This is the deal: I'm disfed as of 1981. I've known the shunning thing all these years. I have devout JW siblings and my parents are JWs but not active or unreasonably devout. My father is 80 and my mother is 77. My mother has metastatic breast cancer and is currently receiving treatment.
The Government has supplied carers and various home services for my parents which have worked out quite well for the last three years. My parents are particulary fond of the lady who comes three hours a week to do light house work or take them to the doctor or out to lunch if they feel like it.
My JW sister lives close by but until 6 weeks ago has not been overly involved in helping my parents in any way. Apart from nagging my father to go to the meetings and providing transport for them when they were able to attend.
Because my sister's husband is a PO and window cleaner extraordinaire they don't have much money. In recent times they have been pressuring my parents to subdivid their large suburban block into two so they could build a house on the spare block and ostensibly look after my parents. In my opinion they just wanted the block of land and used the looking after theme to get the land for nothing. My mother has finally said no to them having the land and they appear to have given up asking (for the moment).
So the latest scheme is for my sister to apply to the Government for a carers allowance to look after my parents on a daily basis. My sister, who hasn't been actively involved in caring for my parents until 6 weeks ago has already put in the papers to receive this allowance. The worst part being that my parents will likely lose their regular carer who they have become very attached to - and who is extremely reliable.
So I got on the phone to my sister this morning and told her that I thought it was very unethical for her to apply for money to look after her parents - and I didn't want my parents to lose their regular carer just so my sister could get money from the Governemtn. I told her that it was her christian obligation to look after her parents and I couldn't believe she wanted money for it.
Where do I fit in? I live an hours plane flight away. However I visit my parents three times a year and work my butt off to fix up their garden or paint out rooms or thoroughly clean the house while I'm there. BUT I don't live there and my sister was quick to remind me of that.
Anyway I made my sister cry. She's such a sad little person with a typical domineering husband who's pretty well made her life a misery. And all I can do is make her life even harder! Yet I've had to put up with their acting all superior towards me coz I left Jehovah bla bla bla. I feel like a real shit for making my sister cry. Yet I never received a moments compassion when I was disfellowshipped and shunned for no longer believing the WTS was the truth. Why do I feel such a shit?
Marilyn