Bee....I know exactly what you mean. I read everyones posts, and with each one it's more and more obvious that truly they are a divisive and unloving cult. Because of this religion, I haven't seen my mother in over 14 years. Which is probably a good thing. I only got to see my aunt from Maine maybe 3 times in my entire life. Her and my mother (sisters) argued about this religion constantly. One of my uncles also was not allowed to associate with us. I remember her making me tell him @ 5 years old that he was going to be destroyed at Armageddon. Why would he want to hang around?
So, he missed out on seeing us grow up. We email each other frequently now, but he lives in TX, and I haven't seen him in over 20 years. Or my cousins. I have four cousins I have not seen in so long, I wouldn't know them if I saw them. We keep talking about having some kind of reunion before it's too late. This uncle was so angry with my grandma (his mom) and my mom (his sister) for giving granddad a witness funeral, and granddad was a Freemason, he didn't speak to her for over 10 years. It was that plus all the other JW garbage that had gone on in the past. He was just fed up.
My mother even tied to get me to stop talking with my anointed uncle, because he started giving me books on dream meanings. My brother ran away from home @ 12 because she was trying to force him to get baptized. I did not see him again until he was 20. We tried to become close, and we call and email, but he's moved to CA, and I don't know when I will see him again.
Now, I concentrate on MY family. My children. My grands. My nieces in SC. I am the matriarch. There is no patriarch. I tell everyone in the family..."If you have an argument with your bro or sis, (and they do argue) when it comes time for a get-together, all that gets put aside. When it comes time for one of the kids birthday parties, or Christmas dinner, etc. any disagreements can wait until WE HAVE FUN!! "
We go bowling together. Out to eat. To the water park. Ice skating. We have a huge 4th of July cookout every year at Grant Park. We don't shun each other. I won't allow it. The little kids come first. They are having a big birthday party Saturday for my grandson, Stephon. He will be 5. Everyone is going to Funland. Well, except me. But, I have arranged for my son to take his laptop, so I can sing Happy Birthday to him.
I will never allow my family to be split apart like ours was. I told my daughter I didn't care if she decided to be some kind of voodoo priestess and walked around with shrunken heads around her neck, she would still be my daughter, and those are still my grands. And nothing would keep me from seeing them.
As Grace said, though. You and your mate are "family," Bee......I don't have a mate anymore, so my children are what I have. Plus friends here (despite my recent whining--WHAP!) And we have to make the very most of what we have. We've all already lost enough.
