Posts by Mystery

here in wisconsin, around 6months ago we had a terrible crash on one of our freeways because of fog and driveing to fast for conditions.there were many casualities, anyway many persons who loved ones died in that crash have memorials at the sight such as crosses ,flowers ,etc.well it seems the county were this happened wrote letters to all persons leaving memorials to stop ,their saying it is a road hazard and a distraction to drivers.well now we hear it is non religious people are complaining , saying it is offense to them to have to drive by these shrines.

i feel if they dont like it they should close their eyes.

lol what do you think.

Mystery

I don't find them offensive.

I agree that they should be kept up.

I put a concrete angel at an intersection that a wonderful woman & friend was killed in Jan. of '01. It is a reminder that everytime we go thru the intersection to to use caution. Just becasue we have the "right" of way, doesn't mean we have to take it.

It meant a lot to her family. Months later, after being cornered by her step-mom, and had to fess up that it was me I ask her if she wanted me to move it because of the reminder. She told me regardless whether the angel is there are not, do you really think we will ever forget what happen there? The angel allows us to see heaven; without it we would just "see" the ripped apart truck, the sirens, her laying under a sheet. No, we don't want you to take it away.

1

Easter/Fatherhood

by zanex in

jw
friends

this last weekend was easter and i had the pleasure of spending it with my daughter, my ex and her parents.

they are locals and have been very accomodating with the whole divorce.

the ex-in-laws are still good people and they have good hearts and a mindset that isnt religiously controlling.

Mystery

Very touching. It is the little simple things that matter, to her also.

14

Three latest....opinions please

by SheilaM in

jw
friends

this is the poem i wrote about my fear of my son going into the military.. .

my fear.

it should feel soft as silk,.

Mystery

Moving, emotional and beautiful.

12

Flashbacks of JW frustration...

by logansrun in

jw
friends

this post is going to be somewhat disconnected, my apologies.... for the first time in a long while, i'm really mad at this organzition.

you know, i had lost a lot of my "bitterness" a few months ago when i started to absorb myself in other activities.

lately, i feel like i've had a "delayed reaction" of sorts when it comes to my association with the jws.

Mystery

I had a lot of the same feelings as you when I first began fading.

I had all these "friends", always busy, etc... All of us had meetings at least 3 times a week. Then there was field service. Occasionally get-to-gathers. You are busy 4 out of 7 days and on the other days you have to get your studies done....

Now you have all the time in the world. It was like that for me as well. I did end up going to college (at 22 and again at 37). It was very difficult. (Think of a 2nd year under-grad when you are 37! Talk about humiliating!) Not knowing anyone, having all of this "stuff" in your head that has been preached and preached and preached to you. Don't go to college. Become a pioneer. etc... Why should we feel good about going to college? We were never taught that we should.

You mentioned kids and older people

“I really miss being part of a group. I miss talking to older people and little kids. For as much as this is a half-brain organization full of desperate people, I still miss the interaction.”

It was mentioned above, but have you really thought of volunteer work. It was my “savior” when I felt the way that you are feeling now. (My problem was, you know what your problem is and wrote it down; I didn’t know what my problem was – I felt I was just running, but your statements above gave me a sort of reconciliation of what I have been doing all this time after leaving. Thank you.)

Being a volunteer you can become as involved or as “uninvolved” as you want. The Boys & Girls Club, Big Brothers, Park and Recreation Centers, Soccer Associations, Baseball, Basketball. These places can give you the association you desire. I knew I was doing the right thing when I became involved. Little kids forgive and forget.

Short example: I had never played sports (like most of us) as a child (growing up as a JW). I signed my sons up for soccer at 4 & 5 (OK – so what, it would be a little easier for me than you, because I had kids – you can use that as an excuse if you want) anyway.. I had never touched a soccer ball in my life. I did not even know how the game was played etc…. the park offered a free class to parents to teach them the basis of soccer. I went. A week later a man walked up to me and said “I see you took the “coaching class”. “No – I took a class to show me what a soccer ball is; it wasn’t a coaching class.” He continued that there were not enough coaches for all the kids that had signed up and it was going to be very possible that a lot of kids would have to be turned away if someone(s) didn’t step up. I did not know ANYTHING about soccer! But you know, those 4 – 5 year olds didn’t either. My biggest challenge was keeping “my” players on the field, instead of chasing butterflies, or sitting down to talk about Barbies or to stopping little Johnny from beating up little Billie because his daddy was better than his daddy. I still coach – 9 years later – but my favorite years were the little ones. They forgive everything you do wrong. They give you hugs. They have to tell you so many important things, like “a boy at school stuck a eraser up his nose so far that the had to go to the doctor”. They remind us that live is really wonderful.

I have coached a year that my kids did not play. I had 2 assistant coaches last year that did not even have kids.

If you are not sure that you could just walk up and say “hey I want to help” but you really think you might want to, let me know, I will find someone where you live and tell them that I know of a fantastic man that would love to help the kids.

Deborah

College Scholorships & Tutition - to help embalmed

by Mystery in

jw
friends

due to a post from embalmed i thought i would ask: .

do you know of any specific websites that relate to scholarships and grants?

does anyone have knowledge of how embalmed can get to college without financial support.

Mystery

Due to a post from embalmed I thought I would ask:

Do you know of any specific websites that relate to scholarships and grants?

Does anyone have knowledge of how embalmed can get to college without financial support. (She had 2 years to prepare; I don't know how to reference her post but it was around 17 April)

29

At what age did you join the Witnesses?

by JH in

jw
friends

.

at what age would a person have to be to join the witnesses and not suffer too much?.

if they are children, it robs their youth.. if they join in the teens, they won't get a decent education.. if they join at 20 years old, they will have to marry a witness.. if they join at 30, i guess that would be less destructive because they already are married, have children, have a house, an education and a job.. at what age did you join, and how did it affect you?

Mystery

I will try to find the site of applying for college scholarships that a friend of mine told me about. If i find it i will let you know.

my email is [email protected]

I am really glad to here that your mom supports you with college. Are you in the US. If not, the site I am thinking of may not help. But others may know of some.

30

One foot in and one foot out.

by tech 597 in

jw
friends

i have to say that at one time i wouldn't even consider reading material at a discussion group like this one.

but in the last two years, discussion groups like this one have been indispensable to my dealing with a very personal crisis of faith, and i want to thank the brave and loving persons who sponsor sites like this, and the brave and loving persons who participate in them.

like many here, i was raised as one of jehovah's witnesses and never questioned the validity of the wbts view.

Mystery

I wish my father had of been as questioning as you.

Read and listen to yourself for a change. Dig and keep digging. Don't assume everything on this site is "the truth". Find out for yourself. Ask and someone here will give you a way to prove to yourself without a shadow of a doubt if it is the truth or not.

Is it the truth? Or did we support a lie?

No one here can or should chose the way you believe. You have to find that out for yourself.

Are you really ready to find out the real truth?

Welcome - I hope you stay.

7

an example of believing in yourself..

by thegentleman in

jw
friends

hey everyone, .

i took my railroad conductor qualifying exams on the book of operating rules and passed.

the whole studying process was draining enough not to mention the other things going on .

Mystery

Even without a pat on the back from others ....

We just have to "believe in ourselves".

Congradulations!!!!!

I wish I had been on here when I graduated. At least someone would have told me Congradulations.

Wish I could do the fancy things everyone else can - but you will just have to settle for plain ole' typing.