Hi Everyone, I am an ex-jw
This is my official liberation-opting to miss a Memorial and joining the community here on this day. I've been to the Memorial maybe twice in 12 years but was "this close" to checking it out again for curiousness sake to see if I would feel differently as so much time has passed and beacuse I've changed so much. Anyone here ever wonder if you just imagined the horrorness of being a JW? Guess I was going for a reality check ( also to honor Jesus, of course, but I will find a more personal way for expression) In the end, I came across this site around 5 pm and read a little and it all came back like a bad dream.
Some background: BORN into JW, left when 20 or 21 (?), am a partial Silentlamb, floated around the last 10 yrs and now have finally come into my own and am comfortable in my own skin for the most part. I grieve for the years lost though but I intellectually understand I have had the experiences to be the person I am today. How refreshing to live in a world that doesn't have "Satan" lurking around my every corner and that I am indeed worth the breath I draw after all. It's been an arduous adventure to break free as my parents took witnessing VERY seriously and in my opinion went overboard thus causing extreme engrainment of the "RULES". Oh, also was an Elder's daughter. Still have some residual issues though and hope to obliberate them with you alls help and love. I'm truly going to enjoy reading over a lot of these posts-(a little daunting as there's so many) but look forward to getting to know everyone.