Posts by ReallyTrulyAthena

22

The Journey to My First Post

by ReallyTrulyAthena in

hello, jwn!.

like other newbies, im a long time lurker, first-time poster.

recently, i created a profile, but then hesitated on submitting my first post.

Thanks, Hadit! It was hard but I'm glad that albatross if off my neck. :) Oh, you are far too kind - I'd like to think I have a good head on my shoulders ... now. *grins* Took a lot of work to get here. I am a wee bit proud that deep down I had some semblance of Self that said, "NO. You will not take me." It was such a small voice though, one that merely whispered for years. One that I had to fully reclaim and own as I got older. I hope that my experiences are helpful to others. To those on this board that I have read posts by for so long & found strength through them, and for those "worldlies" who helped me - I'm grateful. I'd like to give back and help others, too. Look forward to talking to you more.

32

The Journey to My First Post

by ReallyTrulyAthena in

hello, jwn!.

like other newbies, im a long time lurker, first-time poster.

recently, i created a profile, but then hesitated on submitting my first post.

ReallyTrulyAthena

@ Palm - thanks much It felt good to share and finally release the story locked within...

@ Mattieu - I'm glad to have been part of your Friday morning coffee ritual before you left for work. It's good to be in a healthier place, I agree - it was quite frightening for a while. I have to show a lot of love and forgiveness for that 'younger self' that post-DF went off the deep end and nearly lost her way...

@ caliber - yeah, perfection IS for robots! Ack, I'd make a lousy one anyways - all my feelings would make me cry and then I'd rust. Thanks for the feedback on my first post (blushes). This story has been "writing itself" in my head and on my heart for so long; the recent interaction with my father was definitely a catalyst for the contained words to bubble free to the surface and here I am. Oh, and thank YOU for sharing that quote! It is, well..."perfect"!

22

The Journey to My First Post

by ReallyTrulyAthena in

hello, jwn!.

like other newbies, im a long time lurker, first-time poster.

recently, i created a profile, but then hesitated on submitting my first post.

ReallyTrulyAthena

I'll admit to being a bit lost as to which of my double posts to respond to. I thought I'd try to keep it in one, but well....I suppose someone will nudge me gently if I'm going down a merry path with "hows" on this forum. What I mean is - I appreciate the guidance n' patience as I learn the bells & whistles - thank you all!

@ LockedChaos, Bez & Ding, with that said - I responded in more detail on my other thread 'cause I'm all topsy-turvy right now. LOL But thank you again here on this thread as well as I didn't want to appear rude to such nice welcomes.

Locked - I really look forward to book talk with you. Can't say I'm a big horror fan, but I like a few Clive Barker novels. ((shudders)).

Ding - thanks again for the PM tips.

Bez - thank you and big hugs!

Letsslatejws - yep, 20 years and still gettin' shunned. It's not just my loss, it's theirs, too. But I can't grovel and beg for table scraps, it's not healthy. I think you just get numb/indifferent to it after a while. One year out? It's tough, but you are seeing things for what they are worth. I'm so glad to hear you "bad kids" (hee hee) went rebel on 'em and got out, with kids in tow!

Here's to freedom, my friends. Nothing quite tastes as good.

32

The Journey to My First Post

by ReallyTrulyAthena in

hello, jwn!.

like other newbies, im a long time lurker, first-time poster.

recently, i created a profile, but then hesitated on submitting my first post.

ReallyTrulyAthena

Thanks, Billy

32

The Journey to My First Post

by ReallyTrulyAthena in

hello, jwn!.

like other newbies, im a long time lurker, first-time poster.

recently, i created a profile, but then hesitated on submitting my first post.

ReallyTrulyAthena

Thanks for linking the errant duplicate post, Snowbird. I'll try not to be such a wild child on here. :)

So, not sure if I should continue responding on both posts - I'll try to keep it all in one bucket. So, to those on the other link...

@ LockedChaos - nice to meet you, too. Glad to meet a fellow reader. I too am a fevered collector, but am working on my "addiction". I actually gave away a big ole stack of books last month. Must be another sign of the apocalypse. Ha!

@ Ding - thanks for the quick how-to on PMs, I appreciate it. I look forward to future conversations w-you.

@ Bez - thanks for the support. Keeping one's chin up, even without having the JW experience thrown in the fray, can be a day-by-day adventure. But I'm trying and appreciate your (& everyone's) kind words.

HUGS!

32

The Journey to My First Post

by ReallyTrulyAthena in

hello, jwn!.

like other newbies, im a long time lurker, first-time poster.

recently, i created a profile, but then hesitated on submitting my first post.

ReallyTrulyAthena

My bad, LW. Well, I dunno if fonted is a word, but I'm takin' it. LOL! Sorry about the small font - that was most likely me, not knowing how the fonts worked and chose a size I thought would format itself nicely. Bad font....BADDDDD font! Hee.

32

The Journey to My First Post

by ReallyTrulyAthena in

hello, jwn!.

like other newbies, im a long time lurker, first-time poster.

recently, i created a profile, but then hesitated on submitting my first post.

ReallyTrulyAthena

Oh darn! Hopefully soon, I'll get a hang of this whole posting on forum-thingy! To the one I missed...

@ yknot - thanks for my welcome and for my blinged-out picture. Hmm, well maybe (just maybe) I have planted a seed with my father and our recent conversations and letter will bring us to that middle ground. I'm a bit of a cynic at this point about having any sort of relationship with him, but perhaps that's yet another defense mechanism kicking in. I have a few of those laying around...gee, now that I "have company" here on this forum, I guess I'll have to tidy a few of those up! LOL Thanks & Hugs!

32

The Journey to My First Post

by ReallyTrulyAthena in

hello, jwn!.

like other newbies, im a long time lurker, first-time poster.

recently, i created a profile, but then hesitated on submitting my first post.

ReallyTrulyAthena

@ Loz - thanks for the welcome. "...at the hands of the WTBS..." That's the sad, sickening part. My father has also been manipulated by those very same hands and continues to allow it to control him like a marionette. Still he carries forward the commands of his Society, at what cost to his family? Such a sad state of affairs.

@ snowbird - you are such a kind soul. **hugs** back! Being a survivor is a good thing. Glad to be hear amongst the other survivors who "know" and can help. And yes, those snooty-patootie brats were indeed bastards! LOL! That cracked me up.

@ undercover - thanks for your comments, and esp re: "born-in". When I first saw that phrase on this forum, I thought, "Hey! That's ME!" LOL But truly, it added a layer to the 'dementia' that is/was being a JW. I wonder who I would have been if I weren't raised as a JW, or came in at a later point in my life. Regardless, I guess - it definitely made me part of who I am today, that's for sure.

@ troubled mind - thank you for your feedback (hands troubled a kleenex - I have a few handy) ;-) Words can be so powerful; I've learned that one way to stand in my power and my truth is to write. Plus, I'd rather write this all out than carry it in my head anymore...those "inner demons" can be tough cookies to hold at bay, so getting my thoughts down on paper (or cyber paper in this case) does seem to help! I look forward to more discussion and insights from you, too!

@ LeavingWT - thanks for the welcome and by the by, I like your avatar; I'm a pretty big Beatles fan. But John was my favorite. :)

@ WingCommander - some food for thought, there. You raised a great question! Why oh WHY would you ever want to hang out with the other JW kids, especially ones like that? Many times I found the small kindnesses of the "worldly" kids far outweighed the dross I got from other JW kids. What a miserable feeling. Oh, and you brought all that abuse on yourself, eh? Talk about the levels and positions of power in the KH outweighing "what was right" and sloughing all of the burden on to the victim. UGH.

22

The Journey to My First Post

by ReallyTrulyAthena in

hello, jwn!.

like other newbies, im a long time lurker, first-time poster.

recently, i created a profile, but then hesitated on submitting my first post.

ReallyTrulyAthena

My thanks to you both. And (slaps forehead) - whoops on my double post. Gadzooks, I'm a ball of nerves on my first few replys! Hee!

@littlewitch - yeah, bein' an Elder's kid was just 'extra special'. I look forward to getting to know you better, too!

@Ding - I believe I'll find it here as well. Being a long-time lurker, I've seen the unconditional love extended and am glad to be able to join in on discussions, find continued solace... and hopefully provide it to others. You're right - it's funny how 'Christendom's wicked hymns' contain such simple nuggets of truth.

32

The Journey to My First Post

by ReallyTrulyAthena in

hello, jwn!.

like other newbies, im a long time lurker, first-time poster.

recently, i created a profile, but then hesitated on submitting my first post.

ReallyTrulyAthena

OOOPS! In my nervousness about submitting my story, I hit Submit twice!

Sorry everyone. :-(