Posts by Billygoat

44

Christmas&Thanksgiving-Are you celebrating?

by Vitameatavegamin in

jw
friends

hi friends;.

just wondering about this subject of holidays again.

i really miss christmas but don't have enough nerve to celebrate it.

Billygoat

*clapping loudly*

((((Essie)))) Your writing gets better with every post, my dear! Thanks for sharing last years thoughts with us. Your timing is perfect for what I'm dealing with lately. Thank you!

Peldor Joi,
Andi

25

i found some ladies purse at the local shopping mall parking lot tonight, it had her entire life in it, her social security card, her cell phone, her cash, her credit cards, even her daughters social security card.. from looking through the contents, me and saffron were able to find out many things about her:.

1)she had recently moved from way out in the country to columbia maryland... 2)she was probably divorced from a man of middle eastern origens.

3)she was white.

Billygoat

Perhaps that is your reward, being able to look in the mirror.

BINGO!

Call it karma or anything else you want, but doing right because it's right is reward enough in itself. To me that is the whole idea behind unconditional love. Giving (or loving) without expecting anything back at all. The satisfaction of doing it is enough!

Andi

76

Years in v. Years Out

by Billygoat in

jw
friends

i'd like to find out how many years collectively we have acquired in the wts.

please list how many years you were/have been a jw.

please also list how many years you have been out.

Billygoat

I'd like to find out how many years collectively we have acquired in the WTS. Please list how many years you were/have been a JW. Please also list how many years you have been out. I'll go first.

IN - 19 years
OUT - 11 years

Anybody else?

40

What Do You Do?

by hillary_step in

jw
friends

i link to this board a couple of times a day, sometimes in the early hours and there is always a flurry of activity, often from an enclave of veterans.

i wonder, are you all in prison?

i understand the pc's are allowed in some facilities.. do you all work?

Billygoat

Working all alone and in the Union to boot???? You could start a second business!!!!

I'm a mole burrowing under Bethel.

My biggest goal in life is not to become a "Granola"...

I support myself by making frequent and copious donations to sperm banks around the country.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You guys are too funny! It still amazes me that we spent so many years in the bOrg and still have our senses of humor intact!

Andi

2

Moral Dilemma

by Billygoat in

jw
friends

i just got this in an email and thought it was funny!.

i have a moral question for you.

this is an imaginary situation, of course, but one of those things that gets you thinking.. the situation:.

Billygoat

(((()))) Hahaha! I hate it when things get posted twice. Thanks for the link Jan. Oh well...

Gosh - after reading some of these I've come to a realization.

Some of you are sadistic! But I must admit - Hillary, I like the way you think!

Andi

2

Moral Dilemma

by Billygoat in

jw
friends

i just got this in an email and thought it was funny!.

i have a moral question for you.

this is an imaginary situation, of course, but one of those things that gets you thinking.. the situation:.

Billygoat

I just got this in an email and thought it was funny!

I have a moral question for you. This is an imaginary situation, of course, but one of those things that gets you thinking.

The Situation:

You are in the Middle East and there is a huge flood in progress. Many homes have been lost, water supplies compromised, and structures destroyed. You are a photographer getting still photos for the CNN news service and are traveling alone, looking for poignant scenes.

You come across Osama bin Laden who has been swept away by the floodwaters. He is barely hanging onto a tree limb and is about to go under. You can either put down your camera and save him or take a Pulitzer Prize winning photgraph of him as he loses his grip on the tree limb.

So here's the question and think carefully before you answer the question:

Which lens should you use?

15

Guess What - I am going to come clean!!!!!

by TRUTH in

jw
friends

to who will listen:.

until yesterday, i did not even know that this discussion group or anything like it existed.

i really did not care.

Billygoat

TRUTH,

Welcome! Please continue to come back here. Continue your learning. Continue keeping an open mind. Continue healing. It does not happen overnight, but with others helping, it DOES happen. I am proud of your exodus and I am grateful for your strength. You had a lot more at stake than many of us here. Keeping coming back! I look forward to reading more of your posts!

Andi

24

Help & What are the blessings in YOUR life?

by Billygoat in

jw
friends

these thoughts have been triggered by one of esmerelda's posts about the lesson she learned from her daughter.

if you haven't read it, please do.

it is beautifully written!

Billygoat

Thank you everyone for your comments! Everyone of you has said something that I can learn from. It still amazes me that I can find comfort from y'all even though I've never met one of you. Our common background and struggles still bind us together, whether we like it or not.

So I have woken up today, feeling better than last night. (Last night I was in terrible emotional pain. The worst in years!) When Neil realized how low I was he promptly came over and tried to soothe my heart. My faith in God is intact, but nothing seems to comfort me the way Neil's arms do. He stayed with me while I cried myself to sleep. I awoke this morning to him brushing his hand across my face. My entire face still swollen from hours of crying and he still thinks I'm beautiful. Why I'll never know.

So I am now going to stop and list some things I am thankful for. My list is short today, but I know I'll add to it as I pull myself from my "slump".

1. I am thankful for Neil, the man who loves me beyond my comprehension. Even after hearing about my history as a JW, terrible pains inflicted on my soul, terrible sins I've committed in the past, and seeing me at my absolute worst - he stands by me and doesn't flinch. He still comes back to me at the end of the day.

2. I am thankful for my dogs. Mandy and Henry. Two little ragamuffins that look to me as Mom. Always in need of food, walks, chew toys, and countless baths, they offer me more in return than I could ever off them - unconditional love.

3. I am thankful that I have food in my tummy and clothes on my back. I have a working car and a job that pays well. I haven't been laid off like so many I know. Every physical need I have is provided for above and beyond what I deserve.

Thank you for sharing everyone. I hope more people add to this list. I want to hear more positive things right now that you're thankful for. Please help me to remember my life is what I make of it.

Love,
Andi

44

Christmas&Thanksgiving-Are you celebrating?

by Vitameatavegamin in

jw
friends

hi friends;.

just wondering about this subject of holidays again.

i really miss christmas but don't have enough nerve to celebrate it.

Billygoat

*sad smile*

My JW parents always said, "We don't need to celebrate Christmas. As JW's we aren't restricted to ONE day a year. We can show our love to each other ALL YEAR LONG!" Woohoo! Like that was any different than the worldly people?! Did they really only love each other on Christmas morning? Seemed strange to me even as a child, that we couldn't celebrate Christmas under that guise, but didn't get presents or love any other time of the year anyway. I was a confused child. Wait - I still am! (((())))

But in answer to your question...a hearty YES! I have faithfully celebrated EVERY holiday since my leaving in 1990. I have no regrets. Someone else mentioned the holidays are what you make of it. And I wholeheartedly agree! If it seems to be a time of just commercialism and greediness in a particular household - it's because they made it that way! If it is a time of showing love, appreciation, and happiness with family and friends - it's because they made it that way! I choose to make the Holiday Season a time of re-connecting with what's important to me. My faith, my God, my friends, and my family. I give gifts and I get gifts, but that is not the focus of ANY holiday I celebrate. Fellowship and sharing is. I love my holidays! It's the perfect reminder throughout the year to think about what life is made of - love.

Andi

83

NEWS: I am publicly reproved over UN situation.

by badwillie in

jw
friends

my wife and i met with 3 elders for a "judicial hearing".. our crime: simply put, was talking.

i showed a friend the un website where the wts was listed as an ngo which then led to a 2 hour discussion of various doubts that we both have had.

my wife also showed a friend the un thing but also discussed with her a first hand account of a pedophile cover-up that we knew about in our former congregation.

Billygoat

Willie,

I am so sorry to hear about the JC. I know how scary that must have been. I am also sorry to hear about how it's shocked your wife's mind. I was in the same boat 11 years ago. Shocked by the JC's decision to disfellowship me when I had CONFESSED a sin to them, that they wouldn't have know otherwise. It was a shock to my heart - and the hurt was so terrible. I truly do hope that within the midst of this situation that you and your wife can see good in this world. That The Tower's control is exactly THAT - CONTROL. And it's not for your good and that they aren't looking for your best interests. I will keep you and Mrs. Willie in my prayers! There are many here that can relate and give you comfort. I suggest (if you deem it appropriate) that you have your wife come here to educate herself even more.

With love,
Andi