Some personal thoughts as 2011 comes to a close

by Terry 33 Replies latest jw friends

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  d

  I hope that 2012 is a better year for all of us.
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  designs

  Every day is open to opportunities- My Chinese Fortune Cookie, its actually worked out pretty well and true...
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  alias

  Who we are NOW is more important than what we WERE.

  Yep
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  Juan Viejo2

  Morbidzbaby wrote: " I have to respectfully disagree here. As I got older, more and more JW's would go out to eat and socialize after the Memorial. Some would invite a group back to their home for snacks and association. Others here can tell you that in some congregations, the wine and "bread" would be taken back to the home of one of the elders and enjoyed with cheeses and fruit..."

  I'm sure there were a few places where some small get-togethers took place after the Memorial. There were times, especially in the summer, when some JWs would get together after regular meetings. But I knew of far more situations where "celebrating" after the Memorial meeting did not take place even when some among the congregation suggested having a little party.

  The Memorial occurs in mid to late March or early April. It has to begin by tradition after sundown. For most major cities in the northern hemisphere, that usally means that the meeting is not over until 9 PM or later. If multiple congregations use the same Hall, then the last meeting can be even later, some ending as late as 11 PM. That makes it quite late to start partying and most restaurants are already closing down for the evening. For work and school nights, that makes after Memorial "parties" problematic for most JW families.

  Memorial can occur any day of the week. That being the case, people who work and children who go to school are not likely to go out "and party" after a late meeting on a weeknight.

  When I was growing up (during a period when there were a lot more partaking of the emblems), I was aware that the congregation would buy a few extra bottles of wine. We often wondered why the brothers would by a short case of wine (4-6 bottles) to have enough wine to provide for a "half-dozen sips." Sometimes after the meeting, the extra bottles would be offered to anyone who asked for them or the servants would split them up, but for the most part only the older folks in the congregation would ever show interest. Manischewitz (and Mogen David) kosher red dinner wine was not (and is not) that appealing for most folks - and neither were matzo crackers. I never knew of anyone that took those items home to use for "celebrating" with their friends. In fact, doing so (especially after a Memorial "celebration") might have been considered to be in bad taste, "unspiritual," or even sacreligious.

  For most of us, when the Memorial was over we just wanted to get home. It was just another boring meeting that we'd sat through. Celebrate? Hardly...

  JV