Tender Mercies

i am hesitant to try and document all the tender mercies we have received throughout this experience but think i should try. i know i won't remember everything, and i can't possibly know of all that was done for my family, but i would like to keep track of at least some of it. we really have been blessed.

Elder Bednar, one of the Twelve Apostles, said this during General Conferance in May 2005: "We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord’s tender mercies. The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live. When words cannot provide the solace we need or express the joy we feel, when it is simply futile to attempt to explain that which is unexplainable, when logic and reason cannot yield adequate understanding about the injustices and inequities of life, when mortal experience and evaluation are insufficient to produce a desired outcome, and when it seems that perhaps we are so totally alone, truly we are blessed by the tender mercies of the Lord and made mighty even unto the power of deliverance (see 1 Ne. 1:20)."

we have witnessed that this is true! many have commented that our family has been "strong" through this experience but we have been made 'mighty' by the Lord.

*i decided to visit my family in utah instead of going straight to missouri with dan in august. at the time it was hard, and i felt bad about letting him go by himself but i will always be grateful for the 2 weeks i got to spend with my dad and brother before the accident.

*i had a dear friend waiting for me when i flew into Vegas, so i wouldn't have to drive by myself back to cedar the day after the accident.

*chris was supposed to be transferred out of the mission home to his first area the day before the crash, but it was a new area and things weren't ready for the missionaries to go yet. thankfully we were able to reach him at the mission home, and he was able to fly home to be with us for 5 days

*dan went into work the monday after the accident and they told him to go be with family and take the rest of the week off, so he was able to spend 5 days with us as well

*our good friends and neighbors took madison for the day following the accident, until i could get back to cedar to be with my family. hannah went with them also

*dallin's casket was made and donated by good friends, to help ease the financial burden on kamber. it was absolutely beautiful and they finished it in just two days

*neighbors and ward members brought food, food, and more food!

*someone offered to take my parent's dog and had her for the whole week - that seems insignificant but what a blessing it was to us!

*our downstairs bathroom was torn apart for a remodel and ward members finished the the whole thing in 3 days and now it looks beautiful. kamber was able to move right in and start using it

*we had a whole swarm of yardworkers one night weeding, pulling out dead bushes, laying new bark and taking care of the garden - having a well kept yard doesn't make losing someone less painful but it gave us one less thing to worry about, and showed us how many people were just waiting to serve us in any way possible (see pictures below)

*our bishop and stake president have been phenomenal - words can't even begin to explain how grateful we are to them

*SUU offered any resource to kamber that she might need to graduate, anything and everything; the pres. of SUU even contacted us personally

*SUU also told us that at their May graduation they would like to present an honorary degree to Dallin, and have Kamber and my Mom accept it

*we were able to have a friend take pictures at the visitation and graveside, last minute, and even though i haven't seen them i am sure we will love and cherish them!

*cards, phone calls, and emails have offered words of support and encouragement that have lifted us up more than we ever would have thought

*we were able to find plots in the cemetery that have a view of our family cabin; dad and dallin LOVED going to the cabin, so we thought it was perfect

*i woke up one morning to someone cleaning our windows - all of the outside ones!

*cute baby clothes and blankets have been given to both kamber and i for our babies coming in the near future

*neighbors taking our overflowing trash out to the street and distributing all our extra garbage throughout the neighbor's garbages

*two touching memorials from the community that really showed how much this affected the whole city and how much the ten people will be missed (plus the presence of Elder Snow from the Seventy, the letter from the First Presidency, Governor Jon Huntsman, and Mike Leavitt, Secretary of Health and Human services)

*family and friends showed up ready to be put to work; my grandparents canceled a long awaited cruise in order to stay with my mom for two weeks!

*we were given many keys to whole houses that were empty Labor Day weekend, so our out of town friends and family could have places to stay

*my dad's close friend has taken my mom under his wing and has been meeting with accountants, lawyers, bankers, business partners and so on, to help my mom start making decisions and get everything in order financially! what a help he has been!

*we really feel like our pain has been softened by the endless thoughts and prayers of everyone around us

this is just the beginning. we will continue to add tender mercies as we remember them and as they happen. for those of you who might not get mentioned, know that we are grateful for every card, thought, prayer, word of encouragement, and act of service that has been given to us!







our 'helpers' doing yard work while we are able to enjoy dinner as a family inside. (we didn't even know they were out there until someone saw them walking around outside getting busy)