by Pierced Angel 16 Replies latest jw experiences
Thanks and nice to meet you SlipnSlide!
I did too good a job on my husband, he's used to NOT having a christmas tree, etc. so we'll probably do something untraditional as usual anyhow, but it's a lot of fun either way.
Anne
"Too much of a good thing, is wonderful."
Mae West
My mother is hanging on deep to this religion and the more I pull away, the more she tries to "encourage" me. . . . My brother's death several years back has made her more motivated to be close to Jehovah since she wishes to see him in the "new system". I don't want to take that hope away from her since I have nothing factual to give her to replace it. That's the really difficult part, wondering what to believe anymore. I think it's making me take each day and live it up to the fullest, but it also makes me very sad sometimes.
PA,
Welcome back, I remember you from a few months ago. I can SO identify with the above snippet, because it's EXACTLY what I've been dealing with in my family. I lost my 29-year-old brother five years ago.
I am glad to see you in a better place, more sure of things for yourself.
Kristen
Cool! It really has added a few sparks to my life and even though I'm not ready for any more piercings, I'm really glad I got this one.
I think I appreciate holidays more than most of my friends since I never got to do them so they'll probably think I'm going overboard, but so what! I love it. I'm going to be Martha Stewart this Thanksgiving and Christmas and make all the extra stuff like a Gingerbread house with sugar glass windows and popcorn balls wrapped in tissue paper, etc. It will be a treat and I'm going to enjoy each and every day to the fullest. I'm so glad to have a place like this and people like you to share this stuff with.
Anne
"Too much of a good thing, is wonderful."
Mae West
Hi Kristen,
Sorry about your brother, it's really hard to not get depressed when I think about what my brother could have been or how he'd make such a great dad if he were alive now. He always loved children and was a generous guy, he would have made some woman really happy. I'm sure you think those kinds of things too about your brother.
It's nice to meet you. I hope we can help each other figure some of this stuff out or at least share some words of encouragement from time to time. I know I need this place right now, it's so good to make friends who understand what it was like being so involved in a cult.
Hope to talk to you more,
Anne
"Too much of a good thing, is wonderful."
Mae West
((((Anne))))
I am so glad you enjoyed the articles there. I am a ding dong, hubby has several web sites and I gave you the wrong one. The right one with the article called "Who Am I?" is http://beam.to/truthquest
think41self
"When agnostics die, do they go to the great perhaps"?
Hi Pierced,
I enjoyed your comment about your kids and going to the park on Sunday. That is so much more productive for bonding with your kids than having to tell them to sit still every 10 minutes for 2 hours!!!
As to your question about my daughter, who is now 12 and at this point an athiest:
We went to fewer and fewer meetings from the time she was 2 until 4, when we quit going entirely. She was really too young to have the indoctrination take hold. On top of that, her Mom and I did not read Witness bible stories to her. We had 2 bible based storybooks: Jonah and the whale and the Noah's ark story, but they were generic, non-demoninational books. (I was already beginning to "stumble", er, see the light! )
We also never had prayers at meal or bedtime--in fact, rarely did we have prayers in my family at mealtime growing up on account of the fact my Dad was a non-witness.
In any case, I feel for your position with your son. I would encourage you, hard as it may be, to let him make his own decisions as he gets older. The grandparents will of course try to steer your kids to JW ways. I really don't know how best to deal with that because I imagine each family situation would have many variations. When I was first out I didn't have a clue what was "truth", but I knew (for my own heart and mind) what was not. I did not tell my Mom to not teach her JW things or take her to meetings. My Mom, I must say, is not the "model" witness and did not use the emotional blackmail of "your parents will die in Armageddon, etc."
I do know a lot of what you will be going through and I sincerely hope whatever happens, your son doesn't get blackmailed. If you think some of that may occur, talk to him about those scare tactics and how they made YOU feel, and why those things are not what Jesus would do.
Jon
Hi Pierced Angel,
I've read a few of your posts and wanted to introduce myself.
I just left the org in May so I haven't celebrated my kids B-days, X-mas or halloween yet, but I like you am very excited. I laughed when I read that you have your halloween costume idea picked out already. My kids and I have been surfing the web's costume sites !!!
Enjoy your freedom !
Jurs
