A gift

Here is a question. Do you think that simply thinking about something and hoping for something is a silent prayer? Because I have been thinking about something and really hoping something would happen. I haven't "officially" prayed about it but I've thought about it a lot. Today the thing that I had been hoping for happened and I instantly had a feeling that it was an answer to my prayers. Only, I haven't prayed for it. Maybe it's what some would call a tender mercy. I remember a few lines from a talk given by Elder Bednar about tender mercies. He says " I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are real and that they do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Often, the Lord’s timing of His tender mercies helps us to both discern and acknowledge them." He also says "the Lord’s tender mercies do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Faithfulness, obedience, and humility invite tender mercies into our lives, and it is often the Lord’s timing that enables us to recognize and treasure these important blessings."

I guess whether it was a tender mercy or an answer to silent prayer doesn't matter. I recognized instantly that it was a blessing made just for me.

You're probably expecting some great story at this point but it really is a very simple thing. But, I have thought about this very simple thing over and over today and I am so grateful for it!

Lauren has been going to preschool for a few months now. She comes home happy and I see papers she brings home but I have no idea what she does at school or how she acts there. I don't know the routine. I don't know what her behavior is like. Does she act happy there or is she missing home? I have held her cute, chubby checks with my hands and looked into her eyes almost begging for her to tell me something, anything she did that day. I know she can't tell me but for some reason it makes me sad to not know what she thinks and feels about her time at school. This has been the norm for almost 3 months now. I think about it less than I did at first but sometimes my heart still longs for her to share something with me.

Today Lauren and I were playing with some toys and she brought out a bag of wooden blocks. She set it on the table and said "It's toy time"! She said it 2 or 3 times and I instantly recognized that they must call playtime "toy time" in her class. I was so excited that she shared something with me. It was so small but it was so big at the same time. A little while later I heard her talking to herself saying "let's count to ten" then she would start counting from 1 to 10. Again, my heart just melted knowing that she must have learned that at school. I can just imagine the teacher saying that exact phrase. Like I said before. I know this is such a small thing. I still don't really know much about her school and her time there but I am so grateful that she was able to share something with me. I am even more grateful that I recognized that it was a gift for me from my Father in Heaven. He knows me. He knows the small desires of my heart. I am so grateful that he gave me that sweet gift today.