my lovely girlfriend and i sat down over a homecooked meal, and discussed the pros and cons of attending the memorial.. i decided, with her support, that we would attend.. i spent years of my life pretending to be a witness to please my mother.
when i left the witnesses, my mother said some hurtful things.. and those things really hurt me... for a while.
but i established myself as my own person, developed my own relationships, and have gotten a good start on my own life.. i don't know that i want to hurt my mother back, but i do want to make it abundantly clear to her, my grandmother, and all the members of my former congregation, that richierich is alive and kicking.. and i think that walking into the kingdom hall, dressed respectfully in a suit, yet with full piercing jewelry intact, and with erika wearing something classy that steals the brother's eyes, and draws glares from the humble sisters, will be just the thing to send that message to my mother.. i don't plan on partaking or making a disturbance.
Hey Richie
Good luck, but... if i read correctly you haven't had contact with your mon and gran for 10 months. Seeing them may make you blub like a baby and may not feel like closure. Closure in 10 months after 18 years would be a frickin' miracle too.
I went through all sorts of plans when I left from knocking back all the wine at the memorial to turning up at an assembly in drag (looking fabulous but fierce). I have no regrets about not doing them.
But again, best of luck.
has anyone here seen this movie?
if there has already been mention of it, i'm sorry, i've been afk off and on quite a bit the last month or so and have missed a lot of threads.. this is one of those hard to categorize movies.
it's a fairy tale.
I loved it. The merging of reality with fantasy was seamless. Reminded me of the role of faith in society.
But the best Spanish film from last year has to be Volver - it was heaven.
have you ever been in a position where you really needed your friends - ie a relationship break down, or some other event and expected your friends to rally and support you.
only to find that those friends are nowhere to be seen or heard and when you tentatively enquire how they are in the hope for some kind response you get - "oh well you'll get over it.
" or words to that effect and by email.. i have as you can guess a reason and recent experience of my own that i'll share later, but i wondered how do you handle that?
I've come to accept that friendships evolve, they wax, they wane and sometimes end. Some people give a lot, others take a lot and unless you want to be perpetually hung up on it you have to let things slide.
after a few years of humming and hawing, i decided i would.
it was more of what i would take that held me back then if i should go.. i'm only 28, so i'm not too far behind.
we'll see how working full time and going to school will go.
Hi Crumpet
I only applied for the one course at one uni, but that was 7 years ago so maybe things have changed. I imagine it's as you suggest, a standby course.
after a few years of humming and hawing, i decided i would.
it was more of what i would take that held me back then if i should go.. i'm only 28, so i'm not too far behind.
we'll see how working full time and going to school will go.
Crumps, are you try to jinx German? Barrel has only one l. Unless you had a drink halfway through the word and then saw double.
German XJW where are you applying to study?
after a few years of humming and hawing, i decided i would.
it was more of what i would take that held me back then if i should go.. i'm only 28, so i'm not too far behind.
we'll see how working full time and going to school will go.
Good for you.
I started uni at 29 (while still a dub and an elder) and found that extra decade a distinct advantage. Because I had a life, and no fear of failure, I had less pressure than a lot of the 18 year olds despite continuing to run my business. Got my MA and now finishing an MSc and have enjoyed most of it.
Can't recall if you're single or not, but I've seen some relationships go through a crucible when one partner's at uni. But it's all character building!
i started a thread a long hug http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/128891/1.ashx which touches on the below, but feel this subject deserves a thread of its own.. a study, highlighted on bbc breakfast news yesterday, acknowledged the importance of holding hands in a relationship, courting or married.
it was stated that couples who hold hands in the street are more likely to have a solid relationship - and especially those who interlink their fingers when holding hands as this indicates a desire to be as close to each other as possible.
arm linking is ok, too, but couples who just walk about not holding hands - and this includes married couples - indicates the relationship could be in trouble.. do you hold hands with your spouse/partner?
I'm happy to, but my partner is afraid of us having to deal with hostile reactions.
i used to hang out with only older people.
the ones my age were married and had kids so i didnt fit in.. i was always with people 20 and even 30 years older than me.
it was as if i was their age.. i don't think it's healthy to hang around with people much older or younger like that.
I think it's pretty healthy to have friends that are much older and younger than you, in fact it's one of the things I missed when I initially left. It may not be ideal to have only older friends, but I'm not sure why you couldn't fit in with your peers that were married with kids.
can anyone compile a list of as many as possible past and present co/do's from the uk?
Find it amusing Fleaman. Although it is sad for them as they're trapped and many of them must be frustrated.
can anyone compile a list of as many as possible past and present co/do's from the uk?
It was Lez Perkins that visited me when I resigned as an elder and quit meetings. He took it really well that i'd been faking faith my entire life, the fact that he believed me was good because so many others wouldn't. Having said that, it must have been him that encouraged the elders to pursue me 2 years later when they found out I was banging my man. They were just jealous.
Anyone know what Ian Shanks is up to these days? Gather he's off the circuit.
