I have been df'd for about a year and also been going through a nasty divorce. My ex has the kids and they're all JW's. So my ex has been pumping into my childrens heads, that since I am df'd, they are to have no contact with me. And every time I called the house to talk to my kids, I was told: they don't want to talk to you! But I never heard that out of my children's mouths. And she refused to let the kids see me. I took it to court.
I told her I am divorcing you, not my kids. You can df me, but you cannot df me from my kids. These are my children for pete's sake's. Just a few days ago my oldest daughter decided to walk in my studio. I was floored. I cried and couldn't believe I hadn't seen her in 9 months. I asked her for the reason of the visit. She told me she works a few blocks from where I work, and walks by my studio quite often. She just didn't want to get in trouble with the elders, but she would peek through the windows to get a glimpse of me. She mustered up enough courage that day and walked in. We spend and hour and a half chatting about all kinds of things. And we had a great time. I am still shaking in my shoes from the excitement. We hugged and kissed as we parted and I told her she would be welcome anytime for a visit. I just hope she doesn't talk to her mother about this, since she is very contolling. But I had another victory.
During the whole ordeal while I was fighting with the court system, about parental visitation, I just now have legally every other weekend. Plus vacation time and the summer. It's on paper and it's legal and binding with all the signatures to prove it !
The point I get from my daughters visit is this. The organization is extremely contolling, but the bond that exists between family members is stronger that anything else. And she broke the rules technically, but she knew we needed to connect. I am so proud of her, for having made that step. I know I will see more of them. My youngest is still controlled by the organization, and her emotional makeup is quite different. I hope that even though I haven't spoken to her for about a year, this new arrangement will repair some damage.