Oops! I hit enter too soon! To elaborate on the miseries of summer conventions: LONG car trips complete with motion sickness, no air-conditioning in the car and an aunt that hated 'the wind', scary mystery hotels with a communal bathroom down the hall, homesickness, nausea and diarrhea from crowd anxiety, bathroom lines, and miserable heat....dresses.....hours of talks....spankings.....did I mention how much I hated assemblies?!?!?!?
Posts by nsrn
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29Which annual JW event did you dislike the most?
by jambon1 ini actually never liked the memorial.
it was`nt a very spiritual occasion at all really.
i hated feeling guilty about not doing the scheduled bible reading.
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29
Which annual JW event did you dislike the most?
by jambon1 ini actually never liked the memorial.
it was`nt a very spiritual occasion at all really.
i hated feeling guilty about not doing the scheduled bible reading.
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nsrn
District, or even worse, international conventions were the worst for this kid.
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7
Sabotage?
by Chia ini wasn't quite sure where to put this post.. i believe i'm being sabotaged at work--either that or i am going crazy.
i left for lunch about 2 hours ago.
there was a pile of work on my desk.
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nsrn
I've worked with some difficult people, and I have some positive results by cautiously being MORE friendly--making a point to make eye contact, smile, make brief pleasant small talk, etc. Sounds like you definitely need to take security measures as others have suggested, too! Also keep a written record of incidents with dates, times, witnesses if there are any, etc. Just in case things come to a head...
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39
What happened in the 80's?
by Virgochik invarious posters have mentioned how get-togethers and fun times socializing were frowned upon and discouraged somewhere around the early 80's.
everything changed, as far as the picnics, the dinner parties, etc.
i vaguely recall some connection being made to parties and increased "immorality.
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nsrn
I guess I lucked out in the late 70's--there was a larger congregation about 30 miles away with lots of teens. They rented school gyms for basketball games, skating rinks, bowling, putt-putt...I was the typical sweaty-palmed teen, too young to 'date' but definitely old enough to have my heart pounding out of my chest when it came to "couple's skate" and Noble Roman's pizza after. For a teen who was allowed NO extra curricular activites at school, these were highights of our socializing. I was never clear who organized these events or paid (we always had to bring a few bucks). We were supervised by mostly young married couples, ministerial servant types, and sometimes parents. But I don't remember being aware of any hanky panky. The worst thing my tame group ever did was get asked to leave the pizza place due to a brief but intense ice throwing exchange across a few tables.
Oh, that first kiss...
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10
Red eyes
by beautifulisfree injust the other day i had a horrible witness flashback.
i remembered that when my dad was an elder...he would come home from his elder meetings with red eyes.
he also would get red eyes whenever he was mad at the family about something 'spiritual' like how we didn't have the pioneer spirit or how we were wearing to short of dresses (even if they came down to the floor).
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nsrn
He's great! But he's still in.....it's all they've ever known.
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103
"Help! my dad is watching Pornography" Cries of a JW teen.
by Dune inas some of you may know, i'm still an active witness and i'm still in the planning stages of my "escape".
i met a sister at a district convention a year ago and i've been talking to her on aim for a while.
i think she is very amusing considering that she is very intelligent and often voices her views on the doctrinal falicies of the wtbs, but when its my turn to give my two cents she makes it seem as if i'm the only poztate.
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nsrn
Yes, that sent up a red flag for me, too. Did she find it hidden at home, on the computer archive, or was it left out for her to see? How old is she? Pedophiles can use porn to entice/educate the child. Hmmm.
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6
Morning conversation with my mom
by mrsjones5 inmom calls me this morning.
chatting, just chatting about my oldest son's birthday yesterday (he turned 12 and we took him to dinner and a good time was had by all), about my sister, about us and the kids going out to california this summer to visit my parents, about when mom should be receiving her girl scout cookies and mary kay order from me.
i related how after the sermon at church my son tried to invite a friend out to his birthday dinner.
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nsrn
Josie, Don't you just heave a sigh of relief when a conversation like you had with your mom happens? She brought up questions, you were honest and matter of fact, and she didn't challenge what you said. R-E-S-P-E-C-T
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10
Red eyes
by beautifulisfree injust the other day i had a horrible witness flashback.
i remembered that when my dad was an elder...he would come home from his elder meetings with red eyes.
he also would get red eyes whenever he was mad at the family about something 'spiritual' like how we didn't have the pioneer spirit or how we were wearing to short of dresses (even if they came down to the floor).
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nsrn
My dad would come home red eyed and blowing his nose, exhausted. He is a tender hearted guy, and I suspect was often the lone voice of mercy at those meetings. I had heard Mom say, "Poppa, I don't know why you put yourself through this." and Dad would say, "because the congregation needs me." Poor Dad.
I saw this in action at my very own elder's meeting, as a quietly rebellious teen, dating a worldly. My dad got all red faced and turned to the p.o. and said, "I know what you want. You want me to throw her out of my house, like you did YOUR kid. Well I won't do it. I know where she'd have to go then. If you think I'm not governing my house well enough, then just consider this my resignation as an elder! " Can you imagine how full my heart was to hear him say that?
A few years later, after I was married and gone, I think he became an elder again, but is now 'retired'.
Even now, in their eighties, my parents are very well respected and treated like beloved grandparents of the congregation. I think it's partly because people remember his empathy.
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33
How to reply to the inevitable invitation to Memorial this year...
by nsrn ini'm anticipating a series of visitis from the witnesses to invite me to memorial.
every year i get a few with the preprinted invitation, a couple slightly old magazines, and big smiles.
these are people who i grew up with, who were kind to me, who honestly think my fade out will cost my eternal soul at the big a. these are the same people who pick up my elderly parents for meetings, bring them food when they are sick, and change their rusted out water heater for them in the dead of winter.
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nsrn
Thanks for the replies. It's the guilt thing. Part of me wants to tell them "Hell, no! Wasn't eighteen years of torture enough???" while the guilty part of me is thinking 'What would one evening hurt? I'm am being selfish. My folks are old, it would please them so much...' Then that kind of thinking literally makes me nauseated.
I have a wonderful church family (Methodist) and a great faith in a loving God. But I just don't think I'll be free of the witness guilt thing until my parents are gone.
If I can avoid answering the door, or at least get my husband to do it, I'll take that route. Or maybe I'll get lucky, and this will be the year they miss me!
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33
How to reply to the inevitable invitation to Memorial this year...
by nsrn ini'm anticipating a series of visitis from the witnesses to invite me to memorial.
every year i get a few with the preprinted invitation, a couple slightly old magazines, and big smiles.
these are people who i grew up with, who were kind to me, who honestly think my fade out will cost my eternal soul at the big a. these are the same people who pick up my elderly parents for meetings, bring them food when they are sick, and change their rusted out water heater for them in the dead of winter.
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nsrn
I'm anticipating a series of visitis from the witnesses to invite me to Memorial. Every year I get a few with the preprinted invitation, a couple slightly old magazines, and big smiles. These are people who I grew up with, who were kind to me, who honestly think my fade out will cost my eternal soul at the big A. These are the same people who pick up my elderly parents for meetings, bring them food when they are sick, and change their rusted out water heater for them in the dead of winter.
It's so uncomfortable tfor me to answer the door and there they are; grins, bookbags, and too-tight jackets. "We've missed you...we'd love to have you...we are commanded to observe...your folks would be so pleased if you came..." My stomach hurts just thinking about it.
My answers are usually vague, non-committal, and short.
What suggestions do you all have for that visit--especially trying to be kind and respectful to the witnesses?
I've been doing this for 25 years now--you'd think I'd get over it !