RichieRich

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Posts by RichieRich

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  36

  Anybody attended the Memorial last night? What was your experience?

  by Cindi_67 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  for the first time in a year i set foot on a kh.

  the memorial to me is still somewhat sacred so i decided to attend.

  i thought i would feel different, in the sense that maybe i would miss meetings, but i was wrong.

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  RichieRich

  i went. http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/132019/1.ashx
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  97

  I went to the Memorial.

  by RichieRich in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm just going to start at the beginning.. i was anticipating the memorial all day.

  i was nervous but excited, kind of like standing in line for a roller coaster.. ok. so erika gets ready at her house, and i get ready at mine.

  i'm wearing a black suit with a light green shirt, and a tie that had hues of green and yellow in it.

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  RichieRich

  Thank you so much for understanding, and for putting things into perspective, Annie.
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  97

  I went to the Memorial.

  by RichieRich in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm just going to start at the beginning.. i was anticipating the memorial all day.

  i was nervous but excited, kind of like standing in line for a roller coaster.. ok. so erika gets ready at her house, and i get ready at mine.

  i'm wearing a black suit with a light green shirt, and a tie that had hues of green and yellow in it.

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  RichieRich

  Anyway, he walks over and I already had my window down and he steps up to the window and put both his hands on the roof of the car as he leans in to talk.

  With my window down, they wouldn't even walk over to my vehicle. It was cool. There was one brother, who I guess just made Ministerial servant. Now keep in mind that this a parking lot. Its lit up brighter than an overcast day. But he was still standing there with this mammoth flashlight, and he was twirling it, oh so crazily, so that I would know to turn left. Thanks.

  I truly think many of the witnesses feel like that little sister who secretly smiled and waved at you!

  There was a lot of under handed peace signs, and little smiles and winks from the 15-25 crowd. They know what's up.
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  39

  Anybody here ever FASTED before?

  by avidbiblereader in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i usually fast three to four times a year, i am going on my third day now.

  i get tremendous health benefits from it as i purge my body of impurities that we eat, drink and otherwise.

  i feel much clearer mentally and physically.. has anybody else ever fasted, for how long, how did it help you and what did you do?.

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  RichieRich

  I fasted for four days before my first suspension . I didn't really feel any physical benefits from the fasting other than re centering my body and putting a minor task before it to accomplish before it took on a greater one.
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  60

  Does The Memorial Mean ANYTHING To You???

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just wondering.

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  RichieRich

  When I was little, it was always an excuse to stay up late on a weeknight.

  We used to get to go out to eat either before or after, and I always got to order a dessert with my meal.

  I remember the auditorium, and having it packed out, and the brother's asking the younger brothers to stand up in the back. Then we'd all prop up against the literature counter, and chill.

  It meant something totally different this year though. It meant i was free. They no longer have any hold on me.
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  97

  I went to the Memorial.

  by RichieRich in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm just going to start at the beginning.. i was anticipating the memorial all day.

  i was nervous but excited, kind of like standing in line for a roller coaster.. ok. so erika gets ready at her house, and i get ready at mine.

  i'm wearing a black suit with a light green shirt, and a tie that had hues of green and yellow in it.

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  RichieRich

  And I worry about him making patterns on his body that he can't erase. It seems he wants to bind his future self into a position where his bodily appearance would prevent him from reversing his decision to leave the Witnesses. I wish he did not feel like that. I don't worry about what I will do in the future, not because I feel "settled", but because I feel more comfortable with my fluctuations now. Richie may ensure he cannot go back to the Witnesses because of his appearance, but he is also closing down other options in life needlessly. We have enough options in life closed down for us without adding to them ourselves. And I feel some get a perverse thrill out of seeing him do things they "wish they had the guts to do themselves" or some such silly notion. But that's a bit selfish because he is a real human being out there somewhere with a mother who is crying.

  Some people go on drug binges. Some people drink themselves into oblivion every night. While this may solve some of their problems, it certainly adds more problems in the long run.

  Body modification is my choice. All of those "patterns" that can't be erased are hidden. The only visible modifications I have would be my ears, but I can play those up, or play them down as I see fit.

  And thank goodness that the majority of employers are a bit more openminded when it comes to things. A big hole in my ear doesn't make me work slower. Nor does it make me less intelligent. Its just there- for my pleasure. So what if I've disqualified myself for a job at McDonalds- I'm moving on to much bigger and better things.

  Why don't you tell these guys how much their modifications are going to hold them back in their future.

  And I'm sure that someone here may, even the tiniest little bit, benefit from what I write here. That's why I do it. No one encourages me to do anything. You'll notice a lot people encouraged me to NOT go to the memorial... but I still did.

  No one lives my life for me. It's what I want.

  Dude are you seeing someone to talk about all this.....you seem to have way too much anger going on here!

  I'm fine. The only thing that angered me was that 10 second dialogue with / from my mother. Other than that- all is well. But I don't think a little anger ever hurt anyone.

  Richie's mom surprised me too. Fainting would have gotten as much attention. The woman has steel ovaries, that is for sure. It seems she misses being in charge of Richie's life.

  I'm still in shock, to be honest. I can't believe she tried to pull that. But it was a power play. I know for a fact if I had tried to sit there and carry on a conversation with her, she more than likely wouldn't have obliged. So she got cut off before she had a chance to cut me off. Big deal.
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  15

  How has knowing the Jehovah's Witnesses changed your culture?

  by love11 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  hi, long time no see.

  i am in a cultural anthropology class now and any info.

  you can give me for my paper would be appreciated.

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  RichieRich

  I lost my family life, so my friends filled that void.

  And all my friends happen to share a common interest - body modification.

  So now, I'm a thriving member of this huge counter-culture / sub-culture of people just like me.

  It feels right because its something I've always desired. I don't think that I stand out any more with tattoos and piercings than I ever did sitting in McDonald's in a suit.
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  97

  I went to the Memorial.

  by RichieRich in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm just going to start at the beginning.. i was anticipating the memorial all day.

  i was nervous but excited, kind of like standing in line for a roller coaster.. ok. so erika gets ready at her house, and i get ready at mine.

  i'm wearing a black suit with a light green shirt, and a tie that had hues of green and yellow in it.

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  RichieRich

  Your brief conversation with your mom has me feeling ambivalent. On the one hand, I could never imagine myself making my mom cry, even if I had to lie to do it. But on the other hand, her organization has forced her to shun her own child. So yeah, not a fun choice, especially since Erika noticed that your mom was talking "at" you, not with you...

  I never thought in a million years that she would have the testicular (ok, ovarian) fortitude to ever speak to me like that. I was so shocked, that my heart spoke. It wasn't a thought out answer. It was a black and white binary respsonse, and it's true. I spent a lot of the memorial thinking about those words. But god forbid she be upset for a day or two. Its not like I didn't suffer.

  I am sure Erika gained tremendous insight on all you've been through.... what comments did she have afterwards?

  She was speechless really. All she wanted to do afterwards was curl up on the couch. I don't think she's able to put her feelings into words quite yet. But I can tell you this- she wasn't happy with it.
• 
  97

  I went to the Memorial.

  by RichieRich in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm just going to start at the beginning.. i was anticipating the memorial all day.

  i was nervous but excited, kind of like standing in line for a roller coaster.. ok. so erika gets ready at her house, and i get ready at mine.

  i'm wearing a black suit with a light green shirt, and a tie that had hues of green and yellow in it.

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  RichieRich

  How do you feel now?

  totally at peace.
• 
  117

  I'm Attending the Memorial

  by RichieRich in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my lovely girlfriend and i sat down over a homecooked meal, and discussed the pros and cons of attending the memorial.. i decided, with her support, that we would attend.. i spent years of my life pretending to be a witness to please my mother.

  when i left the witnesses, my mother said some hurtful things.. and those things really hurt me... for a while.

  but i established myself as my own person, developed my own relationships, and have gotten a good start on my own life.. i don't know that i want to hurt my mother back, but i do want to make it abundantly clear to her, my grandmother, and all the members of my former congregation, that richierich is alive and kicking.. and i think that walking into the kingdom hall, dressed respectfully in a suit, yet with full piercing jewelry intact, and with erika wearing something classy that steals the brother's eyes, and draws glares from the humble sisters, will be just the thing to send that message to my mother.. i don't plan on partaking or making a disturbance.

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  RichieRich

  Just posted the thread Crumpet. Definitely worth the read.