woodmonkey

Joined

• started 1 topics
• posted 9 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by woodmonkey

• 
  4

  OMG--George Bush is becoming a JW! Photographic evidence!

  by rebel8 in

  1. social
  2. humour

  link.

  .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  woodmonkey

  I loved the one of Spock at the sensor array display with solitaire on one of the screens! That is now my wallpaper!

  monkeyman
• 
  2

  "Two Finished Mysteries" from dad's band room

  by bebu in

  1. social
  2. humour

  my dad is a retired band director of a small town.

  he is now (among other things) a guest columnist for the local newspaper about some of the funnier things he's seen happen as a teacher during the forty years he taught there.

  he's been getting some good reviews.

  1. 
  2. 
• 

  woodmonkey

  Hope that wasn't copyrighted, as I copied it and sent it to my sister, also a retired music teacher of 40 years. As a former band student, I can well appreciate how that could happen. Thanks.
• 
  33

  Did anyone just get tired?

  by woodmonkey in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  during my days as a witness, which was only about 10 years ending circa 1981, most of my memories revolve around how totally exhausted i always felt.

  toward the last, i was dragging my family out to the five meetings a week and working fulltime and getting my quota of publisher hours on the little sheet every month, even doing the temporary pioneering bit now and again.

  when i had the ministry school, i even worked a four day week to be able to give every talk on the program in case someone did not show up, which frequently happened in our little congregation west of fort worth, tx.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  woodmonkey

  I guess one thing that started me thinking about what a harsh lifestyle the WTBTS imposes on its members is when a young hispanic sister (married, 3 children) in our congregation in Burkburnett, TX went in the closet one day, loaded her husband's .457, went into the bathroom, closed the shower curtain so she would not mess up her immaculate house, stuck the barrel in her mouth and ended her life. As an elder in the congregation, I had absolutely no idea she was in so much pain. None of the body of elders did, because we were so focused on pushing everyone to get out and bang on doors every Saturday morning to sell magazines we sort of lost track of helping our own. That incident made me wonder about why god would not somehow let us know things were not exactly right in the flock. A few years later, after I had escaped, I heard that a young pioneer in that same congregation had committed suicide. I really loved that young fellow, and even though I had been out for some time, I deeply grieved at hearing that news. He was much like myself, extermely zealous and enthusiastic about being a witness. Even as I think of Preston today, almost 25 years later, I feel the pain. We were literally burning ourselves, and everyone around us, out. I am just glad I got out when I did.
• 
  33

  Did anyone just get tired?

  by woodmonkey in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  during my days as a witness, which was only about 10 years ending circa 1981, most of my memories revolve around how totally exhausted i always felt.

  toward the last, i was dragging my family out to the five meetings a week and working fulltime and getting my quota of publisher hours on the little sheet every month, even doing the temporary pioneering bit now and again.

  when i had the ministry school, i even worked a four day week to be able to give every talk on the program in case someone did not show up, which frequently happened in our little congregation west of fort worth, tx.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  woodmonkey

  I know, B

  Thanx
• 
  33

  Did anyone just get tired?

  by woodmonkey in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  during my days as a witness, which was only about 10 years ending circa 1981, most of my memories revolve around how totally exhausted i always felt.

  toward the last, i was dragging my family out to the five meetings a week and working fulltime and getting my quota of publisher hours on the little sheet every month, even doing the temporary pioneering bit now and again.

  when i had the ministry school, i even worked a four day week to be able to give every talk on the program in case someone did not show up, which frequently happened in our little congregation west of fort worth, tx.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  woodmonkey

  Lilly,

  My relationship with my kids is much better now. I sobered up and that solved lots of my self-inflicted problems. Unfortunately, most of the damage done to my relationship with my ex was irreparable by then. However, your kids are your kids, and if you work hard enough, you can repair almost anything. I re-focused some of the energy I had previously wasted in the service of the WTBTS into building a relationship with my children, and today I have a pretty good relationship with my oldest daughter, who has escaped now, and is actually the one who clued me in to this site. My son is still a slave, and my youngest daughter was never baptized. She and I have a good relationship. In fact she came to live with me during her high school years when she got fed up with the "life".

  mm
• 
  33

  Did anyone just get tired?

  by woodmonkey in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  during my days as a witness, which was only about 10 years ending circa 1981, most of my memories revolve around how totally exhausted i always felt.

  toward the last, i was dragging my family out to the five meetings a week and working fulltime and getting my quota of publisher hours on the little sheet every month, even doing the temporary pioneering bit now and again.

  when i had the ministry school, i even worked a four day week to be able to give every talk on the program in case someone did not show up, which frequently happened in our little congregation west of fort worth, tx.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  woodmonkey

  Thanks for telling me what I have been telling myself all these years. Feels good to be here. I think, like Arthur said, it was a matter of self-preservation. I was drinking a lot of medicinal JB scotch in order to maintain toward the end. After I escaped, I no longer had to be sober for meetings, so my drinking got a lot worse until 1986 when I confronted that daemon. Or more accurately, it completely kicked my a$$, and thanks to a 12 step program it no longer bothers me. I live a fairly normal life now, or like Nicholson said, "as good as it gets", up here on the beautiful shores of Lake Oneida, NY, doing my part to control the earthworm and minnow populations.

  Yep, Twitch, I am a vintage 1944 model wood monkey, leading edge of the baby boom. I assume you are the newer 1968 model. My son is a 1980 model.

  Luv your site. Whoever the webmeister is deserves kudos.
• 
  33

  Did anyone just get tired?

  by woodmonkey in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  during my days as a witness, which was only about 10 years ending circa 1981, most of my memories revolve around how totally exhausted i always felt.

  toward the last, i was dragging my family out to the five meetings a week and working fulltime and getting my quota of publisher hours on the little sheet every month, even doing the temporary pioneering bit now and again.

  when i had the ministry school, i even worked a four day week to be able to give every talk on the program in case someone did not show up, which frequently happened in our little congregation west of fort worth, tx.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  woodmonkey

  During my days as a witness, which was only about 10 years ending circa 1981, most of my memories revolve around how totally exhausted I always felt. Toward the last, I was dragging my family out to the five meetings a week and working fulltime and getting my quota of publisher hours on the little sheet every month, even doing the temporary pioneering bit now and again. When I had the ministry school, I even worked a four day week to be able to give every talk on the program in case someone did not show up, which frequently happened in our little congregation west of Fort Worth, TX. I then moved further west to the Wichita Falls area, where the need (and demands on my time) were even greater. At the urging of the circuit overseer, I began attending meetings at a very small congregation in Vernon, TX, where I recall there were only a couple of elders, and I was kind of a floating "utility" elder, wearing lots of hats, not to mention driving about 40 miles one way to meetings. After what seemed like an eternity of this, (a couple of years), I just couldn't do it anymore. The first opportunity I got, I accepted a job out of state in Alabama. While I was waiting to move my family out, I did not attend meetings, and it felt soooo good! I determined that I had to get out, so after years of not having a cigarette, I started smoking again so I would be disfellowshipped...that worked. I know how stupid that sounds, but you would have had to be in my skin to understand. I stopped smoking again about a year after I escaped. I have had lots of rough patches since then, recovering from alcoholism and losing my family (my ex is still a practicing JW). That being said, I have not looked back. My daughter once asked me if I was concerned about not living forever. My reply was "honey, I am so tired, I will welcome the rest". Even today it makes me mentally tired to think about how I ran myself and my family into the ground back those many years ago. Anyone else had that experience? Or was I just a wimp?

  Monkey Man
• 
  56

  Things peculiar to your country!

  by lowden in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ok, if i came to your country (usa, canada, france, holland, oz....wherever) what should someone experience or sample before they leave....to give them a true taste of your homeland.

  limit it to 5 per post....if you can.. i'll start with england/britain.. english ale, the lake district (england), to get a true taste of england visit the city of bath (or maybe stratford, though a bit too touristy), sample some black pudding (blood sausage .

  c'mon you patriots!!!!.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  woodmonkey

  Oooops!

  I just found out that Pe-Te's, the best zydaco and crawdads in Texas, has closed! I will substitute a drive from Houston to Austin on Hwy 290 in April/May when the bluebonnets are in bloom. Take your camera and your best girl.
• 
  56

  Things peculiar to your country!

  by lowden in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ok, if i came to your country (usa, canada, france, holland, oz....wherever) what should someone experience or sample before they leave....to give them a true taste of your homeland.

  limit it to 5 per post....if you can.. i'll start with england/britain.. english ale, the lake district (england), to get a true taste of england visit the city of bath (or maybe stratford, though a bit too touristy), sample some black pudding (blood sausage .

  c'mon you patriots!!!!.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  woodmonkey

  New York:

  Finger Lakes Region

  Northwest:

  Drive from Crater Lake, OR down the coast on the coastal highway to San Fransisco, detouring through the wine country

  Texas:

  Kincaid's grocery in Fort Worth...world's best hamburger

  Pe-Te's in Houston on Saturday afternoon...ya just need to be there

  New Mexico:

  Climb as high as you can up the west slope of the Organ Mountains near Las Cruces and look out over the desert floor at sunset

  That's my five.