Posts by SamIam1976

31

Do you do Christmas?

by sass_my_frass in

jw
friends

this will be my first christmas.

i'm not doing anything corny, no tree, no bigass fluoro santa.

just joining my new (husband's) family at their xmas gig - tacky presents for the kids, lots of food, stories by the old folk.

We do Christmas every year. I have two little munchkins and my oldest is almost 5 this year and thats ALL he will think about right now! LOL. We have our own "fake" tree that we put up after Thanksgiving and my son does the decorating. He puts all the lights up and the ornaments on the tree. I just love watching his enthusiasm...I never had that opportunity when I was a child. So, I think its good for my kids to have fun and celebrate holidays. There is really no religious attachment to this holiday for me either we don't go to Mass we don't really go to any church to be honest. But being with my husband for the past eight years the holidays has taught me that its all about who you are with not what you get for presents. I really enjoy the holiday season it goes by way to fast in my opinion. And this year is going to be extra special for us because we are moving into our new home at the end of this month! So we get to celebrate the holidays in a brand new home this year with all our friends and family. What more could one ask for?

Sherry

47

JW kids: How old were you when you stopped getting spanked?

by rebel8 in

jw
friends

just curious.

i was 17 when i was last spanked.

it was the day of my high school graduation.

SamIam1976

Spankings were rare for me they were more common for my younger brother though. And he still blames me for them to this day! I am almost 30 and he's 2 1/2 years younger than me. I do feel bad that my dad seemed to want to spank him more than me but we are adults now and we need to move on. My brother now refuses to accept my existance. We haven't spoken since before my daugther was born 2 years ago. <sigh> That is one of the many reasons why I hate this religion so much.

Reading all your stories about spankings is a very sad read. I do hope you all have been able to cope with your ill treatment as children and haven't allowed it to fester inside you like a boiling pot. I know my brother has and its simply not healthy. Please tell me you all have been able to move on and become well adjusted somewhat healthy happy adults in your lives.

Sending my good thoughts out to all of you with such terrible experiances.

Sherry

30

No topic so I will just ramble

by joelbear in

jw
friends

i have finished 15 pieces in my pottery class so far.

i start my next 10 classes next monday night.. i have almost finished designing a board game.

i am going to build the prototype this weekend.. i have a shop at cafepress.com/joelbear.

SamIam1976

This morning began with me on the phone to the power company to set up a new account for my brand new home now being contructed....

needed to do this so the contracter can get the power company to come in and hook the power up so they can do the finish work inside the home once they get the house set on top of the foundation and put together.

Then I had to call and set up oil account and a gas account for my new gas stove that I can't order yet until we are sure we are moving in on Nov. 30th. Then I had to call and set up the water meter with the town and pay them 120.00 that I don't have for the water meter.

Then I had to travel 45 minutes with my two young cranky children to the flooring place beacause the wood that I ordered for my living room 2 months ago is still on back order and they need it within 3 weeks!!! So I had to go up there and pick out a replacement and make sure its going to match the rest of the wood in my new house. IF the floors don't get done the lender won't fund our loan and the deal will go sour and we will be homeless!! Then it was 12:30 by the time I got done there and my two little ones are hungry and tired so I stop at McDonalds before getting back on the highway to Portland and get them lunch. My 19month old falls asleep while eating her chicken nugget and I get home to a messy living room full of toys and the towels and wash cloths my son took out of the kitchen drawers and put them all over my living room floor. So I decide to come on here and ramble with you.

That's my story for the day.

Oh and I can't wait for tonight I get to go out to dinner with my girlfriend. Who just called me this morning and told me she had a miscarrage. Why does life throw such curve balls and hit you the hardest when you least expect it?

Sherry

25

Why are there so many "Should Gay's Marry" ads?

by Elsewhere in

jw
friends

.

recently i've noticed that about 90% of the large ads are asking the question: "should gays marry?".

any particular reason?

SamIam1976

I've noticed this ad too. I live in Maine and there is a Question on this Novemeber's ballot which asks the voter to vote Yes to not have an anti-discrimination law on the books due to sexual orientation or to vote No to keep in in law on the books in my state. Evidently its been a hot debate since Gay/Lesbian people wanted the same rights as married hetersexuals have. It's all economics anyway. Marriage is a union between two people and if they love each other than I say why not? That doesn't mean I agree with homesexuality, because I don't but that doesn't mean that person shouldn't have the same rights as I do because I choose to be attracted to the oppisite sex. So, I say let the Gays/Lesbian's marry what the hell does that have to do with the rest of us who aren't gay/lesbian?

Anyway that's one Liberal's opinion.

Sherry

3

New Orleans Revisited

by hillbilly in

jw
friends

information the media will not tell you.

now here's something you probably didn't know about louisiana and hurricane katrina.

at the very time katrina was bearing down on new orleans, there were several top-level officials in the department of louisiana government that prepares for emergencies such as katrina sitting around and waiting for their trial.

SamIam1976

Sounds like another example of the "Fleecing of America" to me.

13

Surgery Sucks!

by whyamihere in

jw
friends

oh my god............. i know what pain is and this sucked.

i have war scars now...sniff..i hope i will get over the sadness of how it will look.

i just want to thank everyone who was giving me well wishes.

SamIam1976

Hey there Brooke,

I am new to the board so don't know you very well. But I can understand the pain of surgery. I just underwent a tubal and d&c. But wasn't prepared for the immense pain I would be in after wards. Evidently the doc decided to move some internal organs around and do exploratory with the scope only to find out that I need to have my uterus removed due to the large tumors in my uterus. I know what you mean about taking oxycodone and vicodin together. I am still taking the oxycodone at night (i have two muchkins to take care of during the day). And now the tumor is pressing on the nerves in my lower back and causing me extreme pain and discomfort. :( I do hope this is the last surgery for you. I am due to have the hysterectemy very soon.

Please get well. I guess we can all wallow in our misery together.

Sherry

17

Ever have something weird happen in meeting, with APOSTATES!

by free2beme in

jw
friends

i was at a meeting one time and the elder was giving the talk on "sex and marriage" on a sunday.

i always hated this talk and the elder giving it always seemed uneasy with such a bold topic in a mixed age group.

well, right in the middle of the talk, this woman stood up and asked "so, are you saying oral sex is wrong?

SamIam1976

Blondie,

My husband had the same observation. On the Sunday they were to announce my "reinstatement" to my home congregation my new husband came with me. Curiousity had bitten him and he really wanted to see for himself what kind of "people" we were and how our church meetings were conducted. Sunday as you all know is the Public Talk and Watchtower Study. I can't remember what the public talk was about now..but I can remember what he thought about the Watchtower study was very similiar to this woman who had a one-on-one bible study. He couldn't understand why they were just reading the paragraphs and then everyone would just read word from word the answers from the article. He wondered what kind of discussion is this? It's not a discussion at all its just a monotonus reading of a useless article mis-quoting scripture. He brought his King James Version with him to compare with the NWT. I find outsiders view on our religion very interesting. It really took me out of the fog I was in.

I have only had a couple of experiences with very wacked apostates. 1st...one was when I was very young and some apostates were picketing the assembly in Augusta, ME at the civic center. One of them got in my Dad's face and was telling him how he was hurting his children blah blah blah dont remember all the words this man used because my dad picked both me and my brother up off the ground (we were about 10 and 8 years old I think) and lugged us to the car. Then we saw our dad really get into a fierce argument with that apostate picketer. 2nd thing that happened to me on of of my visits to Bethel I had the oppurtunity to run into Mr. Coffee. Does anyone remember that guy? He was the one who always showed up when there was tours going on and protesting loudly of how the organization had wronged him. Very interesting fellow. LOL Those are my only 2 experiances with apostates.

27

No good news to report

by gringojj in

jw
friends

well friends things had bad going very well for my wife recently.

she had been looking a the wts critically for quite some time now.

we would have daily discussions on how so many things didnt make sense.

SamIam1976

Hi gringojj,

Sorry to hear about your wife having a rough time. I went through a similar patch of thinking that God was giving me a sign when 2 elders came knocking on my door last year. I let them come into my home even let them bring the magazines and try to talk me into coming to the Sunday meeting with them they would watch my son...the whole bit. But I never went. Then when I was pregnant with my daughter they showed up with a medical directive and my ministerial servant younger brother showed up too. Pressuring me to sign this so I wouldn't let the doctors give me any blood transfusion if something should happen with my pregnancy. That was the last straw for my husband. I never signed that document I wasn't comfortable with the words "I am professing to be one of Jehovah's Witnesses and these are my beliefs"

But I gave them the benefit of the doubt and let them still continue to bring the mags and visit with me. I was curious to see how far this Elder was willing to go to "save my soul". He showed up a few days after my daughter was born she was healthy and everything was fine. But he was there on a mission that day he came with Elder 2. Sat himself down at my kitchen table with bibles in hand proceeded to question me about celebrating holidays and he said that someone gave him a photocopy of a family photo I had taken with a christmas tree in the background. Then he proceeded to read from the scripture that said you are touching the unclean thing. And he asked if I still wanted to be considered a JW. He was threatening me with my family relations and saying it would be a real shame if I couldn't talk to my parents again or my kids couldn't know their grandparents or their uncle. I had finally had enough of the beligerent accusations flying from this a$$hole's mouth. My daughter had done quite the poop in her diaper and my son had urinated on the Elders shoes but he kept at it with me. I told him I wished not to discuss what I do with my personal life outside of the KH. I told him that what I did in my home with my family was MY business and no one elses. As far as this matter is concerned the subject is closed. I told them "You know where the door is don't let it hit you on the way out". And walked upstairs to clean up the children. But that didn't stop them from persuing me. The 2 elders showed up at my door 2 more times!!! The 2nd time my neighbor had to step inbetween me and Elder 1 told him to leave me alone and to get the hell of my property. My husband was so infuriated at this man he looked him up in the phone book and called him at home. This elder had the balls to ask my husband if he knew who he was talking to. He identified himself to my husband as the PO of the Portland, ME congregation!! My husband said to him, "You could be the pope for all I care you don't come near my wife and children ever again!" He also asked him if he thought he was doing God's work by harrassing and threatening a woman in her own home with her two children.

Well I know this is wordy here..but this experiance was the straw that broke the camals back for me. I was happy sitting on the fence with these guys to keep my parents happy. But I'm not a fence sitter anymore. I am tired of being harrassed and threatened and dragged around by the throat in fear of displeasing not only Jehovah but the lofty Elders. I have made my choice and I'm happy with it. I am no longer a JW. And I let these people know. I even let my parents know. And they are totally ok with it. My brother is the only one in my immediate family who shuns me. So I guess I have it pretty good.

If I were you I would be as supportive as you can with her. Let her know that you disagree with this religion and why and it makes you so upset to see her go through the same cycle over and over again with these people. Have a real heart to heart with her. She needs to come to the realization herself that this religion is nothing but a false religion and will send her down the long road of misery yet again. I do hope good things for you.

Best of luck.

Sherry

40

Assembly tomorrow

by Sam the Man in

jw
friends

cant wait.

(sarcastic)

SamIam1976

You know something Sam,

My parents used to be able to guilt trip me into going to the assembly with them since it is held practicly down the street from where I live they can't contain themselves not to beg me to come with them. LOL But these past couple of years I have managed to actually say..NO. And thats been that. They haven't tried guilting me again. Maybe that's what you have to do just say No.

25

What stages of Healing/Recovery have you or are you going through?

by diamondblue1974 in

jw
friends

.

to elaborate...we are all at and have been at varying stages of the healing/recovery process...what stages have you experienced...how did you deal with it and what are your plans for the future now you are on this path.. db74

SamIam1976

I have now reached 11 years out of the Borg. I have two beautiful children, boy 4 years old and a girl 1 1/2 years. I have a wonderful husband who I have been with since 1997 and I can now say without regret I no longer consider myself a Jehovah's Witness.

It has taken me 11 years to be able to say this with complete conviction and out loud even to "mixed company" but I have made it to this point in my life where I completely refuse this cult to control any aspect of my life any longer. My parents have no guilt factor over me either. I have made it out alive and I want others to know that you can make out alive too. Life goes on you just have to have the courage to go out there and live it the best way you know how.

Sherry