My never JW friends arranged a surprise for me this weekend. Knowing that I used to be a JW and how much I LOVE all things X-MAS they are taking me to what has been called "the biggest X-mas show in Canada!" It is less than an hour from home, and is in Toronto, Ontario. It is a girl's day out with 3 very close friends. I have pretty much finished decorating but can always find more space for something (or 2, 3...) extra special. (So glad hubby gets paid tomorrow, lol, he told me go, have fun, and buy something)
Being able to openly celebrate holidays is absolutely great! (just hope I don't pee my pants with all the excitement) Leslie
I put up my tree last night. (a good fake!) Have almost finished decorating the rest of the house. I leave the decorations up until the 2nd /3rd week of January when I take it down, remove the dust from the ornaments and vacuum the tree before putting it away for next year. I have to force myself to wait until November. lol. Enjoy -Leslie-
from nigerian newspaper via google alert a few minutes ago;.
entire family, 20 others die in fatal accidenttragedy struck weekend in akwa ibom state as a man, his wife and all their children, as well as more than 20 others, all members of the jehovahs witness church, perished in a fatal road accident which occurred, friday, along the utu etim ekpo road in etim ekpo local government area of the state.. forty other members of the church sustained varying degrees of injuries following in the crash which occurred on their way to the jehovahs witness annual convention ground in ikot ekpene local government area of the state.. thisdays gathered that more than 70 members of the church had hired a lorry to convey them from ukanafun local government area to ikot ekpene for the annual district convention which began on friday and billed to end today (sunday) but the journey ended half way with many members of the church dying on the road in the accident.. eyewitnesses alleged that the driver of the lorry conveying the church members to the venue of the convention lost control of the vehicle when he got to utu etim ekpo, the junction opposite the local government secretariat, and hit the stone used to construct the roundabout, thus resulting in the lorry somersaulting, leaving many of its passengers and others wounded.. the corpses and those injured in the accident were said to have been taken to neighbouring hospitals and mortuaries.. one of the eyewitnesses, mr. friday john, said the people who died may have been more than what was seen because a whole family including parents and their children were all trapped in the accident.. we were all here discussing when suddenly the lorry appeared and was looking like the driver had lost control of it.
then the lorry drove straight and hit the stone and somersaulted into the gutter.. many people died, more than 18. in fact, we couldnt count the number because there were many corpses, including husband, wife and children and they were all taken to the mortuary in various hospitals near etim ekpo here, john explained.. in another narration, a secondary school teacher in eka uruk eshiet etim ekpo, mr. ndipmo nkanta, said the lorry boarded by the deceased and the injured passengers was not meant for passengers but goods only.. he blamed the accident on poverty , arguing that if there was a better alternative, such casualties wouldnt have been recorded, especially as they were going to worship god.. the public relations officer of the federal road safety corps, frsc, in the state, mr. godsgift uwen, blamed the incident on over-speeding and overloading by the driver of the lorry.. he said the lorry was not supposed to carry any passenger as it was a meant for goods only but the driver stubbornly used it as a passengers vehicle, which led to the sad incident.. he advised against rush and drunken driving, especially in the yuletide, noting that these are some of the major causes of accidents on the roads.. culled from thisday".
That is so very sad. No doubt they couldn't afford safer transportation and they would have been burdened with guilt for not going to the assembly. I agree that if they didn't have to support the Wt. funding that they may have been able to get appropriate transportation. Wonder how this story will be spun. Leslie
today something happened that hurt me more than the jwks, more than the shunning, more than my sexual molestation, more than my hellish years at caxton and more than the year i've just had.. the moment i was told this, i felt like my insides had been ripped, torn, shredded and my heart squeezed of it's very life.
i put my head in my hands and for the first time in my life let out a primal gut wrenching wail.. my father had asked my gran why she has been treating me the way she has (which hasn't been very nice).
he though it strange considering how in the past i have helped her and given her so much.
(((Loubelle))) I'm so sorry to hear this. It is devastating to hear lies about ourselves. Perhaps your grandmother is suffering from dementia as another poster suggested. Either way it still hurts. You are in my thoughts. Leslie
for not having candy or treats to give the little beggars when they hit him up with "trick or treat?!".
a really true christian would give a tract about satan or the demons, or at least a quick sermon about how much god hates what they are doing.. i, on the other hand, apologised.
my wife is still very active and a heartfelt apology was the best i could do...but it's progress!.
Stillin, I remember the days of hiding in the dark with the outdoor porch light off hoping the kiddies would just pass by the house. It is just so stupid when I look back. There actually are some religious fundies that do hand out anti-hallowe'en tracts (can't remember which crazy bunch) I don't get why people who don't celebrate have to try and ruin for those who do.
BTW Love your costume, maybe slap on a fig leaf so you don't get arrested! LOL Leslie
(hi Rip) Learning to say no and not feeling guilty about it was a HUGE step for me personally. I guess it goes back to the being worried what others will think if we say NO. Leslie
Hi Talesin Excellent topic. I confess I was one of those doormats to the point of what could be termed martyrdom. I felt selfish if I did anything for my own benefit and just could not say no to requests for help because I didn't want to let others down. Part of the problem was my own lack of self esteem that made me do anything to make others like me. I have learned to speak up for myself and have realized that it is not selfish to do what is best for me. True friends will understand and want you to look after your own needs, the others will just use you up until you're of no use to anyone including yourself. Leslie
Good for her. My heart aches for that young woman. It must be almost unbearable for her given they are almost newlyweds. So humiliating, and mentally and emotionally devastating. Leslie
