Well, we had a blast!
Ricky G showed up as a newly minted Apostate who has recently moved to Tarrant County. His wife had turned him in to the Judicial committee for apostasy! He was disfellowship about a year ago and he's trying to put his life back together due to the split with his spouse.
James Wood drove all the way over from the other side of Dallas in his Aston Martin sports car! James, as you'll recall from his record-breaking WIBBLE topic here on JW-net, has been a long time Ex-JW who was DF'd about the same time as I was in the late 70's.
Jordan was there, and I have to laugh a bit--he was so nervous and paranoid!
Jordan is the young man who, some 4 or 5 months ago, I interrupted as he was debating the Trinity with a friend at Starbucks. He was clearly a JW, and he'd said something disparaging about 'Apostates.')
Now that Jordan is 'awake' he's been reading everything he can find and making accelerated progress. He and Ricky G have been chatting on the phone lately and they were glad to finally meet.
Yes, Jordan kept looking over his shoulder, worrying he'd see somebody from his Kingdom Hall. We moved to a less high-profile table and he was able to relax a bit more :)
I was hoping One-Eyed Joe could make it, but he's forced to be wary and vigilant because of his wife's suspicions as to his Organization-loyalty. Perhaps next time, eh?
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What's important in get-togethers is this. Do not underestimate how isolated an EX-JW is psychologically. Nobody else. . . NOBODY. . . can really understand the experience of having been a Jehovah's Witness. You can't really explain it to a regular Christian. They've no idea. So, to fellowship with one of your own kind is healing, comforting, and best of all--freeing!
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Too bad it was a stag event; it's always better when you can mix with former 'sisters' as well. I'd love to discover more ex-J dubs in this vicinity. So, if any of you are out there, let me know!
I'd highly encourage any of you, regardless of where you live, to have an impromptu meetup. It only takes two to make acquaintance and form a bond of healing and encouragement. You'll be amazed at how much you share in common which is impossible to share with anybody else.
So, think about and, above all, TRY IT--you'll like it!
