Posts by Sherri

26

Anyone Near Dayton OH

by zenpunk in

i'm being flown out next week for a final interview and a tremendous job opportunity.

but before i sell the house and move - i was just wondering how many of you are out there and your opinions of the area (i will need some new good association).

also, i'm from the wilds of ny - do you think i can adjust to ohio?

Hi Borgfree, (Tried to email you, but without success.) I grew up in the Dayton area and attended the Vandalia (Tipp City) and other congregations in the Dayton area from around 1970 until I left in 1986. My name was Sherri Hufford, then Sherri Ludwig. I'm betting that you knew my ex-husband, Tom, who I think is still associated with a Greenville congregation. Is there anything you can tell me about him? Our marriage broke up when I decided to leave, and I always felt bad about that. He was a really nice man (probably still is), very sincere. Ironically, he became a JW in order to marry me in 1978. I helped build the London Assembly Hall. Is that still being used? I remarried five years ago and now live near London (the big London, in the UK). While I have absolutely no regrets about leaving the Witnesses, I do regret the people I lost along the way. Any info you think might be interesting would be much appreciated. Like I said, I still miss the people, if not the beliefs. Sherri

6

Sharing My Joy

by Sherri in

jw
friends

i've not posted here for a long time, nor have i kept up even with browsing around, but i had a sudden urge to share my joy with the only group of people who might possibly understand how much this means to me.. i left the jws about 15 years ago, of course losing basically everyone i was close to in the process.

over the years, i've never forgotten my old friends.

sometimes i dream about them, and when i wake up i feel bad for hours, missing them and knowing that they are as good as dead to me.. i visited my family in october 2001 and my brother told me he had run into one of my old friends in a bar.

Sherri

I've not posted here for a long time, nor have I kept up even with browsing around, but I had a sudden urge to share my joy with the only group of people who might possibly understand how much this means to me.

I left the JWs about 15 years ago, of course losing basically everyone I was close to in the process. Over the years, I've never forgotten my old friends. Sometimes I dream about them, and when I wake up I feel bad for hours, missing them and knowing that they are as good as dead to me.

I visited my family in October 2001 and my brother told me he had run into one of my old friends in a bar. I asked him to set up a meeting while I was home. We met in a restaurant, and when I saw her, it was as if 15 years had never happened. It felt to me as if she had come back to life--I could see her, hug her, talk to her, hear what's been going on in her life for the past years. She is in the process of a divorce and in the process of leaving "the truth" as well.

The reason I'm feeling so joyful right now is because tomorrow morning I pick her up at Gatwick Airport for a three-week visit!! We have so much to catch up on, and I am SO HAPPY to be able to spend time with her again! I have been looking forward to her visit for months, and tomorrow she'll be here!

Thanks for listening. As I said above, only ex-JWs can understand what a precious thing it can be to regain contact with ones lost through that stupid shunning doctrine. Happy day!

36

Who was a squeaky clean dub?

by Marilyn in

jw
friends

i'm wondering if the majority here were seriously conservative squeaky clean dubs?

i took the whole thing very seriously.

there seems to be such a fun element here - i can't imagine everyone being those dull folk all decked out in their wt uniform with accompanying plastic expressions.. marilyn

Sherri

RedHorseWoman: Your first paragraph sounds like it could've been written by me, and the second not far off. It's amazing to me how many similar experiences/feelings we have all had.

I was a goody two-shoes as well, from the time I was first introduced to the WT (about age 10) until I left at 27 (with a brief hitch in the middle--one of these days I'll put it in Personal Experiences).

I wanted to please God so badly that I tried really hard to do _everything_ by the book. Paradoxically, the "better" I was, the more aware I was of my "failings". Stress kept piling onto stress until I just had to get some relief. First, I stopped pioneering. Hey, that wasn't so bad, so I thought maybe I'd miss a few meetings and cut field service down to once a week. In about six months, I was out, with all the new problems that brings. It took years to sort out, but leaving was the best thing I could've done--though I now feel a bit guilty for not feeling guilty.

Reach out! Take a chance! Get hurt, even. But play as well as you can. Go team, go! Give me an 'L.' Give me an 'I.' Give me a 'V.' Give me an 'E.' L-I-V-E. LIVE! Otherwise, you'll have nothing to talk about in the locker room.--Maude (Harold and Maude)

51

Favorite movie line?

by gilwarrior in

what is your favorite movie line?

please mention the movie line and why it is the best.. my favorite movie line:.

"ever since i was a kid...i always wanted to be a gangster.".

Sherri

Just about anything from Harold and Maude, my all-time favourite movie. Some bits:

"Reach out. Take a chance. Get hurt, even. But play as well as you can...Otherwise, you've got nothing to talk about in the locker room."

"How the world dearly loves a cage..."

"A lot of people enjoy being dead. But they're not dead, not really. They're just backing away from life."

And from O Brother, Where Art Thou?:
"Gopher?" (Tim Blake Nelson offering George Clooney gopher-on-a-stick)
This movie is a must-see. Funny, with great music.

62

How Long A JW ( Baptised )?

by hillary_step in

jw
friends

i frequently read on this board that somebody has 'been a jw for over 25 years' and then learn that they are in fact 25 years and three days old.. i am very easily confused, in fact i actually got inside a car of similar color to my own recently and spent at least five minutes with a furrowed brow trying to force my car key into its ignition, fortunately, i realised my error before i was arrested.

so, just to humor me, can you all post how long you were/are baptised jw's?.

thank you -- hs.

Sherri

Baptised at the age of 14 in January 1974.
Disfellowshipped in May 1986.
So, 12+ years altogether (why does it seem like three times that??)

Reach out! Take a chance! Get hurt, even. But play as well as you can. Go team, go! Give me an 'L.' Give me an 'I.' Give me a 'V.' Give me an 'E.' L-I-V-E. LIVE! Otherwise, you'll have nothing to talk about in the locker room.--Maude (Harold and Maude)

33

Bethel Doctor--Is it me, or was this odd??

by Sherri in

i was at bethel with my now ex-husband in early 1982. at that time, they did a tb test as part of the physical when you started.

mine came out positive for exposure (though i did not and have never had tb), probably because i had worked as a receptionist in a hospital x-ray department.. the weird bit is that the bethel doctor insisted on giving me a gynacological exam.

as i was only 22 at the time, and butt-stupid, i went ahead and let him.

Sherri

Thanks for your concern. I have had follow-up since then and everything seems to be okay.

Thank you, Sam, for the information and links. I know that TB is once again being seen as a major world health issue.

33

Bethel Doctor--Is it me, or was this odd??

by Sherri in

i was at bethel with my now ex-husband in early 1982. at that time, they did a tb test as part of the physical when you started.

mine came out positive for exposure (though i did not and have never had tb), probably because i had worked as a receptionist in a hospital x-ray department.. the weird bit is that the bethel doctor insisted on giving me a gynacological exam.

as i was only 22 at the time, and butt-stupid, i went ahead and let him.

Sherri

I was at Bethel with my now ex-husband in early 1982. At that time, they did a TB test as part of the physical when you started. Mine came out positive for exposure (though I did not and have never had TB), probably because I had worked as a receptionist in a hospital X-ray department.

The weird bit is that the Bethel doctor insisted on giving me a gynacological exam. As I was only 22 at the time, and butt-stupid, I went ahead and let him. It was all above board, nurse was there, etc. It just strikes me as odd that a positive TB skin test would dictate such an exam. A chest X-ray would make more sense. Maybe he didn't get too many chances to practice on girls.

This incident came to mind when I was reading about how some Bethelites who were injured or ill were treated.

Reach out! Take a chance! Get hurt, even. But play as well as you can. Go team, go! Give me an 'L.' Give me an 'I.' Give me a 'V.' Give me an 'E.' L-I-V-E. LIVE! Otherwise, you'll have nothing to talk about in the locker room.--Maude (Harold and Maude)

29

do you still want to live forever?

by sleepy in

jw
friends

imagine that chance was offered to you .is it something you still desire?.

i wonder how desriable it would be to live forever.what problems it would bring.would we want to stay married to the same person, would we get to know everyone on earth?.

how would it effect our attitude toward life , would we get anything done knowing there was no rush?.

Sherri

Absolutely. As long as I am physically and mentally well, I can't imagine a time when I would say, "Okay, now I'm ready to die."

I suppose that if a person knew everything there was to know about everything that's ever been, then life would start to pall a bit. I just can't picture getting to the bottom of the knowledge barrel.

I like your question, "would we get anything done knowing there was no rush?" As a procrastinator extraordinaire, this could be an issue for me. But, who cares? As long as I'm enjoying whatever it is that I'm doing, the dusting can wait until next week.

I guess I'm taking it as a given that the major problems that plague this planet (war, food shortage, over-population, AIDS, etc., etc., etc.) will be dealt with in some way, i.e., eradicated. If things are to continue as they are, however, I think I'll be glad to turn in my locker key when it's my time. I'm shooting for a hundred years.

30

Wow, Was This Really 28 Years Ago?

by Englishman in

jw
friends

this friday, december 7th., is our 28th wedding anniversary.

her ladyship and i intend to visit our favourite restaurant, dimitri's, for a slap-up greek meal plus a considerable quantity of excellent wine.. its a time when we like to reflect on our life together, the lows as well as the highs that we have experienced over the years.

mainly, our life has been one of laughter and fun.

Sherri

Congratulations to you both--well done! It's lovely to read about a couple who are obviously the best of friends, who enjoy each other's company and who can still find things to talk about after 28 years!

BTW, where is this Dimitri's?? My husband and I (St Albans area) are always on the lookout for decent Greek restaurants.

Cheers,
Sherri

15

Scary? Story

by Sherri in

jw
friends

last month my husband and i and our two sons travelled from the uk to visit my family in dayton, ohio.

while there, i had an eerie experience, one im still not sure what to make of.

my fathers sister, shirley, was also visiting in dayton while we were there.

Sherri

< Maybe you should check the water supply to your house...j/k >

Great, the first time I actually start a post and you guys think I'm a flaming lunatic.