Thank you to everyone that sent a greeting. It showed a great deal of love on the part of all of you. I never seen this kind of love in the organization. Thanks again.
Thechickennest
JoinedPosts by Thechickennest
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16
25 years ago today my wife and I were married in a Kingdom Hall
by Thechickennest intoday is our silver wedding anniversary!
little did we know that twenty five years later we would be out of what we now call a cult!
we were such good, active witnesses......we are happier now as a couple.
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JW at my sons school tonight
by Champion inmy son goes to a very competitive and expensive private school in ct. there are two jw families that also go there.
so tonight he had a choir performance.
one of the jws is also in choir.
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Thechickennest
JW's are odd ducks when it comes to education.
Our daughter graduated from High School this year. She is going to college this fall. I graduated from college in 2000 while I was still a JW.
Our daughter, out of the kindness of her heart sent all the JW extended family graduation announcements. I am going to estimate the number sent to be about 25 JW's. None of them attended the graduation. Only two sent cards, of those two cards, one did not even get an invintation. The other card said nothing however, it contained a coupon for two JW books!
It is so frustrating and so sad.
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How Many Here Still Attend Meetings Sometimes?
by shamus100 in?
if so, how often.. do you still attend the memorial?.
i never go, ever, and haven't been to a memorial in about 6 years (been too long to accurately remember) - i'm too far gone.
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Thechickennest
Never again! The last time I was in a Kingdom Hall was in 1998.
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Friend might be shunning me...
by White Dove ini don't know what to make of this.
my friend from the hall asked me for an invitation to my graduation.
i e-mailed her a note that she is most welcomed and doesn't need a ticket to get in.
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Thechickennest
Hi:
My wife and I have observed over the past few years that JW's get completely discombobeled when it comes to social events involving folks that have reached a milestone as you have in your life outside of the organization. Maybe this is not the case with your friend as she sounds like a nice person. Give it some time. She may come around sooner than you think.
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MOUTHY'S 81st Birthday
by BenV inmouthy, is today your 81st birthday?
i saw on a post you wrote -- and it said birthday!
(don't know how these things work?).
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Thechickennest
Happy Birthday! Thanks for the Anniversary greeting!
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16
25 years ago today my wife and I were married in a Kingdom Hall
by Thechickennest intoday is our silver wedding anniversary!
little did we know that twenty five years later we would be out of what we now call a cult!
we were such good, active witnesses......we are happier now as a couple.
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Thechickennest
Today is our Silver Wedding Anniversary! Little did we know that twenty five years later we would be out of what we now call a cult! We were such good, active witnesses......We are happier now as a couple. What will the next twenty five years bring?
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Photographs of old witness friends and Witness events. Do what with them?
by Thechickennest inmy family just took a stroll down witness lane this month as we searched for photographs that our graduating high school daughter needed for her display at her graduation party.
we have an immense file of photos of a previous life with the jw's.
in a way its a history of a former life.
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Thechickennest
Thanks to all of you for your suggestions. It has been enlightening to read your thoughts and ideas.
In 2001 we moved out of a second floor apartment with a terrace. I moved the garbage dumpster from the parking garage under the terrace. I launched a 30 year collection of JW printed matter over the edge of the terrace down in to the dumpster! It must of weighed a ton. It was really a liberating feeling. If the photos had been available at that moment they would have went out with the bound volumes, books, pamplets, etc. I am glad that did'nt happen.
The photos are basically harmless and they picture mostly friends, some family and other benign events. From all of your comments from this thread, I am going to do this:
I will separate them into a separate album and pull it out from time to time when I feel like I need a reminder of where I do not want to be anymore. Also, I will look at the people pictured and hope that some of the people in the pictures will find thier way out of the cult as my family did. As mentioned in your comments, there is no point to attempt a rewrite of history. It is what it is and there is no changing it.
Thank you!
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Photographs of old witness friends and Witness events. Do what with them?
by Thechickennest inmy family just took a stroll down witness lane this month as we searched for photographs that our graduating high school daughter needed for her display at her graduation party.
we have an immense file of photos of a previous life with the jw's.
in a way its a history of a former life.
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Thechickennest
My family just took a stroll down witness lane this month as we searched for photographs that our graduating high school daughter needed for her display at her graduation party. We have an immense file of photos of a previous life with the JW's. In a way its a history of a former life. It reminds us of how many friends and family members we lost by leaving the Witnesses. It also brought brought some closure to being a card carrying member of a dangerous cult. One JW lady sent back to us-all the pictures she had of us! I don't think we will stoop to that level of behavior however, we are a little stumped. We left behind many friends on a sinking spiritual ship so to speak. Should we just throw them away? Should we make a seperate album for that part of our lives? Many of the people in the pictures our daughter never knew.
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What's the BEST thing about being "out" of the "truth"?
by B_Deserter infor me, it's having friends that i don't have to hide my lack of meeting attendance/service from.
it's amazing how they teach you that only jws can be your real friends, but in reality, it's all contingent upon your religious "performance.
" sure, if you're not going to meetings, they'll try to be "friends," by encouraging you to go back.
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Thechickennest
Being a parent that can encourage and support your children in such things as higher education. Not loosing your children because they do want to be a witness.
Not giving away life energy and money to a worthless cause.
Planning for a real future instead of a fantasy.
Resting on weekends
Making plans that do not revolve around meetings and assemblies
Accepting employment in a job that you enjoy, not one that allows time for all the witness activities.
Not spending a small fortune on dress clothes.
Just living.
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When you were a Jw did you have a relationship with God?
by Fisherman indifficult to understand how even heavys that taught about having a relatinship with god now proclaim that it was imagined after leaving the truth.
puts into question appointments and people serving.
i can understand if some one new leaves the org.
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Thechickennest
Before I was a JW, I had a great relationship with God. The longer I was in the cult, the demands on the relationship became so great, I lost sight of the forest for the trees so to speak. I don't like placing blame on anyone or anything since I was a willing participant for decades in the JW cult. Towards the end of my time in the cult, I harbored some resentment towards the men in charge of the cult as I began to step back and think more objectively about the teachings of the WT and the abuse of power by these men. After some serious grief and some healing time, I was then able to move on and make my relationship with God whole and clean again. To put it simply-my relationship with God was damaged by the WT and its cohorts.