well valentine's day is almost here...but the most romantic thing my husband ever did for me came a few days earlier - on my birthday.. this is the very first birthday i am openly celebrating since leaving so he took me to my favorite restaurant sat.
night.
as we were walking in, i said, "someday i would love a big birthday party with all my family" (sans jw parents of course).
That would have to be the night that my husband proposed to me. Closely followed by all the other romantic gestures he does on a daily basis - like actually being willing to do dishes, laundry etc. On the night that he proposed, he told me that he would be honored if I would be his wife, but I have to say that I feel that I am the one that has been blessed by having such a wonderful husband.
Edited by - caligirl on 10 February 2003 17:45:30
maybe i was just curious to hear what they were going to discuss.
i went to the two day circuit assembly.
for those who wonder, its theme was taken from psalms 37:3 it's theme trust in jehovah and do good.
First, welcome to the board.
To answer your question, I have never given one thought to returning to meetings. I am not DF'd or DA'd. I just do not feel that it is the "truth" and chose to walk away. I have not walked away from christianity or my beleif in God. I believe in the bible, I beleive in God, but I do not beleive in the interpretation that the witnesses offer. I was raised as a witness from the age of one, and from the time that i was old enough to reason, I realized that something was not right. I felt no love, I felt no christ-like compassion coming from any congregation I was ever at.The meaning of scriptures that were being given from the platform did not match what the bible said. Sure, there are some very nice genuine people but I do not beleive that they have God's blessing. I read the scriptures now, without any other books, and I have discovered that I need no other books to explain it to me. The bible is very straight forward. It says that Christ is our mediator, and our salvation is through him. Nowhere does it say that we need an organization to publish books to explain the bible or that they have the right to insert themselves between Jesus and mankind and insist that one beleive in their doctrines to be saved.
I hope that you stick around this site and that you gain as much benefit as all of us here have.
Edited by - caligirl on 9 February 2003 22:45:51
http://www.halloweenhowl.com/pastlife.htm.
here's what it said about me: diagnosis:.
i do not know how you feel about it, but you were female in your last earthly incarnation.. you were born somewhere around territory of modern arktik approximately on 1650.. your profession was warrior, hunter, fisherman, executor of sacrifices.
Diagnosis:
I do not know how you feel about it, but you were female in your last earthly incarnation.
You were born somewhere around territory of modern North Afrika approximately on 525.
Your profession was librarian, priest, keeper of tribal relics.
Your brief psychological profile in that past life:
Seeker of truth and wisdom. You could have seen your future lives. Others perceived you as an idealist illuminating path to future.
Lesson, that your last past life brought to present:
Your lesson -- to develop kind attitude to people, to acquire gift of understanding and compassion.
Quite interesting, and definitely descriptive of some of my personality traits.
i am sitting here watching this shocking interview.
the reporter spent 8 months with this um, person.
i cannot believe how bizarre mr. jackson is.... and it has given me the willies.
I have to chime in with mouthy on this one. I think that his childhood, or lack thereof, has caused him to be emotionally scarred and that he has created this child-like world as a way of coping with whatever memories he has. Is he strange? Yes, but who knows why he has handled the stress of stardom the way he does. The mind is a mysterious thing, and no two people react the same way to situations. I think that he has had some very harsh experiences in his life, and for whatever reason, hi child-like manifestations are his mind's way of dealing with the aftermath of those events. I do not think the kids are necessarily suffering. This is the only way of life they have ever known, so it probably does not seem strange to them. Why would it? And there are much worse environments to grow up in than with a rich, eccentric, child-like parent. Will his children need therapy? More than likely, but then again, at least paying for it won't be an issue! I think that the media should just leave the whole thing alone and let them live their life. That would be those children's best chance at a glimpse of normality.
divorce is much more common in the jehovah's witness community than they would like to admit.
probably more so than the population in general.. if you have been divorced do you think that the watchtower society contributed to the divorce, or caused it, or is it just possible you married some jerk or abuser and divorce would have occured no matter what religion you were, or even if you had no religion?.
possibly you got married way too young as the end was coming and there is no marriage in the resurrection if you died.
Yes..married at 18 after 3 years in a relationship with him. Since one did not casually date, we just fell into marriage since that was what we all thought should happen. But since we divorced several years after we stopped attending any meetings, I am sure that in witness circles, the divorce is blamed on the fact that we lost our spirituality and stopped attending meetings. We are probably an expamle to all of what happens without "Jehovah" in your life, but since he told me when we were married less than 6 months that he knew he was going to be just like his Dad and be married and divorced multiple times, the marriage was not really destined to survive.
Thankfully, I found a wonderful husband and couldn't be happier. I have since thanked my ex for leaving me because I would never have found the love of my life if he had not.
even though you couldn't celebrate holidays growing up as a jw, did your parents ever have alternatives instead?
in my case, we never celebrated christmas, we had "surprise day" usually a week before.
instead of celebrating thanksgiving, we would have a turkey dinner a few weeks later.
We had "Family Day" as an alternative to Christmas. Usually in late January, early February. The annual turkey festivities usually happened on Friday or Saturday of that same weekend, and once, I remember having it on Thanksgiving itself (Must have been why that earthquake happened in Hudson Bay that day!) . My parents are still very active, even though all their children "abandoned" the faith, but all of us now get what we call our un-christmas and un-birthday gifts every year from them. Their un-thanksgiving continues as it always has. It really is kind of funny.
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can anyone tell me where to get fairly inexpensive last minute flights?.
Try US Air. I buy 15-20 tickets a year, CA to east coast and pay about $220 including fees almost every time, but look under their instant purchase web specials, not going through the plain reservation section that you get on the first screen.
Northwest also offers some pretty reasonable fares. orbitz.com specials are useless, since I find them to be $100 higher than purchasing from the airline directly many times.
Thanks everyone! You guys are the best! I am having a great day. My husband threw me my first ever birthday party (a surprise party) last week (early, so I would not figure it out!) Got to blow out candles and everything for the first time- and I managed to get them all as well! Here's to hoping that my simple wish comes true! I could not ask for a better life than I have with my wonderful husband and children. Thanks again for the birthday wishes!
recently my brother, sister, and i talked for the first time about how we survived the meetings when we were kids.
i loved hearing their stories.. i had a whole imaginary world i went into.
once the songs were over and the talk started, i would focus on the speaker to look like i was listening and then zone out.
Zoning out mostly. I don't remember thinking about anything in pasrticular, just anything to remove myself from the boredom. doodle in the margins of my watchtower. Once I had my license, and car I occupied my time with planning the quickest escape after the meeting - how many people were between me and the door and my getting home to watch my favorite tv program. Book studies, we couldn't get the people out of the house fast enough so we could turn on that lovely little box!
i am asking this for a friend of mine (not a jw) who does not have computer access at home.
i figured i would ask since there is so many people who post here.. she is going thru a divorce and the judge said they have to share joint legal and physical custody.
they will each get the child 50% of the time.
I think that the alternating 3/4 day schedule might be the best for the child. If the judge has already decided, then there is not much else. The 2 weeks with one and 2 weeks seems excessive, particularly for a child that age. A 3 year old should not have to go 2 weeks at a time only seeing the other parent for 3 hours a week.
My cousin has the 3/4 day arrangement for his 2 kids and they handle it very well and are well adjusted.
