30 June 2026

Writer is having a hard time believing that she hasn’t written ALL month! The Hermitage has been abuzz far more than usual, BUT holy cow! Now she is going to have to do what Inigo Montoya did… “Sum up!”

Disciple has been quite busy. She has met with the Sister Missionaries many times for different reasons; lessons, planning, giving popsicles and water, and a couple of baptisms. She and Singer attended double choir practices and sang in the Ward AND Stake choirs this month. She has served on her shift all month, and subbed twice on other shifts. She has attended Faith and Fellowship meetings. She has had Presidency meetings with her board. Things are progressing. She sewed up at least two quilt tops, helped at Sisters-in-Service, and then there was a special quilt morning where she helped tie quilts. There were at least a dozen of us there and six quilts were tied. Chef prepared stuffed potatoes for her to take to a friend’s house and she had dinner there with the Sister Missionaries. Chef also prepared dinner for100 for the Friends of the Desert homeless shelter with the help of another sister in the ward. Turned out to be quick and easy. She also went to the monthly lunch with the Temple Sister to, TA-DA… Eddie’s!!! It was GREAT! AND on the 26^th the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square performed at the Hollywood Bowl. Grandson went with Disciple and Grandmomma to Lee’s Family Forum to watch it. AND it was AWESOME!!! They are doing a tour of the USA for the Semiquincentennial. Put that in Google and watch what it does! They sang at least four or five of Disciple’s favorite songs!!! Several guest artists sang as well… Donny Osmond of course was a hit with Grandmomma. The whole program was AMAZING! The Sister Missionaries Heart Attacked the front door when Disciple was at the Temple. Building Super left the hearts up all month! They also came and sang Happy Birthday and brought treats! We are SO blessed!

Animal Lover watched Rover for a week. He is a good dog and when he leaves, we feel an emptiness. But she did go pet some darling puppies one Saturday. She didn’t bring one home though. She also hasn’t seen the squirrel recently. Just a variety of birds and lizards. 

Ma and Momma were treated to Eddie’s again on her birthday with Jenny and Angelo, AND later in the month with Mike, Katie and Chris. Yes, she loves to eat there and they seem happy to go as well! She also played a game of Jumanji, and went to the skating rink. She was going to skate, but after the ridiculous fall (next paragraph) she decided she might do best to just watch. 

Board Member was walking with another board member one evening and all of the sudden was flat down in the rocks! Bruised hip and ankle came from that ridiculous episode! She has also been busy with HOA gates, pool, landscaping and violations in the “Estates.” 

Correspondent had to deal with phone issues from Board Members crash in the rocks! Scuffed up the corner of the phone. The day for the repairs the cable network wasn’t working. THAT turned into a HUGE fiasco with a LOT of terse words for the AI correspondent on the other end. Thankfully it was more than aware of the anger on this end! A trip to Verizon came after the phone repair. AND it turned out it WASN’T anyone in The Hermitage! The internet was down. DUH!!! That’s what she told them. OH! What do we know?!?!?! 

Chauffeur took Litigant to the law offices to sign papers. THIS was positive in more than one way! We’ve put out feelers to look at cars. THIS is the part we don’t really like. It would be nice to have someone else do this. Nevertheless, we’ve all explained what we are looking for.  

Friend has been out and about with a couple of friends. One treated her to a box of See’s… Her special selection. The other treated her to lunch at BJ’s! The food is great and the pizookie’s are INCREDIBLE! 

This will be a VERY rough week in many ways, but we will press on. We are SO blessed and grateful! Hope June was a good month for you. Here’s to the 250^th and everything else. Hugs, thoughts and prayers to you.

31 May 2026

What a month! So many changes. So many turns. Life in The Hermitage has been going along like some of the songs from the 40s. Side by Side comes to mind. All of us in The Hermitage just travel along doing our thing, side by side. We’ve celebrated holidays and birthdays this month. We’ve adjusted to a VERY intense calling, we’ve kept up with our duties. We’ve been BUSY!

Disciple attended a lovely Masquerade ball and brought the Lasagna Chef made from scratch. Chef hasn’t made one in sometime, and it was delightful and ALL gone when Disciple left. She attended a sealing at the Temple as well as subbed for a friend. She has had several presidency meetings and things are coming along. She is learning from MANY Temple and Ward sisters what works, what doesn’t work, what is important and what isn’t. ALL of this is VALUABLE information and appreciated. She has been out teaching lessons with the Sister Missionaries, they have unexpectedly dropped in when Disciple “needed” them, and she taught the lesson for Faith and Fellowship. She has been BUSY. She is in the Ward choir, and with the Patriotic Celebration for the “semiquincentennial” AKA “the Bisesquicentennial, the Sestercentennial, or the Quarter Millennium, will be the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence” coming up, she is in the Stake choir. Who knew it would have SO many words for a celebration! AND if you Google that word, there are fireworks that go off on the screen! WHAT FUN!!!

Animal Lover and Queen got to dog sit Rover for a week as his family went on a trip. All of us in The Hermitage found that after a week of having him here, when he went home, we missed having him here. 

Saturday was a busy day for everyone. Gardener watered plants inside and outside. Then she, Landscaper, and Building Super shoveled rocks, weeded, swept walks, and maintained plants. Chauffeur and Building Super washed the car. So far no rain. Insert wink. Ornithophile filled the feeders and found that two of the doves were NOT afraid of her. She loves that! All of them were done before 9. Seamstress sewed three quilt tops together last week, but since she had some time she cut out a dress for the BIG celebration coming up, and sewed it together. Now there is a new frock to wear for the events. It IS BRIGHT! We all love everything patriotic, and this is just that! Most of us love the darker reds and blues, BUT the fabric was free and Seamstress went for it. She combined several patterns and was done with it by dinnertime. 

At the moment, Astrophile is waiting for the “Blue Moon” to rise. 

We are all experiencing MANY emotions. May, June and July are difficult months for ALL of us in The Hermitage. With ALL of the various celebrations, events, memories, etc. it is difficult to find us in any sort of a “normal” disposition. We try, but we have ALL been EXTRA weepy this month. Nevertheless, we are also happy, hopeful, and for the most part, at peace. We appreciate ALL of the love, concern, help, ETC., from everyone. We are blessed beyond our prayers. Bless you all. Here we go, off to June!

 20 May 2026

 

Writer hasn't been a slacker, merely trying to keep up with EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING in The Hermitage! There has been MUCH. We are ALL learning a myriad of things. We are experiencing many emotions. Change is difficult, but we are pushing forward and doing this. AND there was a conundrum today! More on that later in the narrative of The Hermitage.

 

Queen spent a little time with Jenny today. We had lunch. Queen was getting ready and thought of the time we ALL went to Costco and had hot dogs, pizza, ETC. Interestingly enough, that’s where Jenny wanted to go. She wanted a Costco hot dog. Queen was fine with that as she likes them too. Then we went to DQ and she had a root beer float, and Queen got her favorite! A buster bar!!!

 

Seamstress helped Queen’s daughter-in-law take in a T-shirt for StarWars day. AND she finished another Christmas stocking! Four down! She’s on a roll. Most of the others had between 100 and 120 pieces/steps. This one had close to 160. And her friend Jannette brought over some quilt tops to sew. She chose three of them. She has her work cut out for her.

 

Chef made a crockpot full of red meat sauce so she can make a pan of Lasagna for a dinner on Saturday. She made enough for other meals for those in The Hermitage. They love ziti and spaghetti, so she is prepared.

 

Correspondent has been busy with several birthdays and letter writing. She had Artist decorate two envelopes for birthdays this month. Jenny’s today and Mike’s next week. One is something new Artist thought she would try her hand at. It is called “Zentangle.” She got a “sharpie” headache and had to rest periodically. It is “a meditative art form where artists create abstract, intricate designs by drawing structured, repetitive patterns.” 

 

Disciple has been SO busy!!! She has been out to lessons with the Sister Missionaries, attended Faith and Fellowship meetings, has had two board meetings with her presidency, done her regular shifts at the Temple and subbed for others as well. She also attended a DUP meeting with Family Historian. She also went to lunch with her Temple Sisters. There have been many phone and in person meetings with various people. She has had MANY prayers answered, received several promptings from the spirit, seen God’s hand, timing and tender mercies. She is being strengthened, blessed and refined! It is ABSOLUTELY amazing. She and Queen were VERY thankful on Mother’s day when the family came to Church and sat with them. THEN took them to lunch at Lucille’s! 

 

Queen went to the youngest grandson’s awards in his little scout group. That Chaplain has a VERY difficult job. It must be VERY difficult to try and teach something that you don’t actually DO. As these boys become adults one day, they may see the conflict and hypocrisy involved. The program itself is AWESOME for the boys and Queen supports the activities and such, but realizes the slippery slope the Chaplain is on. 

 

Chauffeur has been taking care of legal matters, and hopefully that episode from last September will be over soon and she can shop for a new or semi-new carriage. 

Social Butterfly has been reflecting on the past. Namely the following eateries. She LOVED going to these places and missed what she used to order there. Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor,

Shakey's, H. Salt Fish and Chips, Sambo's, Godfather's pizza, Bob's Big Boy, and Stuckey's. It’s funny how just thinking about these places takes you back to them and you can smell the smells, see the ambiance within, and the memories rush in. 

 

Board Member and Gardener have been busy fixing trees with another Board Member after the wind the other night. We had constant wind here at The Hermitage with gusts between 50-70MPH. We thought we would end up in Kansas. Alas, we woke up where we were supposed to be, BUT it was a rough night. Several trees were down at the dog park, so we did what we could until the actual landscapers could get there the next day. We also took care of some infuriating things in the pool area. Some of us in The Hermitage feel a place in the mountains away from certain things might just be something to look into.

 

 

When Gardener went to water out back last Saturday, she saw something LARGE run across the pavers to the woodpile! A RAT!!! She reported it to Building Super! THAT MUST GO! THAT was what has been eating her succulents! DANG!!! Building Super reported it to a neighbor across the street. He gave her two mouse traps. She was pretty sure they weren’t going to work because the “RAT” was three times the size, OR more, of the traps. Nevertheless, Building Super got the peanut butter from Chef and prepared the traps. She snapped her fingers several times, but not seriously. She didn’t get hurt, just jumped when they snapped. So, the traps were set. She also made a box to fit in the carriage house vent that was open out of ¼” wire mesh and installed that, so said RATS couldn’t get into the carriage house. At 11:00PM two nights in a row, they snapped, BUT nothing was in them the next morning. Okay, it’s on!!! Building Super called the PRO TRAPPER!!! He came over with his wife and son. He set two HUGE rat traps, and the live trap Building Super has had for decades. Building Super has used it twice in the last 50 years. Once for a skunk, and was successful, once for Archimedes and was NOT successful. Then Pro Trapper, his family and Queen went to Eddie’s for dinner! The wait was on. Tuesday… NOTHING. One small trap was snapped, but nothing else. This morning she checked them at 5AM when she woke up. Nothing. She checked them off and on through the morning. THEN she looked out there about 10:45 and a stray cat was out by the live trap. Good grief. Now she had to deal with a live rat! DANG! She really didn’t want to have to dispatch a rat. That wasn’t in the plan. Nevertheless, she opened the door and the cat ran off. She went over to check out the “rat” in the live trap. She looked at it. Called for Zoophilist, who said, “THAT’S NOT A RAT!!! THAT’S A SQUIRREL!!!” Gardener and Building Super KNEW that. ALL of us in The Hermitage knew that. However, ALL of us have NEVER seen a squirrel in Paradise LV. “Where did it come from?” They were questioning? AND whatever shall we do with it? It’s darling. Chef gave it some chopped pecans which it seemed to love. Later in the afternoon, Building Super released it. Traps have been put away. Life is extremely interesting at The Hermitage! That’s for darn sure. Pro Trapper thought it was hilarious. Seems it is a Rock Squirrel. Not sure where it came from, OR if it will be back, but it has been eating the succulents for almost a year. 

 

And so we come to the end of the excitement and happenings at The Hermitage until the next writing. We are constantly entertained, amazed, and shocked. But we are also blessed, honored, and at peace… for the moment. We can see SO much hope on the horizon. Love you ALL!

 3 May 2026

 

Writer has had some news to post for two weeks. It was on the down-low for several reasons, nevertheless The Hermitage has been abuzz with this new episode in Disciples life. 

 

Over the years EVERYONE in The Hermitage has learned things in a variety of ways starting at very young ages. Athlete learned to swim at two years of age having walked to the beach by herself (A kind policeman returned her to her home), and learned to ride a bike at four. Maybe a quicker way to the beach?! She also learned to play golf, baseball, and football before the age of 8. Miss Ladylike learned to sit down and sit properly VERY young. She also learned to walk and stand properly. And then there were the etiquette lessons of tableware and table manners, etc. Chambermaid and Scullery Maid learned their skills VERY early on. Gardener learned a love of plants and growing things. Correspondent learned to write letters and thank you notes at a young age. Seamstress learned to sew when she was 9. Quilter learned to quilt at 12. Chef and Baker started cooking and baking classes at 12 as well. Chauffeur learned to drive. Banker and Financier learned about budgeting and the like. Everything was learned early. As a teenager Mechanic and Builder wanted to take shop classes, but that wasn’t available to girls. So, Queen met someone who would teach her these skills. Mechanic would come home with black grease from her fingertips to her neck. Many times it was smeared across her cheeks as she would try to get the hair off of her face. Queen’s mother would say, “You were raised to be a LADY! This is FAR from Lady-like.” Queen’s dad would say, “You know you can be replaced by a girl…” And then he would smile. 

 

Queen married and they moved a little over 1,300 miles away from anyone they knew. She was thankful for ALL of the skills, abilities and knowledge all of those in The Hermitage had learned over the years. Everything helped her survive in many ways. 

 

Then they moved to Las Vegas in 1976. He left the Air Force and worked for the LVFD. Children came along. When he wasn’t at the fire station, he was working on cars. Frequently he would come in and request help from one of those in The Hermitage. Usually it was Mechanic. Not always, but frequently. Requests such as, “I’m putting in this transmission and trying to line up the flywheel, pressure plate and 

clutch plate. I need you on the creeper to help me.” Sobeit. And off she would go, under yet another vehicle. This was NOT unusual for any of us in The Hermitage.

 

In June of 2024, as Camper was going to celebrate her last birthday in her 60's, she went to girl’s camp near Kolob, Utah. It was BEAUTIFUL. While there, the Stake President and a Bishop asked if she would accompany them on “a hike?” “Why not?” she thought. Why not indeed!!! This “hike” became known as the “Death Hike” from then on. While up there, there was also rappelling. Queen’s “boys” had suggested she do that… The suggestion came with much firmness. So, Camper prepared, learned, and, her Bishop coaxed her over the edge of the 40’ cliff. She survived, obviously, saying that was a done one and never again. 

 

Those in The Hermitage have been challenged/dared MANY times over the years. They have been through a myriad of trials and life experiences. So, on the 19^th of April when Disciple was asked to be the new Relief Society President the world stopped. Not really, BUT in her mind it did. Her first thought was, “Hmmm… The second coming must be a LOT closer than we think!” Then she cried. Then she prayed and cried. AND prayed some more. Then she gathered herself up, dusted herself off and tried her best to put on her finest Lady-like attitude. Obviously she needed to get her act together. OBVIOUSLY!!!  

 

Several people have told her she will be wonderful, great, etc. That she will receive SO many blessings. Those of us in The Hermitage have felt SO blessed now, that we don’t feel lacking. Nevertheless, time will tell.

 

For those of you who have read this far, and don’t know what Relief Society is, Historian will give you a short, sum up, maybe with some help.

 

“Founded in 1842, the Relief Society is one of the world’s oldest and largest women’s organizations, with nearly seven million members in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It provides spiritual and temporal relief to women and their families worldwide, focused on increasing faith, strengthening families, and providing compassionate service under the motto "Charity Never Faileth."  

 

Heavenly Father has guided our lives to this point. He has in many ways made sure we were challenged and tested. We have been prepared. He knows us. He has watched over us. He knows what we’ve been through and has helped us EVERY STEP of the way. He knows Disciple VERY well. He knows how hard she has tried. He knows where she has failed, gotten up, and kept going. He loves her. She KNOWS He does. She is counting on Him, as well as her counselors, committee, and everyone else, to do this calling. 

 

There have been many times during the day that she looks up and says, “OH Father… and then sighs heavily. She has thought of the Savior as He sat on the hill overlooking Jerusalem and said, “Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem” with a hen’s desire to gather and protect her chicks. Disciple has this desire. She has this love. She is thankful she knows that Heavenly Father KNOWS her. Her weaknesses and strengths. 

 

Onward and upward we go. We don’t know what the future holds, but we have survived the past. We can do this. ALL of us in The Hermitage are as prepared as we can be. We are watchful. We’ve been challenged and dared before. 

 

Meet your challenges. Go for it. Push forward with a steadfast faith in Christ. He is there, watching and pulling for you. Disciple KNOWS this!!! We love you all!

 26 April 2026

Well, this month has gone faster than we even realized. The Hermitage has been abuzz with all sorts of things, some of it will be news at a later time. Far too much going on for some news.

Disciple has been spending a lot of incredible time at the Temple. She subbed for several sisters, attended to her normal shifts and has spent about 80 hours there this month. This time has filled her with peace and has also spread to a peaceful feeling at The Hermitage. She loves working at and attending to all things sacred in The Temple. She also prays for the rest of us, and we need it. She also spent some time with Seamstress setting up for the Sisters in Service and sewing flannel hearts for the NICU babies. She also had a fun afternoon with her Temple sisters at a potluck luncheon eating, visiting, laughing and getting to know each other better.

Building Super HAS NOT had to climb through any windows! THAT is a bonus. She did go with Shopper to procure a spare key, and had put it where she can find it SHOULD the NEED arise again. We are thinking it won’t. BUT she gives the front door “THE EYE” as she leaves now, a warning of sorts. The DOOR’s never got painted on the backside, so she spent part of a morning painting that and it is lovely.

Gardener has had some fun this month. She replaced several 6” risers with 12” risers so they would spray over the plants rather than right into them. That way the water gets everywhere she wants it to go. She has trimmed plants, transplanted plants, and has enjoyed the blooming jasmine and amaryllis, among others. She also put solar lights out front and it looks lovely at night. Several years ago she brought home an African violet leaf and after it rooted, planted it. That one plant became five plants that she divided yesterday. She NEEDS to thin the aloe, iris and others, SO IF anyone would like some, find her and hit her up for some. She also met Jenny and Angelo at Star Nursery. It was fun to reminisce about when she and Queen would take the kids there when they were children. Jenny and Jessica would look for the “yard” cats who roam around the nursery. They are friendly and the girls liked to hunt them down. They got their “free” ladybugs, and later that evening “let them go.” Disciple said it was kind of like Moses telling Pharaoh, “Let my people go!” Hopefully they are dining well on aphids and the like.

Queen and Organizer spent a whole day with Jenny helping her “clean out” her Carriage House. It was actually a small area, AND Queen was SO jealous. She would love to have Organizer drag everything out of the Carriage part of The Hermitage, sort and distribute a LOT of the things out there, and actually get the rest organized. Jenny did a GREAT job, and Queen and Organizer were impressed. They know just how difficult this task can be.

Queen also spent several hours with Hairstylist Jenny last week. She always does an amazing job and we have had SO many compliments. THANKS Jenny and Happy National Hairstylist’s Day on the 30^th! 

We didn’t get many April showers, but it has been cooler and cloudy off and on. Have a wonderful rest of the month. Be kind. Be happy. Be thankful. Hugs to all.

 5 April 2026

This was another VERY busy week in The Hermitage! We are anticipating a calming period now. Choirs are done. Holy Week is over. General Conference is over. Easter is done. BUT the importance of ALL of this will linger, thankfully. Each is important, especially to Disciple. She has been EXTRA busy. More later.

Seamstress was busy with the Sister Missionaries with clothing repairs, etc. It was fun having them and everything was neatly repaired. One of them did several. Seamstress is also busy with the next Christmas stocking. This one has over 115 pieces. And yet, she pushes on. She is going to get these done!

Board Member helped with gate issues that seem to continue thanks to no school for the holiday. She helped in taking the pool chaise lounges poolside with two other board members, and then helped with the damage done to the wall at the end of the street by a teen who just shouldn’t have been driving. She didn’t go to the board meeting though. Too much going on in The Hermitage.

On April 1^st, Building Super found out she was more agile than she ever imagined! THIS is NO joke!!! We wish it were, but it is not. We got locked out of The Hermitage! The keypad is fussy. IF you don’t close the door just right, it will lock you out and not let anyone do the code. Enter a frowny face. The good neighbor across the street tried to help. He had just put up a new flag for The Hermitage and we tried to get in the windows in the great room. Nope. Not happening. SO, we got the ladder and went to the backyard and proceeded to take apart the chamber window. This window is about 6’ from the ground. Maybe more. The opening is 14” x 22”. Yeah! NOT so big. We got the ladder and Building Super climbed up. Dave held the ladder. Left leg went in. Much kibitzing from Dave about how she was NEVER going to be able to do it. He helped as much as he could, and FINALLY, after feeling like a pretzel, and the BIGGEST FOOL, she dropped down into the shower area. Dave was ticked because he didn’t get a video of the whole foolish fiasco. THAT in itself is a good thing! 

While trying to pry open the windows in the great room, Dave broke a riser. SO, to add one foolish fiasco to another, Gardener got out all of the tools to fix the riser. Bulbs were also disturbed, so those were replanted. 

Chef made a macaroni salad and a broccoli salad for the Easter Feast. Both turned out lovely. We like when Chef makes the broccoli salad as it has bacon in it; she cooks extra bacon and makes sandwiches! 

Disciple has been SO busy and is ready for a bit of a break. She had dress rehearsal for the Easter special on the 3^rd. It was nice, but the recording we watched later of it wasn’t so great. The sound wasn’t that good. She has also subbed for others at the Temple, and saw a friend she hadn’t seen in years! It was wonderful. She loves when this happens.

Disciple does not take things related to religion lightly. And when others do, it doesn’t sit well with her. Her beliefs are incredibly significant. This Holy Week has become more and more meaningful over the years. This year she has done even more than past years. And Easter fell on the weekend of General Conference which was even more meaningful. Between the wonderful talks, beautiful music, and everything else going on, there has been much pondering.

Some of the things thought about, in no particular order are:

Debts. The Savior paid a debt He DID NOT owe. WE owe Him!

BUT did He say, “You owe me?” No, He did not. 

He carried out the supreme act of love. He wasn’t killed by anyone, He GAVE His life for us.

He taught us that with obedience comes sacrifice. You have to sacrifice at times to be completely obedient. 

We don’t have to be perfect. We just have to do our best. Give our best effort.

Follow Him and be constantly committed.

We have to desire to change. To be better. 

Pray to God. The Savior turned to His Father and prayed. We need to turn to Heavenly Father just as the Savior did. Always have a prayer in your heart. God knows our hearts and desires. He waits until we are ready to ask.

Recognize the “still small voice” of the Holy Ghost. 1 Kings 19: 11 “And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: 12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” Listen for it. You will hear it. Disciple has heard the still small voice countless times. Prepare to hear it. 

Each new day is a reminder of baptism and the resurrection. When you are baptized, you come up out of the water. You begin anew. When you go to bed at night, then wake in the morning, it is a reminder that you can start again. Go from where you are. If you make a mistake, keep going. Each new day is another day of life. Be thankful. 

Disciple is reminded of the many names of the Son of God in no particular order:

Prince of Peace, Light of the World, Savior, Redeemer, Messiah, Creator, Brother, Friend, I AM, The Word, Only Begotten Son of God, Mediator, Advocate, Cornerstone, Rock, Comforter, Bridegroom, Good Shepherd, Master, Raboni/Rabbi, Healer, Miracle Worker, King of Kings, Lamb of God, Companion, Creator, Lord, Bread of Life, Son of the Living God, Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, Alpha and Omega, and others. 

Whether you believe in Him or not, HE believes in you and loves you. He gave His life for you and asks nothing in return. Disciple is SO blessed to know these things. He will never leave you.

 29 March 2026 – Holy Week

Palm Sunday – Triumphal Entry. Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11: 1-10, Luke 19:28-40, John 12:12-19. Think about who you can serve. How can you prepare for Easter?

Monday – Cleansing the Temple. Isaiah 56:7, Matthew 21:12-17, Mark 11, Luke 19:45-48. Read about Temples, their importance, and find pictures of them. I’ve been watching YouTube videos of ancient temples! 

Tuesday – Teaching in the Temple. Matthew 22-25, Mark 12 & 13, Luke 21: 37-38, John 12: 37-50. Share things you no longer use, or want with others. Serve others.

Wednesday – Christ anointed with oil. Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22. Have you ever been anointed with oil? How can we be faithful?

Maundy Thursday – The Last Supper and the Garden of Gethsemane. Luke 22, John 13. Always remember Him. What blessings do we receive through the sacrament? What do the bread and water symbolize?

Good Friday – The Crucifixion. Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 18. Share your thoughts about the Savior and how He gave His life. Share your testimony with your family.

Saturday – Christ ministers to the dead. Matthew 25:1-13, 1 Peter 2:18-19, 4:6, 3 Nephi. What did the Savior do in the spirit world? What do you know about your ancestors? How can you prepare for the future?

Easter Sunday – The Resurrection. Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20, 2 Corinthians 9:15, 3 Nephi. Think about the miracle of the resurrection and what it has to do with you.

As a child, we wore bonnets and gloves with our special Easter attire. Even in Hawaii, where we didn’t have to wear shoes to school, or anywhere else, we wore cute white patent leather shoes and ruffled white socks. After Church we had an Easter Basket. 

Now the focus in the lives of those within The Hermitage are focused more on the Savior Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Disciple has learned much over the years, and continues to learn about the Savior, His part in Heavenly Father’s plan, His role to volunteer to come here. His willingness to do His Father’s, our Heavenly Father’s will. Not His will, but the Father’s will. If we could be obedient like this. When rules and laws are difficult for us, when we don’t want to obey, when we would rather “change” those rules, those laws, so WE don’t have to conform to them. How would it be to be more like the Savior? Willing to DO whatever we are asked. To have SO much love for our Heavenly Father that we do “whatever” without question. EVEN if we don’t know why, just do it because we are asked to. Adam did that. He and Eve made sacrifices. When the angel asked “Why?” Adam said, “I know not, save the Lord commanded me.” 

The Savior gave His life for each of us. Whether you believe in Him or not, that sacrifice is still there for you. Still willingly given. He is our mediator with God the Father. He paid for ALL. Disciple is SO thankful for His love, His sacrifice, His example. 

Bless you ALL this Holy week.