his vicious cycle starts again. He didn’t see me at all the day before because I had gotten home from the track meet late and he knows closing at work will get me home even later.

In my car I blast the music and try to block out the world. It had been a bad day and really, I just wanted to go to bed.

When I arrived at work I came to the wonderful realization that tonight I would be closing with one of my best friends and the nicest manger McDonalds has ever known. I let my friend talk, junior prom was only 2 days away and she was going with the guy of her dreams and she was excited.  I didn’t really have anything to say so I just let her talk and I listened. We got busy and I could tell it was going to be a long night, and my bad mood came back.

While I was out cleaning the lobby, a song came on by Jack Johnson called “Upside Down”. This song had hit me hard this summer and if you haven’t heard it I encourage you to look it up. Some of the lyrics are:

Who's to say
I can't do everything
Well I can try
And as I roll along I begin to find
Things aren't always just what they seem

I want to turn the whole thing upside down
I'll find the things they say just can't be found
I'll share this love I find with everyone
We'll sing and dance to Mother Nature's songs
This world keeps spinning and there's no time to waste
Well it all keeps spinning spinning round and round and

Upside down
Who's to say what's impossible and can't be found
I don't want this feeling to go away

Please don't go away...

For some reason this simple song put a smile on my face. As I went back behind the counter to tell the manager I was done so I could go home, my friend asked me a question about what had been bothering me earlier. After I had clocked out, I sat and we talked about it for the next hour. Just the fact that I knew she cared had a huge impact on me. We have known each other for barely a year, but I feel like I have known her my whole life. We have been there for each other through a lot and help each other out whenever we can. We kind of have this quote we use to describe our friendship: “With friendship, it doesn't matter how long you've known each other, or how many fights you've gotten into. What matter is who said, 'I'll be there for you,' and proved it.”

What experiences and tender mercies have you felt involving some really close friends? Feel free to comment and share!

x

x

Tender Mercies at a Track Meet

           "...Behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance" (1 Nephi 1:22). What are tender mercies? And why do they mean so much to us?

To me a tender mercy is just a little thing that happens that lets us know that the Lord is still watching over us and, despite everything that is going on around us,  he cares about us and truly wants what's best for us. I went to efy this last summer for the first time and my efy counselor reminded us constantly to watch for the tender mercies of the Lord in our lives, especially while we were participating in the spiritual and uplifting week.

This really got me thinking about the tender mercies that happened all around me in my day-to-day life. As I started to think about it, I noticed more and more how much the hand of God was really in my life. Suddenly I saw tender mercies everywhere.

I was at a track meet yesterday for my high school. I am a senior and this is my fourth year running track, my second year running hurdles. The day before the meet I had tried so hard to be able to finish a 100 hurdle race, but I couldn’t. I would stutter-step and trip over the last two every time I tried. I stayed after practice and kept trying but before long decided I was just too exhausted, so I left the track and drove home.

At the meet I was terrified! I wasn’t about to just skip out on the race because I am not a quitter! But I was also very sure that if I did run in the race, I would fall. I warmed up with my team and was put in the second heat. We said a quick prayer as a team and lined up. I watched the first heat go and immediately became scared all over again. So I said a prayer in my head: “Please just let me make it through this race. I just want to finish.” Right then I received a little bit of comfort. But the butterflies in my stomach didn’t completely go away.

I set my blocks and did a stride out really fast. “Runners take your marks!” I did a couple high knees in place and slowly lowered myself into my blocks  and tried to relax. “Set!” I tensed up and leaned forward so my face and momentum was over the line but my hands were still in place behind it. “GO!” The gun went off and I started running. My foot hit the first hurdle and I thought I was going down, but luckily I kept my balance and began running again.

“Just me and the hurdles, me and the hurdles.” I tried canceling out all the surrounding noise so I could concentrate. People were cheering for me, but I didn’t hear them. I just kept going. “One hurdle at a time. One at a time.” My competitors too faded away and I was concentrating hard on just finishing the race. By the time I reached the last two hurdles, the ones I had always stumbled over at practice, I felt strength in my legs and finished the race just fine.

I know prayers are answered, and I know our Father in Heaven cares so much about us. Even the little things in our lives, like finishing a track race, matter to Him. He loves to see us happy and he loves to see us succeed! I challenge you all to look for the hand of God and the tender mercies of the Lord in your lives! It really does give you a whole new out look!