the wombat is a buff to greyish-black, course-haired, thick-set animal about three feet long and it stands only about one foot three inches high.
it is heavy (often about 70 pounds in weight) and it's weight is carried by it's short thick legs.
it is very strong and fast.
that is such great stuff you're doing - wildlife rehabilitation is wonderful. I too am returning to university, firstly to get a certificate in journalism, then perhaps a Fine Arts degree; just the experience of learning is worth it. Sure beats the stuff you hear at the Kingdom Hall huh?
Congratulations on getting a life!
consider the typical character of witness life: "spirituality" as a word is twisted and misapplied into a sterile life of dead.
meeting attendance and peddling magazines - instead of emphasizing active compassion and ethical qualities.
this tendency.
Metatron: You've beautifully summed up what I was agonizing over for years before realizing the truth about the troof. I figured it was my fault, that the lack of compassion, goodness, works springing naturally from a grateful heart, were because I wasn't applying Bible principles properly. Yet, as I looked around, I didn't see many others doing that either - door to door work, yeah, getting it over as quickly as possible, but nothing on a deeper, internal level - character development if you will - which seems to me to be important if one is to put on the personality of Christ.
At the point where I am now, it seems like Buddha's better able to put on the Christ-like personality than the FDS.
as you may or may not know from previous posts, i am a born & raised jw who just drifted away (no df/da) from a father and two sisters who still keep the jw faith.
and while my father is aware that i have "apostate" beliefs of some kind, he prefers not to hear of it.
as a result, we still enjoy each other's company and nobody has "shunned" me.
Hi, I can relate to what you're saying. My mother is almost 81 and the Witnesses are basically her whole social structure. She's not unaware of what's going on in the organization (child abuse, nasty elders verbally ripping apart one of her close friends, also a senior citizen - real loving, huh?), but her "take" on the situation is that she's serving God and everyone will have to pay for their actions. She's not really die-hard in her convictions, I mean, she believes others who are good and sincere will be saved also, not just dubs. I think she's gradually come to this conclusion on her own as she ages and sees some of the stuff that doesn't make sense, and she still has fond memories of her previous religion. So at this point in her life her beliefs are not all black and white, but with her health being what it is, she doesn't get to the meetings as much as before so perhaps that is why she's been able to mellow some of the more radical dub reasonings. She told me the other day she misses getting to the meetings because she likes talking to the ones there and seeing what's happening, for example, has anyone had a baby, who's engaged, you know, social stuff. That's basically what the meetings are for her now, just a chance to get out of the house and see other people.
Of course, she also wanted to take me out on my birthday last week, so that shows you how "mellow" she's become! I'm not pushing anything on her other than what she already knows/is aware of. I want her to live out her last few years in peace.
emblems...'all who are led by the spirit are sons of.
christians are certain of their heavenly hope of.
"to proclaim their faith"- "individual anointed.
Hi Randy:
I'll check at home, I'm still technically "in" so get the mags. Do you want others? I can probably send one of each of the latest from January to now. It'll be snail mail, don't have a scanner (yet).
i remember people getting very upset because they didn't called on to answer by the watchtower conductor like they felt they should.
some people used to get very upset if they had to work out in service with the same person, twice in a row.
of course, now, it's no big deal.
Being called a Jehovah's Witness. Even though I was one, I felt alot of shame and embarrasment.
Razorblade: My feelings exactly, then I'd feel ashamed for being ashamed - you know how that spiral goes!
I'd also get peeved when sneezing, wheezing, coughing, flu-infected dubs would stumble their way into the Kingdom Hall and contaminate everyone in sight, then pat themselves on the back for being "faithful". I told one dub that he was being inconsiderate and unloving - not faithful. He was shocked speechless, rather a rare occurrence for this particular "brother".
i just spent a few days with my oldest daughter..i had a good time..bu wanted to come home today so i could have a good cry.
two weeks ago today my dear hubby passed away.
my grandson copied a card one of his classmates gave him and i wanted to share the poem in it with you.. you may have heard this before..but living with a jw i didn't get to hear too many things like this.... god saw he was getting tired and a cure was not to be.
I'm so sorry for what you're going through. Not only does journal writing help, it's been documented to have emotional and physical benefits. Dr. James Pennebaker wrote "Opening Up" about his research on journaling/diary writing and was able to prove definite therapeutic benefits from writing down emotions, experiences, etc.
It will help you, definitely, and maybe your husband is seeing/reading your thoughts. There's so much we don't know and can't explain about the afterlife.
BTW, that was a beautiful poem.
love
Acsot
dear father,
i have written you letters so many times.
this letter i have to give you.
Oh my God Jesika! Just read the letter (I'm at work and it's been busy). I feel horrible for what you've been through but - the letter is good - your feelings, your experiences, and your conclusions - you're done with it. Maybe your dad still feels some sort of power over you and that's why he keeps you "dangling", wanting to normalize his relationship with you but then not making the necessary effort. It will do you an enormous amount of good to send this letter and be done with the games.
Don't know if you've ever read or seen the book "Opening Up" by James Pennebaker. He documents just how therapeutic the writing process is, whether or not there is a recipient of what is written. I'm sure the letters you've written over the years have been therapy for you as well, even those you didn't send your dad - you needed to write to get it out of your system and deal safely with your emotions and your traumas.
love
Acsot
i read threads of people who disassociated themselves from the org.from them finding they were lied to,mistreated, what ever the case may be.i was in the org.
many years ago and it just felt wrong so i stopped attending.the longer i was out and my husband stayed in, i researched the org.
as much as possible.i found the lies, i found and felt the hurt it causes familys, the one minded thinking' their way or no way.the org.
Strange, but given the "professionally" dysfunctional nature of my family of origin, some of the friends I had made in the Borg I loved more than family.
Francois: I feel exactly the same. In fact, that's probably what kept me from seeing the truth of the Borg for so long - my relatives (aunts, uncles, cousins) were either chain-smoking alcoholics, chain-smoking addicted gamblers, violent alcoholics, you get the picture. I do have my brother, a university professor, who's not a JW, so now I'm (finally) working on my sibling relationship, trying to make up for lost time. But the JWs were my family, and many of them I was close to. A few who are intelligent, fun and balanced in their outlook are the ones who make it the hardest to break away. What a horrid thing, to have to choose.
when you left, or were planning to leave, did you plan your exit?
for myself, i had created a life outside the organization.
new friends, etc, so when i did the fade away, it was not as harsh as it has been for others.
I am in the process of building my life outside the borg. My elderly JW mother is my reason for attending the occasional meeting, but as I mentioned in another post (don't know how to link it - it's entitled Another Victory!!), she's loosening up a lot!
I'm taking evening classes at university and attending various cultural/ethnic events with people at work. Life is so much better!
i found this site a few days ago.
it has been the greatest therapy.
for the first time in twenty years, i have just been given the opprutunity to "let it all out" and answer to every issue i ever had with these folks.
Oh yes, I have to check this site every chance I get! It's been so therapeutic, finding out that so many others have felt exactly as I have, been through the same kinds of stuff at the hall, found the lack of love, nit-picking, judgmental attitude of many JWs - in short, to find out I'm normal in having had doughts and guilty feelings and never quite being able to fit in - oh I love this place!
