Have a happy one my friend.
What a beautiful poem, thank you Thomas, thank you for the birthday wishes. We do share something special in our love for these precious lonely souls. {{{{hugs}}}} I read your words frequently as do many others. I have passed out about 40 handbooks so far. Thanks again for your help.
I was adopted as a daughter yesterday by this one special lady who likes to be called the hat lady. She wants me to be her daughter, what an honor! She holds on to her dignity by coorinating her wardrobe with a big matching hat everyday. But Thomas she seems to be going downhill so fast, it breaks my heart.
One thing I have learned about the ministry is the employees will want to use you to help them take care of menial things. I have to keep gently reminding them I am not there to help them do their jobs, but there to give love and attention to the residents.
After sleeping on this I realize that due to the strict confidentiality rules of the facility and written into the ministry handbook I can't tell the family she is there. My sister bore the only grandchildren she has. I'm going to explain it to the Social Worker this morning and get her approval before I make the calls.
Sorry what happened to you at work. That can cause one to feel so horrid, and being a man had to make it even worse. They should have treated you with much more respect than they did. It would not be normal if you weren't angry over that situation. The things that happened to me happened many years ago and I've had time to heal. I only hope that the people that hurt me at some point in their lives are sorry for it. Not for my sake but for theirs. It is not easy admitting hurting others but in my faith I believe it is imperitive to the human spirit to do so.
Quandry, thank you also. Her family, well basically it is the one JW daughter in law that will be very upset to learn of this. She seems to take great pleasure in lording herself over this person and her sons that she is not disfellowshipped like they are. She has been in control of her for years, keeping her away from us, her 3 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. But I believe they are out of State. I was told her only visitor is the 1 JW sister (biological) who also will not be too happy about this.
I seen the sister at my nieces wedding where my husband performed the ceremony. It was quite a ceremony. She and her daughter who may also have been disfellowshipped (mom may know poster "yucca" is my mama) were at the wedding. Everyone loved the ceremony, loved my husband, but the only people who shunned us was that 1 sister and her daughter.
Morally and ethically it is a no brainer. There is nothing right about a disfellowshipped JW living the end of her life with an occasional visit from 1 JW sister, when she has about 10 other people who would love to come see her and laugh about the good ol days. We actually had some fun back then despite the cult. Of course fun was frowned on so we were mostly all on the fringe except the one sister. She has always seemed to be flawless.
We used to live in the same apartment building on the beach in Southern California in the early 1970's. It was so fun. She and her husband were such a hoot! They were perfectly eccentric ..lol..
I just hope the Social Worker gives me the ok to tell the family. I can't risk the ministry coming under JW attack, that would hurt too many people. I also will not go see her, if we run into each other that is one thing but she is not in our program officially so I have to be very careful.
