Posts by Billygoat

7

Ever found yourself grown up?

by Sparkplug in

jw
friends

my mom is getting older, and we had a real thin ice relationship all of my life.

she is older now, and i have been stressing because she needs care, maybe committed.

her jw life left no room for planning for old age.

You are a good daughter. I can't say I'd have the where-with-all to do the same thing if my parents were in town. I could do it with my moms, but not my dad. I'd have to have him committed. But the last time I saw my mom (step-mom actually) was about 5 1/2 years ago. She seemed so frail and tiny. Shorter than I remember and a lot more gray. She was funnier than I remembered though...sillier. I just wanted to hug her and stick her in my purse and take her home.

*sigh*

My brothers live in Hawaii with my folks and will probably be the ones to take care of my folks. But Mozz and I are the only kids in town to take care of his, so that will probably be our responsibility some day. I don't mind. I love his folks, even though lately they have a tendency to be smothering and nosy.

BTW, you said your mom's new place was close to the Asian market. Is your mother Asian?

40

NaPoLeOn DyNaMiTe.......who liked it?

by freedomlover in

.

anybody else love this movie as much as i did??

i think it says a lot about the type of person you are, or at least what kind of sense of humor you have, if you liked this movie or hated it.. so far, i've not met anyone who has been neutral on this movie - usually they either love it or hated it!

Billygoat

Yes, this is definitely a cult classic. LOVED this movie. I think because I was the nerdy girl with the ponytail on the side of my head. Except I was selling Watchtowers. LOL!

38

Senseless death is getting to me

by AlmostAtheist in

jw
friends

i'm finding that i'm less and less able to handle hearing about or even thinking about senseless death.

i read about some of the people tortured and killed as heretics during the inquisition and i was nearly in tears.

then i just read a news report about a pakistani man that killed his own daughters while his wife watched, in order to preserve his family's "honor".. theists can at least imagine these people in heaven, or sleeping awaiting a resurrection.

Billygoat

But what if death is just a door to something more beautiful than our little earthly brains can comprehend? What if the painful situation that you go through to get there is forgotten once you're there? Like when a woman gives birth...even after a terrible labor, she'd go through it a million times if it meant having her newborn alive and breathing and well. Or all of us exiting from the bOrg. It was painful as hell for most of us (and still is for many of us), but would you ever NOT go through it now that you've tasted freedom?

Just thinking out loud here...

38

Senseless death is getting to me

by AlmostAtheist in

jw
friends

i'm finding that i'm less and less able to handle hearing about or even thinking about senseless death.

i read about some of the people tortured and killed as heretics during the inquisition and i was nearly in tears.

then i just read a news report about a pakistani man that killed his own daughters while his wife watched, in order to preserve his family's "honor".. theists can at least imagine these people in heaven, or sleeping awaiting a resurrection.

Billygoat

So what to do? I have no answers, what works for me is to turn off the TV news, radio news and go for a long bike ride. Hug my dog, call my kids, kiss my husband and love my people like they've never been loved before but most of all be grateful knowing I'm only an accident or a paycheck away from being just like one of those homeless. We all are.

*gulp*

I know this doesn't directly pertain to what you're saying Dave, but I thought I'd share anyway. This year I've witnessed:

A dear friend lose her entire collection of personal belongings to Katrina.
My boss's interior design clients spend $10,000 or more to decorate a room that doesn't need decorating...a vulgar waste and wonton disrespect for what material possessions they have.
Many of my girl friends choose to stay at home with their children instead of pursue a high paying career.
How much crap I have! Stuff that I'm hanging onto, for whatever reason. Clothes I haven't worn in years. Trinkets that don't come near my decorating style and have no sentimental value. I cleaned out my home and threw everything extra into a garage sale that raised over $1,000 for two separate missions.

All of this has really convicted me to simplify my life. I am really beginning to believe that the less I have, the happier I am. I've worked so hard for the last 15 years for the Almight Dollar and what has it gotten me? Stuff. I have no savings, no retiremend funds, but I have a lot of stuff. Stuff I don't need and don't like and some of it I don't even know where it's at. How is that going to help me live a better life?

So I am focused on DISCIPLINE and SIMPLICITY in my life now. Although I don't think I could ever be a Dalai Lama or Mother Theresa, but there is something to be said for just BEING and letting your faith provide for you on a day-to-day basis. There are more important things in life than accumulating schtuff for yourself, that ultimately does nothing for your spiritual, emotional, and mental well-being.

Yes, all the senseless death gets to me too. But like Kate said, there is only so much you can do. But emotionally and spiritually taking care of yourself and your wife and instilling in your children the important things in life are key to making this world a better place. Your story in another thread of your son giving you your present first thing Christmas morning is a classic example that you're well on your way.

38

What could I say?

by pennycandy in

let's say you go back to your hometown for a family funeral.

you're not df'd or da'd, but most haven't heard from you for many years.

you know you'll get the inevitable "so are you going to meetings?

Billygoat

I think its rude when folks come up and say where have you been?

During a really hard point in my life, I got asked this question by a friend that hadn't been responding to any of my emails. I asked her back, "I've been here in my life, having a really hard time this past month, needing my friends to support me. Where have you been?" I hate to say that I still relish her expression and silence after I said that. She knew enough to exit gracefully and quickly.

38

What could I say?

by pennycandy in

let's say you go back to your hometown for a family funeral.

you're not df'd or da'd, but most haven't heard from you for many years.

you know you'll get the inevitable "so are you going to meetings?

Billygoat

How about, "I live in (insert city name here) and the (insert KH name here) Kingdom Hall is just down the street. I just love my neighborhood and the people are so nice! Moving there has been one of the best moves I've ever made. How about you? How are things with you?" You're not lying.

52

Can a girl have short hair and be feminine? ( a tad bit fluffy)

by Sparkplug in

jw
friends

well, we all know it is possible, but when i have short hair, i never quite feel feminine.

upon attempting to grow my hair out, i really hit a bad patch of nasty hair..so the other day, i examined my lifestyle, and obligations and really thought on it.

.........so i wacked it all off.

Billygoat

((((Sparky)))) Damn girl - you look hot! Grrr!

But I understand. Whenever my hair was short, I was always afraid I looked like a boy. Short hair, flat chest, short stature. At children's camp one year, where I was a counselor, I got in trouble for being out of my cabin after 10 pm. I know some people think that's funny and a good problem to have, but I never quite see it that way.

11

Do you remember?

by Honesty in

jw
friends

do you remember when a df or da announcement was made at the hall and the brother who introduced the brother who made the announcement always got this serious look on his face just before he said, "brother poopdontsmell has an annoucement to make.

"and when brother poopdontsmell started down the aisle he got that serious look on his face too?

it was only after i made my exit that i realised what most of the seriousness is all about especially since my former po is so nice to me when he sees me in public.

Billygoat

Yep.

26

Witnesses LOVE Christmas Lights!

by gumby in

i don't know how publishers in your neck of the woods veiws christmas lights......but all the ones i've been around since being born into this religion........loves to see all the lights.

we even used to get a map in the paper that showed where those lived with huge decorations and go see them.

some entire blocks would get together and do all their yards and we witnesses would drive around to see it all.

Billygoat

Just because i roll around on the lawn, hug trees, talk to animals, smoke the 'erb, stare at sunsets, eat meat, am kind to spiders and ants, hang lights, meditate, does that make me pagan? Well, maybe.

Eeks. Maybe I'm pagan too. Except I don't roll around on the lawn. Unless it's with my husband naked in a full moon. Hmm. Maybe I am pagan.

44

It's snowing!

by Crumpet in

jw
friends

anyone else got snow outside this crisp frosty morning?

it just started in surrey at 9.35 am!

lovely!

Billygoat

It was 70 degrees here in Texas for our Christmas. It was 80 yesterday!