4 November 2024

It has taken a L O N G time to get to this day. We can see the light at the end of this tunnel, and we are thankful. SO thankful. No one in The Hermitage likes arguing, contention, discord or fighting of any kind. NOR do we like name calling or belittling. Let this be over peacefully. We don't know the future, but we know God does. This is His earth. We are His people. He knows. He is there.

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10

Therefore, let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion; for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God. D&C 101:16

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (He has provided a time, and a reason, for everything in His plan)

Have a GREAT week. Be kind. Be compassionate. Be loving. Be understanding. Accept what you don't know or understand. It will all work out. Have faith. Serve others.

 28 October 2024

There is a LOT going on out in the "world." We are NOT trying to make light of ANY of it. All of it is important in one way or another.

We don't know how old whoever is reading this might be, but think back on your life. Think about things you have struggled through. Think of the hard times.

Those of us in The Hermitage have been tough times; Pregnancy, labor, and childbirth (4 times). Surgeries. Illnesses. The almost death of a child. Heartbreaks. Divorces. Moving. Homelessness. No money. No vehicle. No job. Disappointment. Discouragement. Loneliness. 9/11...no personally, but from the middle of the US. We were horrified to think this could happen on US soil. Then, not 3 miles from The Hermitage, on 10-1-2917, a mass shooting that we still don't know all of the answers to. Some do, but the public doesn't. AND ALL of the ETC's not mentioned. But you keep going. You still have the same family and friends. Life keeps going. Time moves on. None of it waits for anyone. The scriptures remind us that "This too shall pass." And...it does. The memory becomes a war wound. The memory may not fade, but passes, and you deal with other things. If you pay attention, you SEE the miracles! AND they are there. We've been told to "Expect them." Here in The Hermitage we do.

There are horrible things happening to others. Hurricane disasters! WAR. Famine. AND things most people don't think of, because it won't happen to them. BUT it is happening to others. Life in other parts of the world is FAR worse than whatever you are going through. We are SO blessed.

However, it seems as though some people think this election will bring the end of the world. The end of friendships. The end of their faith. And maybe it will, IF you LET it or allow it. But why? We've been through elections before. The people we voted for won or lost. It wasn't the end of anything. We moved on with life. There are SO many checks and balances.

We've read headlines. We've seen, but muted commercials. We've received text messages, email, and a TON of junk mail. We've seen posts. And that is just for the election.

We all have our beliefs. We all have our likes and dislikes. We all have things we are passionate about. We can all make choices. We all have opportunities. But in the end, it is all God. And some of you will stop reading. BUT Disciple knows. Because of ALL we have gone through in The Hermitage, Disciple has kept us going. SHE has remained on the path. She has carried us. We know, because of her, that EVERYTHING goes according to God's will and plan. We can make choices, we can take action. But it is His will and plan that will take place and we need to know that. AND IF you think that means you just sit and do nothing, it does NOT. We should NOT be complacent. We must always be active. This does NOT mean we can't be friends. We can ALL have our own opinions, beliefs, wants, needs, desires, and STILL get along.

We are 8 days away from whatever happens. Whatever that may be. If you are in a panic. Calm down. If you think the world is going to end, it doesn't matter the outcome. If you are changing your life, beliefs, friends, etc., because of what "might" happen...well, we wish you well.

We love all of you. We love people we don't even know. We pray for God's will. We pray to do His will. We KNOW He is in charge. We know He knows the beginning to the end...whenever that is, and whatever it will bring. This is His earth. We are His. He will bring peace. Trust. Have faith. Doubt not, fear not. Be still. Stay calm. He has this.

 21 October 2024-long. Much is going on.

Wow. It’s been almost a month since Writer sat down to put something on paper. Journalist writes every night, AND that’s a darn good thing. Yesterday we gained a “new” person. She has probably always been in The Hermitage, BUT Queen’s oldest son called her out yesterday as he addressed her as Archivist! Hmmm…She is more than likely bosom buddies with Family Historian, Journalist and Writer, as well as others, and there she was.

The Hermitage is NOT by any means back to order, NOR is it the way ANY of us want it to be, but we are dealing with it the best we can. The paths through most of The Hermitage are wider. The stacks of boxes lower. The counters and island are basically cleaned off in the kitchen, and THAT is a bonus for ALL of those who work in there. They were getting annoyed with nowhere to work.

Meteorologist and Weather Girl told us all that it would cool down. Always promising this, and it did for a few days, but then it was back up over 105º for several days. Most of the time we ALL just roll our eyes. However, it was 53º the other morning. The highs have been in the 80’s and the lows in the 50’s. We LOVE it. Chauffeur and Shopper had a laugh Friday morning. It was 73º and quite nice. They went over to the local Multi Shopping Guild and as they drove through the parking lot, people were wearing heavy coats!!! WHAT THE HECK?!?!? They thought the weather was lovely, but some of these people were all bundled up waiting for snow. At least that’s what they presumed. They laughed out loud until they disembarked from the carriage. Then they snickered to each other and laughed silently inside. How funny. When they arrived back at The Hermitage, and told their tale, WE all laughed out loud!

We ALL saw the October SUPERmoon, but never saw the comet. We tried, but it just didn’t work for us.

Organizer has made daily lists for everyone every day. Some days they are L O N G, others it isn’t too bad. She has had to add many events on the calendar. Everyone is busy in one way or another.

Grandmomma and Athlete have gone to little league games. Thankfully it is getting cooler. The kids seem so tired out there on the field in the heat.

Disciple has been busy with Church, choir, working in the Temple, and helping with the service projects. She was able to help three Spanish speaking sisters in one of the sessions and they were so thankful and gave her hugs and kisses. Also, 70 missionaries went through the session before that! WOW!!! In our prayer meeting two things were mentioned by two different people. 1) Our job is to lift up, not size up. 2) Blessed are the flexible for they shall not get bent out of shape. Seamstress helped Disciple stitch 6 teddy bears for the First Responders, and as many burp cloths for the NICU. Seamstress donated two sewing machines to the cause. Hopefully they will be of some use. She helped several others with quilts, baby blankets, pocket hearts, and cards. It was enjoyable to work with all of the other women providing things for others in need. Disciple is also working with another sister and the young girls 8-11. The first meeting we did bracelets with memory wire. The second meeting we did “Home Sweet Home” pages and framed them. We have decided that girls that age are NOT the way we were at that age. There is a HUGE difference. But hopefully they will think what we are doing is fun. Disciple also watched all of the General Conference sessions. WOW! The things going on are amazing! Talks were wonderful, and the choirs were fabulous! AND 17 new temples were announced!

Social Bug, who really ISN’T that social, made a few appearances in the last few weeks. She went with Disciple to a FHE, and went to two memorial services.

A friend, Adela Salazar, from 5th grade was in town for several days. Her father was also Queen’s math teacher. He would bring snakes to school in burlap bags for “show and tell.” THIS is why no one in The Hermitage is afraid of snakes. Thank you David Salazar. Queen’s family returned to Albuquerque in 1970, when she was a sophomore, Adela was in several of her classes. Correspondent has kept in touch with her over the years, and back in the 80’s went to her wedding. It was wonderful to see her and visit. We took a drive out to Hemenway Park in BC and saw the Big Horn. She was pretty shocked to see them and how close they were. Adela is Spanish/Navajo, having ancestors on her mother’s side here in America since the 1500’s, and her dad is Navajo and Spanish. Genealogist and Family Historian has been helping her with her family tree, and actually found that she and Queen are related on their paternal sides from the 1700’s making them 10th cousins. That was interesting. She wanted to cook for us, and made “New Mexican” food for us with Hatch chiles she brought with her.

Board Member has been inventorying trees in the community with the landscaping company. The trees are over 50 years old and the last few summers have taken a toll on them. She walked several miles with the arborist assessing the trees, deciding which ones needed to be removed and which needed to be trimmed. Steps were achieved that day! She also worked with the guy fixing the locks on the gates, and helping another board member with cameras, sprinklers, etc. Late one night Board Member was alerted to police activity two streets over. The police were chasing a couple who broke into a home for sale and were “living” in it. They were arrested, the car they had (it was stolen) was towed the next morning. Board Member, with the Board Member from across the street, spent part of a morning painting over the graffiti on a wall. So annoying!

Queen had her hair done! It was SO nice to just sit and relax. So much is going on and just sitting and visiting with our favorite hairdresser was incredible. AND she always makes us look SO nice.

Correspondent had an issue. She was mailing something, and was told to take it to the UPS Store as USPS didn’t recognize the address, and it “probably” wouldn’t get where we were sending it. Chauffeur took Correspondent to the UPS Store. She explained the conundrum to the girl at the counter. She didn’t seem to care, and charged Correspondent $2.00 for stamps and said that USPS would pick it up around 3:30 that afternoon. NO!!! She explained AGAIN in firmer tones, the SAME story about the address, USPS not recognizing it, ETC! The girl said, in quiet little tones, “Well, it shows that we deliver to that address, so I’m sure the USPS does as well.” AGAIN, in more aggressive tones, SHE EXPLAINED they don’t!!! OH MY GOSH! Never mind! So, rather than be arrested for unbelievable behavior in a UPS Store, she took her item and had Chauffeur take her to the USPS on Sunset! JEEZ!!!

Now that it is cooler, Gardner has been mowing, dead-heading roses, and doing the general maintenance with Landscaper. They REALLY want to do more, but have been engaged with helping INSIDE The Hermitage. They are bored, and sometimes cause petty problems because of it, but they are kept in line by the Enforcer.

The youngest and his lovely wife have been close to the hurricane areas, so we have been checking on them. They received a LOT of rain, and the river near them went from one you could walk from one side to the other, to one you wouldn’t be able to traverse. They have seen a lot of animals; Eagles, otters, weasels, and black bears. The youngest is mainly interested in the bears and spent most of one day just watching them while working outside. He was excited to see so many. They had to put down their oldest dog a few months ago and have been saddened by that, only to have to put another one down last week. ALL of us in The Hermitage are broken hearted for them, and the loss of these two granddogs. We loved them too.

Chef has been busy making things for quick meals. One was deviled eggs. Shopper bought a bag of eggs, supposed to contain 6, HOWEVER Chef was pleasantly surprised to find a “baker’s half dozen!”

Several of us in The Hermitage have been moody, emotional, frustrated and melancholy. Others have been joyful at the progress we are making, and finding humor with some of the things we are discovering in boxes! We found the Hot Diggity Dogger. It makes AMAZING hot dogs! We found a rather large leather horse. Correspondent only had to make one call to find out who that belonged to. He didn’t remember where it came from, BUT did remember it well. We’ve found AT LEAST a dozen, IF not more, clipboards. The brown ones with the silver clip part. After making three calls, we have found that ALL of the children of The Hermitage have clipboard issues. They admitted that yes, they love clipboards. Hmmm…no one claimed the legal sized one though. We are not sure we understand this desire for clipboards, and what we shall do with all of them. We’ve also found MANY pairs of safety glasses. Said child made the remark that, “at least you know I went to school.” Hmmm…the reasoning behind some of this is interesting. Curling irons. OH MY GOSH!!! Queen has two girls. WHY have we found over a dozen curling irons? ALL sizes, styles, etc. Absolutely incredible!!! AND scrunchies! Not to mention all sizes and styles of bobby pins, hair clips, banana clips, and every other kind of hair paraphernalia.

Chief Head Mechanic replaced the front brakes on the carriage this evening. He is incredibly busy and we hated even mentioning it. He seemed happy to do it, BUT we feel bad that it falls on him.

We are SO grateful for those we have been able to help and provide service to, as well as things they need.

We are SO grateful for those who have helped us. Who care for us and love us. We know everyone is busy and feel blessed they take time for us.

 29 September 2024

Here we are at the end of September ALREADY! And what a month THIS has been.

For years many of us in The Hermitage have told others, especially Queen's children, that we most likely will have the answers to the “What’s, Where’s, When’s, Who’s, How’s, ETC., BUT NEVER the Why’s!!!” We’ve explained that ONLY God knows the answers to the “WHY’s.” Basically, Disciple has explained that the “Why’s” involve timing, purpose, reasons, and such, that WE don’t know. BUT we trust in God and have faith. And we keep going. NOT without purpose or reason. Not randomly. Not just going through the motions. Not blindly. WE do so with direction and guidance that Disciple prays for daily. And so, we have seen the tender mercies, miracles, reasons, purposes, this week and WE ARE ALL IN AWE of what God does, His timing and His reasons. When we follow His guidance and direction, without question, HE shows us exactly WHY something has happened, why it was His timing. What His reasons were! And we cried off and on all week knowing we were instruments in His hands.

Organizer worked with Chef, Baker and Kitchen Scullery Maids, Monday morning cleaning out and organizing cabinets and drawers.

Chauffeur took Correspondent to the office of letter sending, and Shopper to the local guild. Not much was purchased, as this was a look-see trip. What she looked at wasn’t what she wanted, or anyone else, especially Organizer, SO that was a quick trip.

Correspondent took a short break and saw the following message posted.

“Hi ward family! Finally able to get a place but have nothing to put in it. If you have anything you have been dying to find a new home for please let me know by sending me a DM or calling me directly.

Thanks so much.”

Disciple and others in The Hermitage began to cry. Disciple prayed. WE ALL UNDERSTOOD some answers. For the longest time, WE didn’t know why, things just didn’t work in getting things out of the storage for 16 years. We got some here and there, BUT not all of it. WHY? We didn’t know. AND a LOT of it had NOWHERE to go once it got here. Nor could any of us wear some of the clothing, ETC. Life had changed, things were different. We had ALL changed in MANY ways. When we were loading things, we had NO real answers to the questions we were being asked. Only the answer of “just load it all and we will figure it all out later.” And now this! To say we were in awe is an understatement!

We sent a message to this lovely sister from the ward. “Don’t buy anything! We probably have it.” She and her sister came over that evening and we discussed what was available—queen size bed, full size bed, couch, end tables, coffee table, table with four chairs, lamps, patio table with six chairs, two Christmas trees, kitchen items, and more. And there is more, we just need to sort through things. As we find things we put them in boxes. We are SO blessed to be able to give. We are grateful beyond words. One never knows the ways in which God will use us to bless the lives of others. There were many times we needed help and it was always provided. THAT is a story on tithing for another time. It is easier to get around in The Hermitage!

All of this has provided a peace and calm in The Hermitage allowing us to sleep at night. We are also thankful for that!

Board Member has done HOA stuff this week. Financier and Banker have been busy with end of the month bills and updating the ledger, etc. Thankfully ALL of that balanced. They are complete nutcases with that! It has to balance to the penny…OR heads will roll.

The Temple was closed for cleaning, but was back open this week, so Disciple was back to her shift! Thankful to see all of her friends who are now like family. Thankful to be able to spend the day in the Temple. Thankful for the “feelings” of the Temple and blessings!

Queen made some calls. One to her youngest. He and his lovely wife are RIGHT in the middle of hurricane Helene. They have had a LOT of rain all week, but are doing okay. The river next to them went from knee deep to about 10’ or higher, but he insisted they were okay. She tried to call today, but was told they would call back. Hmmm…Disciple will be praying harder.

Queen also called her brother as his birthday was Saturday. It was a quick visit as his sister-in-law, Karen Warner’s funeral service was on YouTube. So all of us in The Hermitage watched it as we worked on distributing old files to the file receptacle!

Queen and Grandmomma were off to a little league game with Chauffeur to the other side of the valley. The youngest Grandson was the starting pitcher—struck out the first two batters and the fourth batter. His team won 7-5. It was OVER 100º out so Queen and Grandmomma mentioned that swimming might be in order. The water was a tad cool, but didn’t take much to get used to it. A few weeks from now and that may not be the case. Who knows?

We are hoping that Organizer, Chef, Baker, and Kitchen and Scullery Maids get things going in the kitchen so we can enjoy home cooked meals again. Eating out isn’t something we normally do daily.

We are SO blessed!

We are SO grateful!

We are thankful for guidance and direction, EVEN when we have NO idea of WHY!

We are thankful for our great faith!

We are thankful for our knowledge!

We are thankful we know who to put out trust in!

We are thankful to know that God knows EACH one of us personally!

We are thankful for family, friends, neighbors and those we meet when out.

Life is AMAZING!

 22 September 2024

Writer is somewhat ready to do this. It has been almost 10 days since something has been put forth from The Hermitage. She is going to assure you ALL that we are ALL still breathing, ALL still functioning and ALL still full of hope. With that said, most of the dozen or more bruises have dissipated. IcyHot is still working on the shoulders, hot showers on backs AND AdvilPM to help us sleep. 

Organizer "thought" she had everything under control, AND for the most part she did. AND does. No one is complaining, but SHE is, at times, distraught at how slowly things are going. WE ALL remind her that she needs to practice patience. ALL of this has been "collected" for at LEAST 50 years! We can't just deal with it in a few days. We've tried to remind her to calm down. There is a yellow post-it we found in a box that is helping, to a point. This is what is written on it, "Sometimes we need to become frustrated to make a breakthrough in our thinking. It's part of the process." WE also take breaks when we are at a breaking point. Sometimes it is a walk. Sometimes it is a phone call. Sometimes it is just standing outside. Financier and Banker remind us that we are now saving over $200.00 a month, and it's ALL going to be okay. 

There was NOwhere to sit in The Hermitage the first little while. AND there were slim trails from the front door to the kitchen, WHICH we could barely get to the sink. Chef hasn't been able to cook. Baker hasn't even thought of working. ALTHOUGH BOTH have found some COOL things they'd forgotten ALL about! THAT was interesting. They also found that now we not only have duplicates of most things, BUT quadruplicate of many things. They have decided to part with MANY things. Maids finally cleared a way to the fridge, and garage. That is a bonus. 

Zoophilist went with Chauffeur to the old homelands to take 6 huge bags of blankets, towels, pillows, etc. to the animal shelter that was begging for donations. The roads and streets in the old homelands are NOT the same. Chauffeur didn't get lost, but questioned the madness over there. 

Laundress has done several loads of laundry.

Kitchen and Scullery Maids have washed SO many dishes, silverware, Tupperware, ETC! Chef and Baker are NOT on strike, but doing the minimum. 

Gardener took a much needed break and mowed the lawn and watered by hand. 

Correspondent had Chauffeur take her to the post office to mail a birthday card and some notes of appreciation. While in line she asked the people in front of her what was in the five white boxes they were sending off. She knew they were birds, as the boxes had that. She was told they were "racing pigeons" worth several thousand dollars and on their way to the Philippines. On the ride home she and Chauffeur discussed the many things people spend their money and time on. ALL of us have our own issues, and we see others have them too, they are just more expensive. 

Builder and Landscaper saw some French Doors in the back of a trailer. Chauffeur stopped to inquire and found that they were indeed going to the trash. ALL of the windows were intact and the doors would be perfect for the three-sided building Builder and Landscaper want to erect in the backyard. The guy said we could have them for $50.00, and we thanked him and said it was okay. We just wanted to "save" them from a death at the dump. After visiting with him for about an hour, he said we could have them for free. Perfect! Queen's youngest would be somewhat impressed.

Those responsible for items in 2-4 drawer files, and 1-2 drawer file, emptied out the files to be used as planters and have been going through the arduous task of going through each file. They were ALL astonished that some of these papers, magazine articles, newspaper articles, ETC., ETC., ETC., were at least 50 years old! AND WHY DID WE KEEP THEM?!?!?! The things they found brought back memories, hopes, dreams, plans, and much more. ALL for naught. NONE of these hopes, dreams, plans, ETC., have come to fruition. Architect drew many house plans, which never happened. Crafter, Painter, Seamstress, Quilter, Crocheter, Knitter, Organizer, ETC., haven't done ANY of these things. A break was needed. 

We thought of ALL of the things that were SO important 50 years ago. NONE of those things are important at all now. All are basically meaningless. Time has taken its toll and are nothing now. We are all alone in The Hermitage. There is no one really who "cares" about any of this "stuff" and we have found that because no one else cares, we don't either. We have come to a point where we are getting rid of everything that ever meant something and replacing it with things that mean nothing. That way, somewhere in the distant future...hopefully WAY distant, it will be easy to just toss everything out. It is meaningless. 

All of this has caused us to have mental, emotional and physical distress and agony. AND take another much needed break. 

We have learned that some boxes don't need to be opened at this time. They are boxes that were filled in 1996, moved to Missouri, NEVER opened and then moved to storage in 2008, AND NOW they are here...with ALL of their memories. We opened one box and it had all of the little dresses Seamstress made for Queen's daughter's from the time they were born until she made baptism dresses when they were 8. The box was closed. What to do? We don't know. Another box had fireman turnouts one of the boys must have used for Halloween one year. Also the youngest son's bright yellow M.C. Hammer parachute pants! More memories and the box was closed. 

Sometimes two walks are needed. Since Chef isn't working on cooking, we try to remember to eat. We do remember to drink our water. We rest and take breaks. We remind ourselves that this isn't a race and it doesn't have to be done RIGHT NOW! 

Disciple has done a LOT of praying for ALL of us in The Hermitage. She knows the pains we are dealing with. Some mental, some physical, many emotional. MANY. Some of us pray with her. Some of us cry. ALL of us are thinking about life...and death. Three friends died within a week. One funeral was attended. The other two are at the end of the month and beginning of next month. Disciple has a LOT of conversations with those on the other side. Especially those who are the highest. She knows that all of this has happened according to His will and timing. We don't know the future, BUT we KNOW that HE KNOWS! He knows what the future holds and is preparing us for that. We are thankful to know that Disciple is strong and focused on the things of God and what is happening. 

Employee went to lunch with a friend she's had for almost 40 years! That was a welcome break. It was GREAT to visit and just talk about things. She is a great friend.

Grandmomma had another break and diversion with the youngest grandson. His parents were celebrating their 16th wedding anniversary. Saturday morning Chauffeur took us to Hemenway Park in Boulder City and saw the wild Big Horn Sheep.  He is SO like Zoophilist. He SO wanted to pet them. He had to be reminded that they are WILD animals and that they can and will butt you with those horns! So he patiently watched them and hoped they would come and eat out of his hand. They did not. They are not crazy. The wild donkeys on they other hand would do that, but they are on the other side of town.  We went to the marina's and fed the ducks, mud hens, striper, and carp. We had a LOT of science lessons, as well as lessons on all sorts of things. When we went over to Boulder Beach, he learned about the area between the hard part of the earth and the MUSHY part, as he sunk to his knees in the goo. Oddly enough, this was one of his favorite parts of the day. 

Fashionista has been reunited with clothes that no longer fit, and dozens of pairs of shoes, some that she hasn't ever worn! AND the heels are SO HIGH! Holy cow! We are wondering IF she should even wear them!!! Could be dangerous! She is wild though, so we shall see.

Each box brings some interesting surprises. One box had a black notebook. Inside the cover it said, "Elder Gunderson, St Louis Mission." We have things that belong to each of Queen's children. We have found things that belonged to Queen's parents! We've found things that belonged to Queen's King...How did WE become the keeper of the treasures?!?! We have NO clue. Except that they left The Hermitage and WE were left to deal with things. AND not wanting to deal with any of it, we put it in a box...and now we have to deal with it. Like it or not.

Financier and Banker wish they knew how to sell things online. They are also checking out a consignment place not far from The Hermitage. 

All of us are ready to simplify the lives in The Hermitage. It is interesting that most people spend their lives gathering, collecting, saving, embracing, ETC., and WHY?!?! Now we are spending our lives getting rid of all of it.

We are thankful to know that God knows us and what the future holds. 

We are thankful He is looking out for us and preparing us.

We are thankful for the help so freely given to get to this point.

We are thankful for progress.

We are thankful there is a bigger picture. 

We are thankful to know the bigger picture.

We know we are loved.

We know we have been through FAR hard trials and challenges and survived. 

We know this too shall pass. 

We are SO BLESSED!!!

 13 September 2024 FRIDAY THE 13th!!! WOOHOO!!!

Writer hasn't written in awhile as we have been extremely busy at The Hermitage.

This "could" be a long write, as there is SO much involved and it "could" reasonably cover 35 years. BUT alas, she will try to sum up.

Life is messy. Never let anyone tell you otherwise. AND when you "think" something is the way it should be, more often than not, it makes unexpected turns. 

In the last 35 years we have left what we knew. Regrouped several times. Got back on track, only to be derailed several times. A few months ago, the kids were over for dinner and left this sage advice. "Stay in your own lane. Mind your own business." However, it seems that there are times when you are in your own lane, minding your own business, doing exactly what you should be doing AND someone sideswipes you! Throwing the status quo completely OFF! AND it wasn't YOUR fault, OR, YOUR choice!. Nevertheless, you keep rolling on. NOT like anything didn't happen, but you dust yourself off, keep going, and make the most of it. We have learned SO much!

Well, in the last 35 years we were sideswiped countless times by others. Because of this, ALL of us in The Hermitage were afraid to make any decisions as we were afraid of the outcome. SO, we were putting up with things, dealing with things, and trying our best to keep the ship afloat. 

We've learned about plans. Ours vs God's. His is ALWAYS the right plan. When our plan went out the window in 1986, we were devastated, distraught, frustrated, panicked, suicidal, and much more. Everything we thought we knew no longer made sense, and it seemed as though nothing really mattered anymore. We didn't care about life, as it seemed meaningless. We were lost and had four children to mother. 

Disciple was the one who tried to make things make sense. She put up a scripture--Proverbs 3:5-6. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” We had to start somewhere AND that is where we started. We had NO CLUE what was going on or why for several years, but kept going...on trust. 

Then we learned about timing. God's timing. We learned there was a time for everything, a purpose, and a reason. Trust God. Trust the timing. Check out Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.  

Life went on. We bought a new Hermitage built in 1895. A HUGE Hermitage. AN awesome Hermitage. Six bedrooms, three floors above a full basement. Victorian. The works. We loved it. BUT life went on and changed in multiple ways. 

We made a decision in 2008 and left this HUGE empty Hermitage. Packed everything up with the help of about 35 people and put it all in a 53' semi. Then everything went in storage for what was only supposed to be about 6 months at the most. That 6 months turned into 16 years. ALL of us in The Hermitage could sympathise with Maureen O'Hara in The Quiet Man when she married and said "I just want my things about me." For years we have wanted our things. All of our things. But the timing wasn't right. Something was always amiss. 

Then last month Organizer got things figured out. Disciple was off for two weeks at the Temple. Weather was good up there. Cousins were able to help. So, Chauffeur got the carriage ready and on Friday, September 6th she drove us up to Payson, Utah. We stayed with our cousin. Then on Saturday, at 9 we picked up a 26' Penske truck and drove to the storage unit. It took 8 of us less than 6 hours to load the truck, counting the time we took to eat pizza, visit, laugh and enjoy the company we were with. Half of us were over 70 or close to it. The others in their 30's or 40's we think. Those of us in The Hermitage were emotional and SO thankful to get this done. Curtis, the obvious "Tetris Master," and Charisse filled every nook and cranny. Absolutely amazing! The rest of us loaded dollies and Bruce and Mike ran them up and down the ramp from the storage to the truck. Efficiency at its finest!!!

There are many ways to show love, TIME is one of the biggest ways. When you give of your time, you are giving all and showing the greatest love ever. ALL of us in The Hermitage are deeply indebted to and give THANKS to Bruce, Charisse, Debbie, Curtis, Mikol, Mike, AJ. YOU ALL are the heroes of all of us in The Hermitage.

We played Farkle many times. Spent Sunday doing Family History with Debbie. We stayed up WAY too late, laughed and talked about life and lives. Farmer helped feed the chickens. Gardener helped sprayed weed killer on the yard. We went to have "Utah" Chinese food. We felt like a burden had been lifted. We felt like we were free from trials of the past. We could feel the cover of that book being closed.

Jessica and Jason came up from Cedar on Monday morning and Jason drove the truck back to Vegas. Chauffeur followed Jessica.

As Chauffeur headed down the on ramp getting on the 15 southbound, ALL of us in the carriage cried. We cried for several miles. We are SO grateful. Disciple prayed and gave thanks for everything that happened, how it happened, the timing, the help, the amazing family we belong to. She prayed that all of those who helped would be blessed in their lives and health. We were back in Vegas at 4:30. Jason unloaded a few BIG things, then they left to be back with their children. 

Tuesday was TOO smokey outside from the California fires, so we all stayed in The Hermitage most of the morning, taking care of things inside and arranging things. Angelo came over and moved much of the BIG stuff off the truck, leaving just a couple of big things. Some of us took boxes in since the wind came up and blew the smoke somewhere else. WE HATE the wind here, BUT that was a godsend! Jenny came by and helped with stuff that still needed to be put away before we quit at 9. 13,627 steps.
We have learned that Advill PM is our "friend." THANK YOU Angelo and Jenny.

Wednesday we had help from an AWESOME stranger who's in-laws live at the end of the street, the neighbor next door, Lora, as well as friends from Church, Colleen and Don, and Gina. The sister missionaries borrowed cookie sheets...and then brought cookies over. Another neighbor brought over frozen mangoes! OH MY GOSH!!! We'd never had them, but they were amazing! She also brought dinner over for those of us in The Hermitage! 8,981 steps.

By 4 PM on Thursday the truck was unloaded and swept out. Thank you to Lora, Dennis and Dave!!! Then another hero from Church, Garrick (Paula) Burden helped us take everything into The Hermitage, garage, and back patio. He moved so fast and was so amazing! It is done. The kitchen is filled. The living room is filled. We probably have two dozen chairs, etc. and nowhere to sit. HAHAHA...kind of a drag. 12,911 steps.

Organizer did a great job. We have amazing family and friends! We have opened and worked with things in at least 3 dozen boxes today. We have learned which ones to open and which ones to deal with later. We found that there are MANY boxes that came from Vegas, to Missouri, to Payson and back to Vegas that have NEVER been opened since 1996!!! THOSE we don't want to deal with at this time. They have "memories" in them that brought tears today...although some brought laughter. We've found random stashes of money in boxes. We found a real shark in a bottle. We have NO IDEA who that belongs to yet. We found 6 Christmas trees in 6 different boxes ranging from 2' tall to 7' tall! We already had two ironing boards and two irons here at The Hermitage, BUT in storage there were two more ironing boards, a steamer, and three more irons! AND the only two who use an iron are Seamstress and Quilter!!! We had two waffle irons here at The Hermitage, and now another one. We found LVHS swim team and football team gear. We found dresses Seamstress made for the girls when they were growing up. We found M.C. Hammer pants from the 90's! We found birdhouses that Artist painted. We've found treasures lost long ago, and now found. Every box has at least one surprise in it, IF NOT MORE! It IS Christmas in The Hermitage. We have EVERYTHING we ever wanted and more. We are blessed. AND because we have SO much more than we need, we have been giving things away. Clothes that no longer fit, but are back in style. We would LOVE to fit into them, but don't see that happening in the near future. We have huge bags of towels, pillows, and blankets ready to go to the animal shelter. We are sorting things for the garage sale, DI, kids, etc. 

Angelo drove the truck back today and Chauffeur followed. That is done! 

We've found that we have multiple bruises on our legs, today we have shin splints, AND we have a black eye from a board that fell. We really DO NOT think we are cut out to go into the moving business AND hope this is the end of our moving episode. 

Tomorrow Laundress is going to have to get a handle on washing ALL sorts of things. The counters are full, so Kitchen and Scullery Maids will be busy with things in there. Organizer is reorganizing cupboards and cabinets. Disciple will be going to a funeral in the morning. 

So this is the short story, the "sum up" of the last 35 years. Writer left out the difficult parts and gave some of the rest. Life is NEVER normal in The Hermitage and won't be for months. BUT we have our "things about us" and we are moving forward. We have NO idea what the future holds, but we know we have survived things we never thought we would. We know we have loving family and friends. This storm has passed. This part of our book is shut. A new chapter lies ahead. We don't know what, BUT Disciple knows that GOD knows and has prepared us for whatever it is. We have peace in The Hermitage. We have hope. We have been SO blessed!!!

 18 August 2024

Disciple didn't move, however our ward boundaries did. She attends the same chapel at the same time. She does have A LOT of new faces to put names to. She also has a NEW calling!!! She is a co-Activity Leader with another sister...Linda Burden. Disciple is in good hands!

This is our directive:Activity LeadersPrimary activity leaders minister to children as they plan service and activities beginning in January of the year children turn 8 (see 12.2.1.3). Service and activities focus on God’s work of salvation and exaltation. They are fun and engaging. They build testimonies, strengthen families, and foster personal growth."

So, we will be figuring things out for this and meeting all of the girls who will be participating.

Our lesson in Sunday School Was Alma 43-52, the War chapters! With that we discussed Ephesians 6:11-18 "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"

Disciple found this interesting as yesterday she was explaining this to the youngest grandson. He has a fascination with her "armor," swords, mace, and various other things reminding her, and others that we are warriors, and need to put on the armor of God. To be prepared at ALL times. He particularly likes her swords and mace. So she had a short discussion about the armor of God. And today in Sunday School we really dove into this. No swords though.

We had a "Linger Longer" after Church. Chef prepared tortilla pinwheels with cream cheese and diced green chilies. They must have been a hit, as there were none left. That's always a bonus! And we were delighted with the party crashers!

Disciple was set apart for her new calling and is hoping to be a good influence on these young girls who are 8-11. We are new to this, but she remembers at that age she was taught embroidery, cooking, baking, crafting and so many other things she continues to help, and encourage others with, in The Hermitage. Now to incorporate that with gospel teachings and Christ. This will be exciting and fun.

When Disciple was growing up, Sunday was no different than any other day of the week, other than attending Church, which is different now than it was then. NOT that the doctrine has changed, but meetings have, etc. When she was a child, she attended Sunday School on Sunday morning, and Sacrament Meeting in the evenings. There were a few years that her step-father tried to forbid her from attending Church, but the Queen Mum interfered with that for the most part. She would drop Disciple off with her brother, then she would pick them up. Her step-father also made sure Disciple, and her brother, attended other religious groups, to be instructed "properly."

Then, in 1972, when she was in high school the Church began the "Three-hour block." She was in California; there were "gas" issues, this saved gas, time...anyway, Sacrament was first, then Sunday School. We could take the sacrament in both meetings, except on Fast Sunday. After the Sacrament meeting we had RS/Priesthood/YM/YW/Primary. This became the norm for decades, up until 2019 when we went to the two hour block.

So, in Disciples life growing up Sunday was only different because she went to Church. However, 50 years ago she decided Sunday should be a "special" day. It should be more than all the other days of the week. She should "DO" things differently. So she studied scriptures on the subject. Isaiah wrote in 58: "13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." Moses said in Exodus 20:8 "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy."

She thought a lot about how she could change things in her life so Sunday would be "different" from all the other days of the week. What could she do to make it more holy? She doesn't get crazy by her thinking, but others may think so. She never worked on Sunday, and when others in The Hermitage worked jobs that required working on Sunday, she told them to request it off. That was always honored. There is no shopping on Sunday. With a few exceptions there is no dining out on Sunday at restaurants. We don't do any swimming or boating. NOT that these activities are WRONG! They aren't. AND she doesn't look differently or criticize those who do these things. BUT for her, and those in The Hermitage, we have made other choices that work for us, and how we want things to be. We have gone hiking or for drives in nature. We don't listen to the radio in the car, nor do we watch TV shows that we would watch during the week. We have Movie Buff put on religious documentaries, videos or movies that bring in the spirit. She wears a dress. NOT because she has to. That is NOT a requirement. No one makes her wear a dress. She knows God loves her no matter what she is wearing. However, there have been non-church functions parties, activities, etc. where certain "clothing" is requested or suggested. It might be casual, black tie, cocktail, dressy. Maybe camping or hiking.

Things are FAR different from when Disciple was growing up. As a child she wore gloves to Church. Her mother wore a hat and gloves. Sometimes Disciple DOES wear a hat. She gets spunky and loves to do that. But the dress is something she "chooses" to wear. She "chooses" this because she WANTS the day to be different from the other days. She WANTS to "feel" different than she does on the other days. She wants God to know that she is choosing to be different. Choosing to make an effort to make Sunday a special day, a different day.

Disciple had suits for her boys when they were growing up at The Hermitage. They wore them to Church, or on other special occasions. These were not "play clothes," they knew the suits were important, and they felt "different" than they did in their play clothes or school clothes. The girls had dresses.

The clothing you wear reflects you, your attitude about what you are doing, where you are going, and how you are going to act. We make choices reflecting on, and with respect to those things.

Those in The Hermitage have tried to make Sunday a special day. A holy day. A day to show honor to God, and the Savior. A sacred day. We rejoice in the Sabbath day. We look forward to it, and resting from the things of the world. We hope you are having a blessed day.