by tergiversator 24 Replies latest jw friends
Hi circe! Good to 'see' you! Please give my best to felix. I thought about you guys a lot in the month that my Dad was in the big University hospital that is near you, if you still live in the same city!
I am glad to hear that you are both doing so well! :)
take care *hugs*
es
p.s. to Bboy...the WEST WING??!! My husband (JackDawson on the boards) and I never miss it! Did you have a speaking role? :) :) :) Good luck on your acting career!
Esmerelda if you want to see pictures I took on the set of west wing please go to
.. http://members.nbci.com/abcbreakdancers/westwing.htm
no speaking role they dont allow non-union speaking roles :) I was just a reporter
woooooooo hoooo. You go, Bboy! Someday when you're really famous we'll all be able to say we 'knew you when'. ;)
essie
Esmerelda, Hi!
Actually, felix and I aren't in Michigan anymore. The company he was working for did away with their marketing department to cut costs and so he lost his job. We decided to move back (for me) to Utah to be near my family. I'm glad to be near my parents again, but I really miss Michigan. I loved it there!
It's good to "see" you as well. I lost track with how your dad is. I hope that all is well?
circe
and next week we're leaving for my first-ever trip outside (to England).
I'll get the beers in...
Englishman - who has been known to give his phone number to new arrivals.
..... fanaticism masquerading beneath a cloak of reasoned logic.
Great thread! But I must admit that when I first was DFed, I was as bitter as they came. I had no intention of leaving the organization. That bitterness didn't actually start to go away until a couple of years ago. My life until then was in shambles, but God's shown me grace and given me strength to pick myself up from my bootstraps. Things in my life that I'd never have if I were still a JW?
1. A great paying job that I love!
2. A church family that encourages me to grow, learn, read, and research.
3. Friends that love me unconditionally.
4. A great boyfriend that spoils me rotten.
5. A new sense of family with my non-JW family I never had as a child.
6. Henry and Mandy - my two little dogs from a local shelter.
7. The ability to travel on weekends and see the world that God's provided.
8. Helping out at nursing homes, shelters, and underpriveledged neighborhoods.
9. Conducting a weekly prayer session with other single women in my church.
10. Learning how to play softball and volleyball and any other childhood game/sport/activity that I didn't get to do as a kid.
And above all else...
A new concept of what God is. He is loving, compassionate, patient, and kind. A Father in the true sense of the word.
Billygoat
Been out since 1989. My wife and I left together and we are both doing well.
Spriritually: we go to an independent Christian church and love it.
Jobs: I'm an accounting manager for a real estate syndicator (apts and commercial bldgs). Relatively small company and I really enjoy the work. It does offer opportunities for advancement. My wife is starting her eleventh year of teaching preschool. She teaches kindergarten in the weekday school at our church. She is also the school director. Anybody know a JW woman who does anything more ambitious than help her husband with the janitorial company?
Twenty-five year old son is trying to start his own company. Twenty-four year old daughter is in Oz at the moment. She's done some acting, one national tour with a small production, some work as an extra in TV and movies. Fifteen year old son is doing well in school, dyes his hair purple and drums in a heavy metal band.
Yes, life is good out here.
Great thread, and have loved the answers. I was a JW for c. 35 years. Seriously left, after making it really my career (elder, pioneer, assembly overseer, etc. etc.), about five years ago.
My life in many ways has NEVER been better.
Pursuing a career as a writer - full time freelancer for nearly two years now. Newspaper journalism and magazine writing pays most of the bills, but finishing my first two books this year. I get to write and do some really amazing stuff. My third novel - just recently started - may be of interest to this thread. It's about a man who leaves the Witnesses, and deals totally with the idea of whether or not there is life after "learning the truth about the truth," or is it just bitterness, drug addiction and life in the gutter, as the good old WTS always told us.
Having a hell of a time. I now see my life as a wonderful experiment - and though some of my choices might be a bit shocking to the conventional, (Witness or non-JW) they are MY choices. Still - remarkably - married happily to an amazingly beautiful woman who has decided to remain one of JWs. Go figure this relationship out!!
Making tons of new friends. Bitter? Not any more. Is my life interesting? Well, I recently attended the birthday party of a new friend where I had my first tarot card reading (told the reader I had no belief in this. "No problem," she told me.) My companion at the party - an attractive, very intelligent young lesbian woman who is one of my closest friends. Boring? Are you kidding?
Beliefs? An open minded atheist at the moment. An evolutionist with a deep belief in higher levels of consciousness and real spirituality. I think the taoist writers were really on to something. Religion? A crutch for those unable to face life as it is, and a way to control and keep all us unruly sorts in line.
Also attending yoga classes, playing a lot of music, open to almost anything that comes my way, and physically in wonderfully good condition.
And for those of you wondering what the future holds, I'm 49, and have no idea what I want to be when I grow up either. Hell, I'm getting younger every day! Enjoy this adventure, and don't take it all too seriously. None of us will get out of here alive!
S4
I'm a successful freelance writer and web designer working my own hours and getting all kinds of perks I never thought possible. I write for one of the most famous tv chefs, get to interview celebrities and I get to travel to places like Paris and get paid to write about it.
I homeschool my kids, have a happy marriage, good health and have all kinds of unique opportunities that I'm happily taking advantage of. I never have to see my boss or clients in person (unless I want to) and can sleep in and take a long lunch break, it's all my choice. I love it, I'm happier than I've ever been and instead of taking snow days, my kids take off on sunny days so we can enjoy every nice day we get.
Yes, I'd say I'm much happier and more fulfilled than ever.
What a great thread!! Cheers to everyone who has participated!
I left about 2 years ago. Was a little bitter at first, but I have a positive attitude that got me through that stage.
I relish being able to sleep in on Saturday and Sunday mornings. I can have my breakfast at leisure, not worrying about having to get to field service/meetings on time.
I still believe in God as our Creator, but I view the Bible as an inspired book that was over-written with the viewpoints of men. I actually feel closer to God than ever before. I feel more fulfilled, since I know my life is not dependant upon how many hours I go witnessing that month.
I am still single, and living alone, but have a great job that is interesting and pays well. I am starting to make provisions for the future (superannuation for retirement etc, saving for a deposit for a place of my own). I relish being able to date anyone I like, not having the selection restricted to those of the one religion.
And I am happy! I am happier than I ever was as a JW, simply because I am NOT weighed down with man-made rules. Rather, I allow my conscience to guide me, and as a result, I find I am making much better decisions!
Life is good!
