Posts by Mum

46

About "dawg" and growth...

by changeling in

jw
friends

i only checked in here briefley yesterday and missed dawg's "good-by" thread.

i posted there just now, but don't know if he is checking in any longer.. many of you realize he and i have had our differences.

in fact, is was after a "cyber-fight" with me that he left the last time.. when he returned, he pm'd me several times just making nice, brief little comments on things i'd post.

Like you, I am an INFP (mixed with INTP). I know how it hurts to think you may have unintentionally alienated someone. We usually avoid conflict because it makes us physically ill (most of us anyway). Your words are conciliatory, but not everyone thinks the same way (which is not a bad thing). We INFP's, above all others, really want people to realize their potential in their own unique way.

I learned a lot from dawg because his approach is so different from my own. That is what it's all about here. I will never be as good as he is at telling it like it is, but I'm getting better, in large measure because of his posts.

I hope dawg responds with appreciation for your sincere tribute.

With much learning still ahead, best regards,

Happy Holidays!

SandraC

23

Let's Ring Out the Old.... Tell Us About Your 2007

by AK - Jeff in

and your wishes for 2008.. jeff .

Mum

The year is not over, but here's the scoop so far.

In February I retired from a local government job with a pension. I am now working at temporary jobs.

In February again, my college roommate, who I had not seen since 1967, came for a visit with some friends of hers. We went on a ski trip to Mammoth, California! It was my first ski trip, and I actually took a ski lesson. Her friends were delightful company at the ski lodge, and the scenery was breathtaking!

My daughter and son-in-law almost lost their home to foreclosure. I made them a generous loan to bail them out, which is why I am still working instead of doing retirement stuff.

My daughter had surgery on her sinuses in July. She still has debilitating headaches, but nausea and other symptoms have abated.

My granddaughter entered her senior year of high school. It sounds easy, but it was quite an achievement given things that happened last year.

I went to Las Vegas, but it was to care for my sick daughter (see above).

I started eating more fiber. Now I need to cut down on the sweets.

I joined a fitness club. It has made a difference.

In 2008, I hope to get a full-time job and reduce my debt. I would like to address some health issues, although my health is good overall. I also want to sell my home and purchase an income-producing property in the midwest. I want to travel and meet lots of apostate brethren and sistren(?). I want to read some books I have waiting on my shelves. I want to improve my skills in other languages and get really good at Sudoku. I want to be here for others who are going through what I once did because I do feel their pain (as all of you understand).

I want all of your wishes to come true as well, but only if such wish granting would improve your lives.

Merry Christmas!

Happy 2008 (and remainder of 2007)!

SandraC

49

Standish Arms Sold by WTS, 5 other buildings on the market

by blondie in

jw
friends

5 other buildings remain on the market.

by linda collins.

brooklyn daily eagle.

Mum

The earth is becoming a paradise, and it is starting with Brooklyn!

50

Does paradise still seem attractive to you?

by Hiddenwindow in

jw
friends

do you think paradise, as depicted by the watchtower, an everlasting life praising jehovah and playing with what we now know as wild animals, not to mention cultivating a piece of land, is really a desirable place?

bear in mind that there is no reference to science and that personal goals are non-existent..

Mum

The Watchtower does not have a lock-up on utopian ideals. Sir Thomas More's Utopia, the movie Pleasantville, and Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward, not to mention Marx's The Communist Manifesto all embrace these ideals. In Pleasantville, however, they figure it out: the only way to have a "perfect" society is to suppress human nature. One of the criticisms (legitimate, IMO) of these movements is that they ultimately lead to excessive control and oppression.

It probably is not possible to conceive of a "perfect" society where everything is great for all, not just the "elite."

Regards,

SandraC

50

Does paradise still seem attractive to you?

by Hiddenwindow in

jw
friends

do you think paradise, as depicted by the watchtower, an everlasting life praising jehovah and playing with what we now know as wild animals, not to mention cultivating a piece of land, is really a desirable place?

bear in mind that there is no reference to science and that personal goals are non-existent..

Mum

The Watchtower does not have a lock-up on utopian ideals. Sir Thomas More's Utopia, the movie Pleasantville, and Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward, not to mention Marx's The Communist Manifesto all embrace these ideals. In Pleasantville, however, they figure it out: the only way to have a "perfect" society is to suppress human nature. One of the criticisms (legitimate, IMO) of these movements is that they ultimately lead to excessive control and oppression.

It probably is not possible to conceive of a "perfect" society where everything is great for all, not just the "elite."

Regards,

SandraC

17

An update

by emilyblue in

some of you may remember me from last spring/summer.

i was the one who kept begging her jw boyfriend to take her back after every breakup.

i came back in here the other night to read some of my past posts and replies, basically to keep myself from calling him.. i moved back to my home state this summer and am teaching here and spending tons of time with my family.

Mum

Thanks for the update, emily. I remember those posts, and I was really concerned about you. I was even more concerned that you might actually marry him and have children who would be similarly abused.

It is wonderful to hear of your progress. You deserve a happy and fulfilling life with someone who values you for who you are. You're on the right track to have all of that!

Regards,

SandraC

11

The Measure of a Man

by purplesofa in

jw
friends

by sidney poitier.

i am reading this book, not because it is on oprahs book club list, or that i was particulary interested in sidney poitier and his spiritual autobiography, but it was on the used bookshelf at the hospitol for 50 cents and i could not pass up a bargain.. i recommend it, its very good and interesting.

he grew up in the bahama islands, his parents were tomato farmers, his story is amazing and inspiring.

Mum

To Sir, With Love and A Patch of Blue. He's one of the immortals.

Regards,

SandraC

37

I may lose my wife because of Disfellowshipping

by freedomfighter in

have only been out of the organisation for 2 months and the wounds still run deep.

particularly hard is the fact that my wife and 8 yr old son are now divided in our beliefs.

we cannot go out as a family with our old friends like we use to.

Mum

My dear freedomfighter, it must be terrible to be in your situation. Here is my perspective.

1. Remind Mrs. ff that smoking is not grounds for divorce as a JW. Neither is anything else except adultery.

2. If she files for divorce, hire a good attorney and tell him what a bizarre situation you are in. Tell him you want to keep your marriage together for the sake of your child if nothing else. Be sure the judge likes your attorney and will listen to him or her.

3. Ask the court to put your child's interests first. Emphasize that your child needs a father and that the child would suffer economically and emotionally if the marriage breaks up.

Regards and best wishes,

SandraC

6

Some confusion about a JW friend's take on holidays.

by whyizit in

jw
friends

my friend is a self-proclaimed jw, actively involved in fs, all the mmetings, assemblies, etc...., but as of yet, not baptized.. she told me a few of years ago that she no longer was going to participate in anything that had to do with christmas, birthdays, etc...... we have had some pretty deep (yet, peaceful) conversations about the blood topic, holidays, and 607bc.

along with other conversations on other subjects.. this year, sor the first time in a long time, she called to wish me a happy birthday on my birthday.

she celebrated thanksgiving with her family.

Mum

Blondie nailed it. There are countless "Jehovah's bystanders." Many of them are members of my family. They can't take on the burdens of being a fully committed JW. So they remain unbaptized so they can go either way without consequences. If your friend were baptized, she would lose the freedom to do what she wishes without serious consequences - being shunned, for example.

Just the other day, my sister told me of an obituary she read which stated that the deceased "was of the Jehovah's Witness faith. She enjoyed playing Bingo." A witness would shudder at reading that. Most of us here would laugh!

Regards,

SandraC

19

Somewhere past numb~

by alamb in

jw
friends

as a loyal jw, i was ready for my whole world to come to an earth-shattering halt and for life as i knew it to be gone...at the hand of my loving god.

i would sit in school in my mental bubble and numb myself to the world around me.

i grew older and entered the adult world and was aloof in my thoughts that i could not attach myself to any workmates or neighbors and put out my hand in friendship as they could be dead tomorrow and i would have to be ok with that.

Mum

Thanks, alamb. Happy Holidays to you, too!

To those of you still shackled in your mental chains, free yourself and enjoy the holidays, too! Your dull gray life can turn to sunshine!

Regards,

SandraC