Well 3 years (almost) and 5000 posts. What a time it has been. The board has changed but so have I. There are some people who were here when I first arrived. They welcomed me and made me feel like they understood and I belonged.
Some have come from other boards either because they closed or because something more was needed. Some arrived by accident thinking this was the place to be if you were a JW. Most were welcomed and then they began to see what we all knew and they stayed. A few were scared off and went to find a closed JW board. Many sit in the background, quietly reading but never signing up. Welcome to them too.
Some have left, for a variety of reasons, many because they needed to move on with their lives. And sometimes they drop back in to let us know how they have been doing. Sadly some leave in anger. I miss some of them.
Over the past 3 years I have written a lot of information. More than I ever thought I would. Many have expressed their appreciation for my posts. Thank you. It is always nice to be appreciated. We got little enough of that as JWs and even less if we were female JWs.
But more importantly to me is what I have gotten from so many of you. I have an opportunity here to deal with layers of my past and my abuse that no one else would understand. Occasionally and old scar was reopened and I found expression and opportunity to examine the wounds, clean it out and heal. I want to thank you for that. There were many things I knew had happened in my life but I never understood their impact until the opportunities here allowed me (or sometimes compelled me) to examine them more closely.
This community of friends has helped me more than you will ever know.
Over the last year I have had some serious health problems. I am slowly getting a handle on them. Thank you too for the support given to me around that issue.
You have celebrated my victories and supported my growth. So many of you I would love to meet. You are a wonderful group of people who continue to grow and support each other.
Over the next little while I will be dealing with some major changes in my life. I?m not sure at this point what direction I will go but I know it will bring improvement eventually.
I?m NOT leaving. I have a hard enough time connecting with people so I?m not going anywhere (for those of you who might think this is a swan song). I just want to express my appreciation for all the caring and support you have offered to me and to each other.
