Thanks Firedragon, It is so good to be out and honest, true to ourselves. My oldest son still, after 4 years, is angry with me for leaving. I asked him what should I have done? Stayed and continued to live a lie about myself, pretend to be a dedicated JW? It was hard enough doing all that when I BELIEVED it was the truth! When I finally came "out" to myself there was nothing there that would ever hold me. I knew that I would not be tolerated, that I would be made to feel more shame, I had felt ashamed about myself way too long. It was time I accepted myself and stopped trying to do everything else except look at the "truth"! I have truly appreciated all those who have seen beyond the turmoil that my experience has caused and recognized that my life just had to change. Change is upsetting to most of us, but life changes us everyday, whether we want it to or not and sometimes we have to initiate the change in order to get on the course that best suits us. I feel for the people that have been hurt by our decisions, I only hope that when life shows them that they have been on a wrong course that they find the strength and the support needed to make the changes that are crucial to their happiness. To those that have heard these parts of my story and continue to judge me, I wish the same for you, that when life comes along and slaps you up side of the head that you are strong enough to take a look and make the necassary changes. My best wishes to all! FlowerPower
New England or Better Yet Western Mass.
by FlowerPower 35 Replies latest jw experiences
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caligirl
I think that the last assembly that I attended in Springfield was 93, and I only went for part of it. I have attended no meetings at all since 1996. It is hard to remember too many names from so long ago - I'd know if I heard the names but can't come up with much off the cuff! I knew the kids from a family named Muir from the Springfield area when I was a teenager. They seemed to have a wide social circle. (2 kids who are probably 29-35 now. I remember it was a single family home because the father had passed away or something like that.) Brattleboro was not part of our circuit - I was from a circuit north of there. The only time I was in Brattleboro was working on the quickbuild there. The name Paul Arnell sounds vaguely familiar.
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FlowerPower
Hey Caligirl, I know the Muir's well! Boy is there scoop on them!! Almost everyone in the family has in some way shamed the organization(which isn't hard to do of course) Oh my my, of all the folks you know!! Isn't that intersting!! Thanks for your reply!! FP
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caligirl
Dirt?? Please do tell, if you are comfortable! My email is available. But I would be interested in hearing simply because the girl stopped talking to me when we were teenagers because of something I had allegedly done. ( still to this day no clue what nor do I remember anymore if it was a personal sin or something organizational!) I just like to know backgrounds and history on people I used to know, especially when I've been judged by them!
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sisteract
Hi Everyone,
Thanks Flower Power for starting this post regarding xjw's in Mass. I've enjoyed reading all the replies. I really havn't visited this site for a while but it's good to be here. I was an active JW from 1983 to 1997. I was in congregations on Martha's Vineyard, Buffalo New York, Warwick RI, and Arlington Revere and Lynn Mass. too. I guess I really "got around" lol. Anyway, I pioneered alot of that time and knew quite a few people. My exhusband was also a pioneer and elder for some of the time. I currently work in Burlington, Ma. Welcome Flower to the area--actually I have some family in Waltham and I graduated from Waltham High but havn't lived in Waltham since 1982. It would be fun to coordinate a meetup of sorts for those in the area. There's a site called www.meetup.com that arranges for xjw's to meet up once a month in cities all around. They organize it for the first saturday of every month. Check it out if you like. It's so good to hear others talk about their time "in" and how they came out of that incredibly judgmental, narrow minded, suffocating, and controlling cult. It sure is a high price to pay to be true to yourself, but it sure is worth it as has already been stated here earlier.Thanks to all and feel free to email me [email protected] please identify yourself in the subject bar
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Utopian Reformist
For a few years, I attended the Worcester South & Central congregations and the Oxford congregation and East Douglas congregation before switching to Spanish congregation in Providence, and then english.