Could you have written this "letter"?

cluless

No. (maybe I could ONCE have written a similar letter. But not today ). Matter of fact I could hardly be botherd to read the letter. For better or worse my life has become much more shallow. I enjoy the old western series (Wagon-Train..Virginian ..Hondo. I also now enjoy reading football books going to matches and drinking guinness in the pub afterward with similar such minded people.

In fact I couldnt even contemplate my 4 year old son growing up and writting such a letter. Although as the French say "The future is however not ours to see)"

compound complex

To clarify, writing this letter to my dad was therapeutic. It was my way of addressing three generations and finding closure uniquely my own.

Am I alone in feeling the thoughts expressed?

Thanks.

CoCo

cluless

Hi COC

Sorry if I OFFENDED with my comment.

changeling

I wish I could say yes, but as my aging, witness parents live with me there is a part of me that is still 14.

changeling

Pahpa

CoCo

The pain and suffering over alienation of family members can only be understood fully by those who have experienced it. With us it is the separation and shunning from our oldest daughter and her three children. We have not seen her in over 25 years. And we only had word from her a couple of times during that period. The last time she requested that we not write any more. We have not even seen our grandchildren (3) in that time.

I can not fully blame my daughter since we brought her up as a Jehovah's Witness. But I do blame the leaders of the organization for the inhuman and cruel policies they created to separate and divide families. And it should be noted that these policies changed over the years for the worse. It has caused untold heartache for thousands. As long as our loved ones remain in the organization, we can not freely break away as others have. We carry this heartache with us.

But we have learned to live with it and get along with our lives. My last word to my daughter was that our house was always opened to her and to her family. We still hope that she will return someday.

Pahpa

compound complex

Pahpa,

Your desolation must be difficult to bear, though I infer that you've had no choice but to come to terms with hard reality. That you've kept your door open to your estranged family is the right thing to do. My father was like that in all matters despite our not becoming JWs till I was a young adult. He would never have shunned anyone. Family can write off "inconvenient" members over issues other than religion.

I'm sorry for your pain but have benefited from your experience; I'm dealing with the beginnings of the same as I am the only "JW" outside the fold in my all JW family.

Gratefully,

CoCo

changeling

Pahpa, my heart goes out to you. As a parent I feel that the loss of my children would be unbearable. Damn this religion!

changeling

Pahpa

CoCo & Changeling

Thank you for your kind words. I must add that our three other children and our eight other grandchildren have been wonderful to us. It is their love and support that enable us to endure. But many of our other family members continue to take the Society's hard line and shun us. Probably the hardest thing to accept is that my wife's mother (who is 97 and living with us) is totally ignored by her two daughters and many grandchildren. Here is a woman that devoted her life to her children and family. In her declining years she should be surrounded by her family and "honored" by them. Instead, they follow the Watchtower's counsel to the letter and avoid her. My wife and our children are grateful to have her with us still. We have been blessed in so many ways.

Pahpa

changeling

You sound like wonderful people yet you are treated like criminal pond scum. Where's the logic or justice in that?

compound complex

bttt for W.D.

Could you have written this "letter"?

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