i thought that this was all out of the way when 2 weeks ago my wife & i handed in letters of disassociation.. we have been since then trying to adjust & just when i thought i was getting somewhere - starting to feel normal again - i got a phone call 1hr ago from our presiding overseer saying that they haven't announced it yet & wanted to talk.. he is a very nice guy & i was caught totally unprepared so i put him off - said i would ring back later - 2pm'ish uk time.. now i have that horrible feeling in my stomach again - help!.
basically, when it comes down to it i don't think we want them to come over - it will open us up too much & i don't want that.. also, though, i want to sort it out; so i am thinking of just chatting to him for a bit on the phone.. i didn't really want to do this since it could knock their faith & also i am not fully ready to argue all of the facts with elders.
however it looks like i will have to.. anyway when it boils down to it they can argue away all of the facts like the un thing etc.
"Thanks so much for thinking of us but we are just incredibly busy and can't fit you into our schedule. I'll phone you if that changes." CLICK.
Polite but firm. This works.
You owe them NOTHING so don't be sucked back into their power trips.
Be of good cheer; it gets easier as time passes. Meanwhile enjoy taking charge of your own life and don't let them ruin your peace of mind with their control games.
okay, it's a hobbie of mine: astrology and people profiling.
now, i have a hypothesis i want to gather correlational data on.
disclaimer: it's only for fun, nathan natas, larc, alanf--all you logical thinkers out there!
OK you can use me for a guinea pig.
I'm a Leo, born July 27 1954
older than dirt and meaner than snakes,
MD
(astrologically challenged due to cult upbringing)
there's a running debate i have going with my wife.
i have the opinion that it is very possible for married people to have friends of the opposite sex without the idea of a sexual encounter entering into the picture.
she disagrees, saying that once you're married, the marriage mate should be enough to offer you all you need in the way of companionship, conversation,etc.. let's say you're running an errand at the mall and happen to see someone of the opposite sex that you have known for years (your mate knows/doesn't know them... doesn't matter) and you decide to grab a cup of coffee and have a two-hour chat.
My best friends in high school were both guys. One of them, a letterman in three sports, used to piss his gorgeous blond girlfriend off by dropping her off at 10 after a movie and then coming to hang with me, sometimes gabbing until dawn. She knew we weren't doing the tango of lust but it still annoyed hell out of her.
My hubby's best online bud is a woman; they call each other 'Twin' and share computer stuff that I'm too ignorant to understand.
Genuine friendship is IMO genderless, and intelligent and honest people are able to keep recreational sex from rearing its ugly head between friends.
Papa and I both have lots of friends of both sexes and it's never been a problem. Jealousy? Doesn't come around here much. Papa D is my best bud though and I know when he wants his very best bud he comes to me. We trust one another completely, but then we are weird in lots of other ways so maybe our experience is unique.
FWIW I agree with you (wonders never cease do they LOL).
yikes!!!!
i think i'm an old man, lol.. definitely an excuse to have a few drinks toite.. boozy
Have a happy burfday, and if you drink, DON'T make it a 'barfday'!
Love
MD
according to jw media, baptism "symbolizes one's dedication to god".. on this basis, a jw's allegiance and obedience is to god.
thus, the article goes on to state:jehovah's witnesses avoid making rules and regulations beyond those provided in the scriptures.
, and they do not follow traditions that contradict bible teachings.
Would a JW go beyond scripture?
Would a bear poop in the woods?
, http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast17oct_1.htm?list565469.
meteor shower, skymavens enjoy!
, http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast17oct_1.htm?list565469
Meteor shower, skymavens enjoy!
hi friends;.
just wondering about this subject of holidays again.
i really miss christmas but don't have enough nerve to celebrate it.
My first year out, my employer gave me a poinsettia with tiny white lights in it 'to keep it alive while I'm out of town.' Then she took the kids shopping and bought oodles of gifts to put around the plant. SHe sort of eased us through the weirdness of our first Christmas since my childhood. Her joy and goodness were infectious and the next year we managed without 'help'.
Since then I have gotten set free of any rank superstitious reasons NOT to celebrate the joy of family so we do whatever we want and can afford to celebrate any old occasion. Christmas is symbolic of hope and light and love in the face of the longest coldest winter nights. It's a good excuse to cook good food, visit with folks we are too busy to see during the working year, and renew our family ties with some good clean fun. My house gets it annual turnout cleaning and the tree is decorated with things that are meaningful to us (Sissy's handmade ornaments and other stuff given to us with love). People give me new Santas every year so my house is stuffed with them.
Spending lots of money is NOT the object, and when we are broke our kids are as happy with homemade treats and new socks as they are when we have $$$ for big ticket toys. Love is the reason for celebrating isn't it? Maybe we're just incredibly lucky to have nice kids but having no money has never put much of a crimp in our joyous Yuletide Solstice parties.
My advice is to do what you feel good doing. Find your personal comfort level and don't be pressured into 'celebrating' when you don't feel right about it. You have the rest of your life to figure this stuff out; meanwhile enjoy every day and don't let any holiday become a chore.
these thoughts have been triggered by one of esmerelda's posts about the lesson she learned from her daughter.
if you haven't read it, please do.
it is beautifully written!
Andi, honey, my heart goes out to you.
What happened on 9/11 was a horror that will resonate through the world for a very long time. Of course you as a sensitive and decent soul are affected by it; I would question the humanity of anyone unaffected or gleeful in the face of such iniquity.
Horror and fear and tragedy and pain are old acquaintances of mine; hell, I've lived cheek& Jowl with some of 'em for long stretches of my life. You never get used to them but you can arm yourself against lasting ill effects from them by counting your blessings and NOT hoarding them...blessings only grow if you broadcast them and share them wildly. (Not saying you gotta lie down and TAKE the rotten, oh HELL NO but you do have to acknowledge that sometimes they are bigger and stronger than you and when you can't change them, at least you can mitigate their effect on you by blowing bubbles of happiness for yourself and others.)
Tiny blessings count as much as great big horrors, so count every one!
Here's some of mine:
I have a darling wonderful husband who loves me madly and sticks with me through chronic illness. He takes care of me when I am too crippled to manage the stairs and takes care of the household when I am unable to function.
I have an incredible little son who is growing up free of fear and guilt. He's one of those treasuretroves of kid wisdom, a source of happy tears only, my unalloyed joy in life.
I have a grown alcoholic son who is clean and sober for the first time in his adult life, and am about to become stepgranny to his fiance's brood.
Although we are poor as the mice that infest our cellar, we have more love and laughter in a day than many American families have in a year.
It's a gorgeous cold sunny day and the birds outside my window sing with mad rampant joy at the world around them. Who am I to complain about my hardships when these little creatures find such satisfaction in their simple pleasures?
So what if my alleged Green Cross dealer ripped off the money all us sick people gave him for herb? So what if I have to go back on the morphine next week? So what if my middle son won't get a job or my MIL is trying to manipulate our lives? These are small petty things.
Even in the face of genuine tragedy, life burgeons. There is wonder and terror every day. It's our choice which we store in our hearts.
We can't always stop the horrors, but we can gird ourselves against them. That's what you're doing right now...and bless you for it dollface!
Love
MD
collecting every smidge of happiness ammunition available
i found some ladies purse at the local shopping mall parking lot tonight, it had her entire life in it, her social security card, her cell phone, her cash, her credit cards, even her daughters social security card.. from looking through the contents, me and saffron were able to find out many things about her:.
1)she had recently moved from way out in the country to columbia maryland... 2)she was probably divorced from a man of middle eastern origens.
3)she was white.
I don't know from karma, honey, but you done GOOD anyway.
My kids get exasperated with me because I always go for the 'right' thing even when it would be easier to just keep what I found. Don't know if it's a stupid optimism or just ingrained training from my dear momma, but I always believed that eventually your good deeds return to you. Even though I haen't really gotten proof of that belief, it still sticks with me. Besides the look on folks' faces when you return their goods intact is usually enough reward for me. Funny how some people seem really peeved at ya for rockin their preconceptions . As Wendy experienced, not everyone is grateful; oh well it's all a part of Life's Rich Pageant as INspector Clouseau once said.
Score one for the ethical atheists. Right on son.
Love
MD
my login session .
--------------------- let there be light!
:let there be light!.
JESUS IS COMING AGAIN!
So give him a towel...
