Posts by AudeSapere

13

Attended a funeral this morning

by man in black in

jw
friends

a lady i work with recently lost her husband to brain cancer, she is a very nice person so i made it a point to attend his memorial.

mass at the local evangelical church.. as the service went on, the pastor had asked the man's son, brother, and two sisters to give a little speech about their father, and brother.. it was one of the most emotional things i ever witnessed at a funeral.. .

remember, most of these people are from a different religion, or don't have any belief at all.. the brother gave a very nice talk about growing up together, one sister just stuck to her written script, it was very hard for her to speak in public.. the other sister read a letter that she started when her brother discovered that he had cancer, so her letter covered events for two years.. she started crying several times when something she was reading struck her, yet she was able to laugh, and get the entire church to laugh along with one of her personal observations regarding her brother as he grew up.. the most emotional part was when his 23 year old son got up and read a tribute that he wrote to his dad,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.

AudeSapere

Yet I felt that the emotion, shared feelings, and actual crying in public was more theraputic to the family than a canned "theocratic" talk could ever be.

Could not agree more!

has anyone else ever noticed how different and good it is to branch out and experience other spiritual beliefs outside of the wtbts control ?

I noticed it BIG TIME! I consider myself Agnostic Christian (hehe) and sometimes just CRAVE the pagentry (?) of a church. Live music. Some basic rituals. Two years ago I flew to New York for the express purpose of attending Christmas Mass (catholic church) with my non-jw family. If I lived closer, I might consider going at Christmas and Easter every year, but it's too far to be practical for that.

For funerals, though... OMG... Witness funerals are so unbelievable dry and scripted - as you said - especially when compared to how they are handled in any other religious or non-religious setting I've experienced. So *real* and so personal. Comforting for the family. Comforting for the friends. An opportunity to show support for the family and respect for the deceased.

My grandma died last year. Grandma was a difficult person; contentious and mean spirited for pretty much the whole 50 years I've known her. How did the priest address this in his service? He acknowledged her 'more difficult' personal attributes right off the bat. Acknowledged that all 6 children, 18 grandchildren, and 23 great-grandchildren may be struggling to deal with some of the conflicting emotions. We had all known her as an imposing force for our entire lives and could each identify with the meanness and the stubborn tenacity that was characteristic of her. Take the good parts. Cherish the positve traits that she imparted to us. Let the rest stay behind.

There was alot more and I have not posted about this particular service (which was almost 9 months ago) because the entire process was so unbelievably emotion. As my jw sister called it: "The good, the bad, and the ugly." (JW sister did not attend the church mass but was part of all other events including hosting 3 of us at her small apartment.)

The point I'm trying to make is, absolutely, night and day difference between JW and virtually any other bereavement process. Next time I have to go to a JW service, I will absolutely make plans to privately or with a few friends go do something else personal to remember the deceased.

Just remembered another, less dramatic example. We were staunch JWs when grandfather died 25 years ago. Just this past March I cooked my first boiled dinner on St Patrick's Day. Grandma and Grandpa were Irish Catholics and Grandpa loved to cook. I had a few close friends over, including (walk-away believing) brother and toasted Grandpa's memory. It was way more emotional than I expected.

Just the simple toast (not allowed by JWs) was a way of showing respect and love for a departed family member.

So much more real than anything I'd ever experienced in the org.

Thanks for making me cry! (It's a good cry, though. Remembering people I've loved)

-Aude.

28

Which do you prefer?

by keyser soze in

jw
friends

when it comes to weather, would you rather have a wind chill below zero, or a heat index over 100?

it's the hottest week of the summer here.

i have to confess, i handle the cold much better than the heat.

AudeSapere

If I had to choose one extreme over the other, I think I'd choose cold.

I wilt in heat and can't hardly breath when it's hot and humid.

I used to love the cold and loved my winter clothes but now I'm not sure I could function well in the cold. Maybe I would be OK if I didn't have to be fully responsible for shoveling snow and getting to work on time after snow storms.

Now I live in such a temperate climate that I have become sooo spoiled. I think it reached 72 degrees here today (warmest day in about 3 weeks) and every night for the past few months it's been in the mid- to low-50's.

This area is called 'Pleasant Valley' and it is indeed Pleasant.

-Aude.

14

TV NEWS show exposes Fluoride for what it is - poison!

by What-A-Coincidence in

jw
friends

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzbrbpgtot0.

AudeSapere

Fluorosis - as shown in the photo - occurs when there is too much fluoride in the system. A much lesser amount helps prevent caries.

30

ok, I give up!

by dssynergy in

jw
friends

i have been testing the waters with a fade.

waiting to see the reaction.

my friends and family still talk to me, although i haven't been to meeting since november of last year.

AudeSapere

how do I make it through the meetings??

Come in late. Leave (very) early. Look sick and hold your stomach (not a far stretch, eh?). Bring something to read or just read the Bible. Bring a different version if you want some variety. Print out some other non-jw article that you want to read and read that during the meeting.

I think my last year and a half I read more of my bible during the meetings than I had ever done in my life. Not just 'looking up scriptures' but actually reading entire chapters at a time.

Here's a thread from last year by someone with the same question:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/forum/tech-support/165520/1/How-to-Endure-Meetings-Constructively-My-Approach

Or... You could lead the group in a rousing game of Bullshit Bingo!

http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/27457/1/Bullshit-Bingo-for-your-meeting-enjoyment

-Aude.

28

Medical People: Lipitor vs Zocor (Simvastatin)? Which do you recommend??

by AudeSapere in

jw
friends

i know we have a good representation of medically-trained people on this board so i want to put out this question:.

when treating a person with high cholesterol, which do you prefer: lipitor or zocor (simvastatin)?

if a person begins treatment with lipitor, is it necessary to use it for the rest of that person's life?

AudeSapere

newlight wrote: I would like to know how much time this doctor spent talking about eating the right foods and exercising more.

Not that you are demanding to know the personal conversations that I've had with my multiple physicians, but I will tell you that this is something that has been discussed for over 25 years. I have worked with dieticians and fitness trainers. My diet is pretty good (although some room for continued improvement) and my exercise level can certainly increase. But it certainly is not just an 'off the cuff' comment and scribble on a prescription pad.

I was like you in the past. Mostly during my JW days and the few years immediately following. Quick to criticize and lump whole groups of indiviiduals into the one big bowl of condemnation. Hyper-critical and cynical when it came to physicians. While many may indeed be too quick to write a prescription, there ARE some out there that look to treat the patient as a whole human and strive to connect on a level that enlightens the patient about cause-and-effect of lifestyle on health. I am fortunate to have found physicians that are wonderful, intelligent, compassionate, talented human beings.

Doctors as we know them tend to be nothing more than schills for the pharmaceutical companies.

If that is your entire experience, I would suggest that you be more discerning in making better decisions in the future.

AGuest - From your prior post, I thought of you when I saw the list of risks.

MsDucky - Thanks for the tip.

-Aude.

18

What a bitch.........

by Mary in

AudeSapere

Brings back major feelings of being 'had'.

Wasn't our scheme-ster from Toronto area?

-Aude.

44

Struggling

by EmptyInside in

jw
friends

it's just my personality to go the fade route, but i can't handle it anymore.

i lost respect for myself.

i won't write a da letter out of respect for family.

AudeSapere

I won't tell anyone when I'm coming back, so they won't expect me at the meetings for awhile.

There you go!

Along those lines, is there another congregation near you or one that meets in your same hall? Switch it up a bit and attend a couple of meetings at those places. Mix it up a bit. Miss a couple of meetings. Make more rounds. Take another vacation. Miss more meetings.

Noone will be able to keep track of you. When asked where you were, you can honestly say "My schedule has changed up a bit so I've been attending some meetings at Xyz and Abc cong."

-Aude.

44

Struggling

by EmptyInside in

jw
friends

it's just my personality to go the fade route, but i can't handle it anymore.

i lost respect for myself.

i won't write a da letter out of respect for family.

AudeSapere

I don't recall your specific situation, just that you've been 'empty' and struggling for a while now.

To help fill in the emptiness, maybe sign up to take a class or two? Get more active at the gym. Tell your JW friends that you are depressed (not too far off the mark, is it??) and yet more rest. Maybe get a second job to keep you too busy for meetings right now.??

Having a social life outside of the JWs will help you when you are ready to make the transition 'out'.

Taking classes will help your self-esteem, your career and your social system.

I feel your pain. Hopefully you can find a way to make your transition less of a struggle.

-Aude.

28

Medical People: Lipitor vs Zocor (Simvastatin)? Which do you recommend??

by AudeSapere in

jw
friends

i know we have a good representation of medically-trained people on this board so i want to put out this question:.

when treating a person with high cholesterol, which do you prefer: lipitor or zocor (simvastatin)?

if a person begins treatment with lipitor, is it necessary to use it for the rest of that person's life?

AudeSapere

For those that are also interested, here is link to article on Mayo Clinic website:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cholesterol-medications/HB00042

Most cholesterol medications lower cholesterol with few side effects, but effectiveness varies from person to person. If you decide to take cholesterol medication, your doctor may recommend periodic liver function tests to monitor the medication's effect on your liver.

And this article which specifically addresses the Lipitor vs Zocor question (as does a pm that I received from a poster - Thank you!):

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/lipitor-and-zocor/AN01722

Both Lipitor and Zocor are safe and effective in lowering cholesterol. However, you can take half the amount of Lipitor as Zocor, with the same results. For example, 10 milligrams (mg) of Lipitor has the same cholesterol-lowering effect as 20 mg of Zocor. It's possible that in people with high cholesterol, Zocor at a higher dose will be just as effective as Lipitor.

And this one which helps weigh Risk vs Benefits of taking Statins:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/statin-side-effects/MY00205

Not everyone who takes a statin will have side effects, but some people may be at a greater risk than are others. Risk factors include:

Taking multiple medications to lower your cholesterol

Being female

Having a smaller body frame

Being age 65 and older

Having kidney or liver disease

Having type 1 or 2 diabetes

Statin side effects may be linked to genetics. More research is needed before a genetic test is widely available to determine if you may have side effects from taking a statin medication.

-Aude.

3

Fortune cookie---From America Food Culture

by gaoqingyao2005 in

in the increasing competitive business of restaurant industry, what can help you keep your customers?

what can help you attract more customers?the fortune cookies are come about for this.

whats fortune cookie?this is a sweet, crisp and golden coin-shaped cookie,in the cookie there are a slip of message paper, the message more be in the form of a proverb, prediction, blessing, and lucky number and so on.in the food service to customer, add this sweet and funny fortune cookies, these fortune cookies might make customer forget the meal all together.

AudeSapere

Cool! You've been a member of this site for almost a year and this is now your first post. Thanks for joining in the discussion.

However, there are a couple of issues I notice in this, your very first thread here on JWN:

1. You have cut-and-pasted an article without giving credit where credit is due. Your article was clipped from Wellsphere but you did not cite the reference.

2. What does this have to do with Jehovah's Witnesses? I don't get the connection other than, as a young JW, we were not allowed to look at the 'fortunes' in the fortune cookies. (Spiritism, you know.)

-Aude.