Welcome, Rickisteel. I think it's amazing that you're still with your wife. Most men would have ran away. I hope everyone is well today.
Left in the Cold
JoinedPosts by Left in the Cold
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34
Hi guess i may have to introduce myself
by rickisteel inhi im from the uk im 42 years old , i was brought up as a witness from birth to 12 years of age i left the meetings with my parents ,.
i had a wild youth was a bit of a rebel involving alcohol ,drugs , heavy metal and motorcycles , i was thrown out of home at 17 my sister was 14. and was discarded as my parents remarried and neither of there new partners wanted us (baggage) , anyway by the time i was married and 21. somebody spiked my pizza with lsd (cant remember the flavour ) and for the next 3 days i thought the world was ending , i called my dad and rambled some stuff to him ( cant remember exactly but the world was ending in my head) a little while later i got a witness call briefly , i found out where he lived and went and asked him for a bible , he suggested i have a bible study me and the wife took the offer and so it began again , i was baptised in 93 and went from strength to strength in the truth , aux pioneering , volunteered for everything , talks , cleaning , meeting parts etc was soon appointed and moved on giving public talks , assembly parts , shepparding calls etc , then in 1997 my wife fell down a kerb and damaged her cruciate ligaments several operations later and disabled ( by the way the brothers /sisters in the cong were great at this point ) my wife began to act odd 1n 1999 she tried to take her own life and over the next several years took 26 overdoses and spent much of her life in phychiatrict hospital in 2001 she was bi polar disorder type rapid cycling (not the common oh i feel a bit low type bi polar but the full blown rollercoaster ride bi polar) .
the thing that struck me was i began to feel like a leper and despite a couple of close friends nobody in the cong or on the circuit( long time friends) seemed to care , i brouht up the kids on my own visiting my wife in hospital and caring for her at home , i felt so alone , when i used to take the kids to the meeting / assembly on my own i just got tutts and sad headshakes "she not come" ?
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64
more abuse in today's watchtower study
by solomon intoday's study picks on the most vulnerable among us.
the mentally ill. .
the watchtower apparently hasn't learned that depression and mental illness are that a medical condition.
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Left in the Cold
When in the hospital, we had many group therapy sessions, but one thing stands out in my mind. The counselor told us we were all there because we have a chemical imbalance plus some type of major additional stressor(s). I took it to mean that a person can have the stressor and without a chemical imbalance, likely get through it ok. It's a combination of both that often causes major depression. I know it's a simple statement, but it made me understand things better.
Depression is the main cause of suicide. Obviously, right? Anxiety is number two. When I think about that I think about how I made myself go to meetings even though it was, in hindsight, the worse thing to do. It is for many people. I had many panic attacks at the kh. One person told me not to be scared. The brothers and sisters there were all my "friends". Funny thing. I always thought they were staring at me and judging me in my mind when these attacks occurred. I think now I have reason to believe many were. (Not everyone, of course.)
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Your Best Garage Sale Buys
by designs ina woman in milwaukee bought a lithograph she liked at the local goodwill for $9.00, turns out it was an alexander calder print worth $9000.00!.
my wife lives for this stuff, this story will keep her going for another decade lol.
her big finds have been a tiffany sterling silver piece, a tony bennett signed lithograph (my favorite), and the cream of the crop a signed 4 piece lithograph by picasso contemporary bernard buffet she found and paid $12.00 for..
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Left in the Cold
Metaspy, that is so funny!
There have had so many great finds. Nothing in the thousands but not too shabby. Most recently I entered a shop that didn't really have much of interest until I looked at this bottom shelf. The most wonderful designer vintage silk scarves were there. Heaven! I took them up front and tried to buy them all, but what I had actually walked into was a food/clothing pantry. I had no idea. Lol! The mean old lady behind the counter would only let me get two. She said there had to be enough for everyone. I tried every form of bribery possible. Nope. So I took my two scarves and am going back this week for two more! I'm donating $. Don't worry. But for those who enjoy fashion, I got a like new Christian Dior and an Ostinelli. Probably $100-200 each new.
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All those who have recently joined us.........
by jemba inmy favourite post on jwn is the new posts.
so i'd like to start a 'welcome' list of all the new people who have joined in the last 6 months, i cant remember all of them so can you add anyone you know of?
welcome to....... roostermcdooster.
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Left in the Cold
Me, too!
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29
If you could leave the truth again what would you do differently?
by usualusername inif you could leave the truth again what would you do differently?.
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uun .
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Left in the Cold
I would have never ever told the elders such personal things about myself and others. I get very angry about this when I think about it. I would have told them to go to hell, DA myself, and live with the man I felt pressured to marry. Try having your first year and a half of marriage DF'd (both) with is Mother not speaking to him. There were other reasons we divorced, but I wonder sometimes if things would have turned out differently for us without all the pressure. I think it might have.
i got off topic, didn't I? Sorry.
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My mother passed away this morning...
by Tatiana infor any old-school ex-jws here that remember my many posts about my abusive jw mother and my sister committing suicide because of it...she passed away this morning because she began to bleed out and refused a transfusion.
she had been in the hospital for a month.
it appears she suffered a stroke and wasn't found by the brothers & sisters for three days (they missed her at the meetings).
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Left in the Cold
I'm very sorry for what you are going through. I know it's the furthest thing from your mind, but get an attorney. If your mother had life insurance, those funds will most likely need to go toward burial cost and, as her eldest child, you are next of kin. Also, wills are not iron clad. Speak to an attorney who can advise you on what you need to do. It's a terrible thing to deal with while you're grieving, but it cannot be ignored. Especially with your uncle acting the way he's acting.
My grandfather passed 3 years ago. I watched my mother deal with everything. She had an attorney. Defiantly consider getting one. Again, I'm very sorry.
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42
My son's heart is broken
by ruderedhead ini'm sure someone here has experienced this before.
please help me help my son.
his wife of 15 months told him last night that she needs her space, that what she wanted 1 year ago isn't the same as what she wants now.
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Left in the Cold
I'm just going to be honest. I left my first husband of 10 years for another man. I strongly feel that your son's wife has likely found another person. It happens. The shame of it all is in her not telling him. I'm not proud of what I did, but I told my husband pretty much right away that I found someone else and no longer loved him. (I mean I told him after things became physical with the other man.) It's very sad, but it happens everyday. I can tell you that the "other man" absolutely broke my heart. I ended up knowing exactly how I had made my first husband feel. Karma? Idk.
As his mother, please educate yourself on the difference between the grief of losing a spouse and major depression. If you see signs of major depression please urge him to get help. Even 'talk' therapy can go a long way. But I think right now that's what I would be most concerned about. His mental health and state of mind. You're a great mom!
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Black Tie etiquette.
by Slidin Fast inok. it's 12:30 in england, i have to go to bed but i just wanted to throw this one in.. i went to a jw funeral yesterday.
not one black tie in the whole congregation.
no witness would dream of wearing a black tie to a funeral.
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Left in the Cold
I believe close family should wear black. Others may certainly wear black as well, but other darker color (navy, maroon, etc.) are okay. Red is never, ever okay. When my grandmother passed in 2004, I needed to buy my mother a dress so I did researched this very thing. I'm in the U.S. other countries might be different. Also, IMO Queen Victoria took the whole mourning thing very far. She wore black for the rest of her life.
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Watchtower CD
by NeverKnew inhow does a person (non-jw) outside the organization get this cd the wt publishes?
how much does it cost?.
note: i'm not asking how much it's worth.
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Left in the Cold
Well, I found mine. It's 2009, but I guess no one needs it now.
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Watchtower CD
by NeverKnew inhow does a person (non-jw) outside the organization get this cd the wt publishes?
how much does it cost?.
note: i'm not asking how much it's worth.
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Left in the Cold
Hi neverknew, I believe I have the 2008 or 2009 CD. I've downloaded it on my laptop and don't need the disk or want it anymore. If I lost all the info on my laptop I don't really care. Let me look for it. If the version I have is of interest to you, pm me. I'll be checking back later today. That's if you're interested.