Just got off the phone with my brother who lives in SoCal (nonDub) and was informed that my dad just had a stroke!
He's my "DAD", not the sperm donor that helped concieve me and my brother than abandoned us so he could "find himself". He's 74, very intelligent old school retired ex Marine, that served in the Korean War. He's had a hard life and never complained. He raised my brother and me and has loved my mom to pieces (married in "76)... even though she is a VERY DIFFICULT woman to live with. She is an obese, bitchy, controlling, depressed, hypochondriac.... and yet he has stuck it out and raised us as his "own".
By todays standards he would be labeled an 'abusive" parent. I THANK "GOD" this man showed up and taught mey brother and me how to be "men". He disapproved of my becoming a JW, yet still respected me and even told me once that he was "proud" of me. He's the old school John Wayne type. Very rugged individualist.
If "God" ever did ANYTHING for us.... he was and is IT! And my step-dad doesn't have a religious bone in his body- says it's all hypocricy! I think he's had it right all along. He's a far better person than most Dubs could ever hope to aspire being. Hard working, honest, looked after the less fortunate, raised his kids right - all without "religion". All this despite that he was an alcoholic and had a harsh edge...To think I let the Dubs get me to have nothing to do with him for over 10 years because he was "bad association" and "worldly". Yet when the sh*t hit the fan he welcomed me back NO QUESTIONS ASKED!
Who's the "real" "christian" here? If only there were more like him.
u/d (of the I'm bummed class) reaaaallly bummed!!!