by AwSnap 39 Replies latest jw friends
....Michelle.....did you just say its fricken freezing in Florida??? Gimme a break. it hasnt stopped snowing here in two months!
Troubled Mind....I think when you showed me that picture of the Tom Sawyer thing, I realized we have *lots* in common. lol...
I was a year younger than Awsnap and we were really good friends and spent a lot of time together. I can attest to her relationship with her parents, having witnesses said fights and the aftermath quite a few times. I also know that the elders DID know her situation and her feelings and how her family life was as her parents seemed to me (correct me if I’m wrong Aw) to drag every problem they had with their child to the elders. Even tiny stupid day to day crap.
So for ME- I was sitting in the section directly behind the baptismal candidates, after all several of my friends were being baptized that day. I watched in horror as the elder came to get Awsnap and waited while she was gone for 90% of the baptismal talk. Every minute I was growing more agitated. Asking my mom, “where did they take her?” and “how can she get baptized if she misses the talk?” every few minutes. Apparently in my mind you have to be seated for the whole talk in THAT section or you don’t qualify. Lol.
Anyway, when you came back to get your stuff from your seat and you walked away you were facing my section and I could totally see your face and knew something was wrong. My parents, shockingly, let me go down to you. I remember us going off somewhere and you crying and saying you couldn’t get baptized because you had a fight with your mom that morning in the hotel. I was thinking- um so what? These kinds of fights happened daily with your parents and the elders were fully aware. I couldn’t understand how you qualified for baptisim the week before under those circumstances but now suddenly today in the midst of the talk you didn’t? (Perhaps it was because I never heard the caboodles part of it? It IS very important to keep those clean. ) I was mad at your parents at first for even telling the elders. Then I was mad at the elders for presuming they knew your heart condition. I thought baptisim is the “outward symbol of your dedication to God” and you were dedicated no matter how much you fought with your parents. I was OUTRAGED and probably not very good support for you at the time. ((((HUGS))))
It was then that I started to doubt the elders were lead by holy spirit. How could the God they taught us of, direct them to THAT course of action? How could they break your heart and spirit because your parents thought you had an attitude?? How could that be *right*? It didn’t stop me from getting baptized a year or so later unfortunately but it DID begin to open my mind to the possibility that an Almighty God wasn’t directing this organization. It took me MANY more years to actually walk away, but I can look back and see that your experience is where it all started for me.
Oh and YES it's freezing here. I was mostly teasing you but it's been like in the 60's here for ages and us Floridians don't have the means for survival in such frigid temps! lol. I don't have all those sweaters and boots I used to have when I was a teenager!
AwSnap, I can't wait to hear from you at Christmas! I have hundreds of tree ornaments that I've collected over the years, and every holiday season I tell my grandkids where I got each one as we decorate the tree. It's the same with my collections of angels, Santas, silk poinsettas, etc. And my dear husband decorates the yard with my collections of lighted angels, bells, deer, trees, snowmen, etc and about a dozen inflatables. I have a Santa and sleigh that is 12 ft high at its highest point, an 8-ft Santa, a carousel in a snow globe, etc.
Then, of course, there's the baking! Pumpkin roll, hundreds of dozens of cookies, pineapple crush cake for my husband, kids, grandkids, neighbors and friends. And shopping, wrapping, anticipating each person's reaction to the carefully chosen gifts...it's all so much fun. Oh, and I almost forgot the Christmas cards...sending and recieving. I can't wait to hear about you enjoying those things too!
Sentimental ornaments are the most precious to me....I cant wait for Christmas either! PS...I told Michelle to get a hold of you either here or on FB. I think you're the right person to offer some much needed advice
I'm very proud of you. Keep it up.
Hey, ConGrats, AwSnap!! Here's some more "Valentine" flowers 'n stuff for you... Zid
Wow... Just got to the story... Interesting... [But don't get me started on nasty JW parents... The ONLY reason mine are still alive is because I realized it's better to make someone suffer for a looooong time, rather than kill them and end their suffering quickly...]
Zid
Thank you Zid! I keep thinking about this, Michelle. There were so many details I blocked out of my memory. It was a pretty traumatic time in my life..... I am Sooooo thankful I have moved on and realized that the elders really and truly DO NOT HAVE GOD'S HOLY SPIRIT. Once a person realizes that, its so easy to *not* be fearful of them. All of a sudden, they are not the men who have Jehovah standing right behind them. They are just men. I know there are a few who are so sincere and want to help (not the ones *I* dealt with tho! lol), but that still does not mean they have holy spirit to guide their decisions. The world is FULL of sincere people.
I went shopping yesterday for presents for some friends. There were Soooo many cool St Patty's Day decorations! It was tough not to buy 'em all
I'm so happy that you are reaching this point as well! It'll be fun to go through these forbidden holidays together. This is my first year celebrating openly too. I sent you an email today too. What are you busy or something? lol.
