Posts by Bruja-del-Sol

29

New Book Published

by satinka in

i have been threatening to publish a book about growing up in the jw religion, then leaving as a mature adult.

well, it's 368 pages and it's done!.

introduction to the book.

What a beautiful post Satinka! You've really touched me with it. My feelings are so two sided most of the time. On the one hand I feel strong, a survivor, a fighter, a woman who found her way in life all by herself, someone who fought for her freedom after 33 years of 'cult hostage'... On the other hand I often feel insecure, weak, alone sometimes since I find it hard to make new friends (I often choose exactly the wrong people, give too much of myself and end up disillusioned when they end up not being worth my time, energy and affection). I have a wonderful husband but he's never been a JW and doesn't understand a lot of my upbringing in the cult...

So your posting is 'balm for my soul'... especially today, don't know why, but I've been weepy all day... so thank you for your encouragement.

With love

Bruja.

40

Blood sausage

by stillin in

while visiting our neighbors across the pond, i visited a butcher store to rustle up something for supper.

that was the first time i had ever seen blood sausage.

we just never see it over here in the states.. when a witness leaves the organization over there, do they all eat blood sausage once again?

Bruja-del-Sol

Oh gosh... haggis... Ate that too once... when I was sixteen and my father took me to a Scottish club in London... Only the smell of it made me feel sick, let alone the taste... YUK!

I love Ireland and the Irish, I'm very fond of Scotland and the Scottish, but some things on their menus are way too much for me...

40

Blood sausage

by stillin in

while visiting our neighbors across the pond, i visited a butcher store to rustle up something for supper.

that was the first time i had ever seen blood sausage.

we just never see it over here in the states.. when a witness leaves the organization over there, do they all eat blood sausage once again?

Bruja-del-Sol

Years ago, when I was still in, I went to an Irish pub (in the Netherlands) with my family. We ordered their regular meal, with things like sausages, beans in tomato sauce, mashed potatoes... and the menu also said 'black pudding'. Now you must know that the word 'pudding' in Dutch means 'dessert'. So we figured 'black pudding' is some kind of desert. We ate our meal. And there were some round 'thingies' on our plates which the children didn't like, and my (then) husband and I thought it tasted a bit weird with a lot of clove but we just ate it (that's probably Dutch... you eat what you've paid for )

When we finished our meal we were waiting for the dessert... but it never came. So we asked the waitress "we're waiting for the black pudding"... and then she said "you've had it!"... We probably looked really stupid, but then all of a sudden it 'hit us'... those weird 'thingies'... that was the black pudding! And then it started dawning to us that we might have been eating blood... We asked the waitress what 'black pudding' is made of... and to our disgust she said 'blood' (amongst other ingredients which we didn't hear anymore!). I had to do my utter best not to vomit in the middle of the pub!!

As I said, we were still JW's, so we felt very guilty for a while, but we really had no idea, so who could blame us??

Ever since I have never had black pudding, blood sausage or anything like that again. I do eat liver every now and then, and I love a medium rare steak, but that one experience with black pudding has made an impression!

Luckily my new husband doesn't like it either...

24

Our first Halloween was amazing

by confusedandalone in

not sure if this is the right forum, if not i apologize.. last night was our first halloween.

i have to admit, the very idea that somehow it is satanic and that it makes bible god cry seemed immensely foolish as we prepared for it.

my daughter was dressed as an undead witch and my son was dressed as thomas the tank engine.

Bruja-del-Sol

What a nice experience you've had Aunt Fancy! And sorry to hear about your losses... must be hard saying goodbye to 4 people in such a short time

18

JW came to door

by gma-tired2 in

jws don't waste time talking today.

she knocked on door, husband answered, she said were doing a world wide work and shoved a pamplet in his hand and left.

i remember the days when we actually try to get the householders in a conversation.

Bruja-del-Sol

@Jam: exactly my story! Same tract... What did you think of it? Have you read it? The arguments used to 'proof' that the Bible is true... pfffff... really blew me away. Because of the stupidity that is!

102

Since leaving the truth, do you celebrate holidays, and does your participation in such bring you happiness?

by Stand for Pure Worship in

jw
friends

i ask this respectfully, and do so after watching a favorite show of mine's season opener which had a new years storyline.

hollywood tends to make movies and television show episodes centered around holiday themes appear warm and blissful.

while i'm thankful to have never participated in such holidays, i can't deny my curiosity about ex-jws that do celebrate.

Bruja-del-Sol

Giordano, how do you know he's 'having a ball and probably counting time as well'? That's just an assumption, thinking negatively about someone you don't know in person. Hasn't the WTS done enough damage to all of us, do we really need to harm one another with words when someone doesn't act the way we'd like to see or says the things we want to hear? I really don't get that...

40

Thinking of going back

by Laika in

jw
friends

someone talk some sense into me ffs..

Bruja-del-Sol

A couple of years ago I considered returning too. I told my husband as well as my ex-husband (we're still friends). My hubby has never been a JW, my ex left the cult just a couple of months after I'd been DF'd.

They both gave me some arguments as why I'd better not go back, but my hubby said that I should make a list. Actually two lists. He made me take a piece of paper and write on the left all the reasons I could think of why I should NOT return, on the right all the reasons I could think of why I wanted to return. After that I had to rate EVERY single reason with points from 1 to 10. After I finished I had to add up all the 'go back'-points and also all the 'don't go back'-points. And then compare: which list had the highest points.

Very simple, and it made it crystal clear to me that I had really not enough reasons to go back and all the more reasons to stay away from the JW's and everything going on there!

102

Since leaving the truth, do you celebrate holidays, and does your participation in such bring you happiness?

by Stand for Pure Worship in

jw
friends

i ask this respectfully, and do so after watching a favorite show of mine's season opener which had a new years storyline.

hollywood tends to make movies and television show episodes centered around holiday themes appear warm and blissful.

while i'm thankful to have never participated in such holidays, i can't deny my curiosity about ex-jws that do celebrate.

Bruja-del-Sol

Whatever one might think of SFPW... the things I've read in response sound as much as bullying as the things I've experienced at school when I was younger. I don't think this is very loving, warm or anything positive. No matter how he acts on this forum, does ANYONE deserve the treatment he gets? Sorry to say this, but I think this is as bad and unkind (understatements!) as what the JW's and the WTS do to DF'd, DA'd and faded ex-JW's!

26

Did you suffer humiliating childhood experiences as a JW?

by yadda yadda 2 in

in john cedar's (jwsurvey.org) latest excellent article on his blog about a us teacher that got reprimanded for trying to force a jw boy to salute the american flag, he relates a similar childhood experience where he was terribly humiliated at school in view of his classmates.. this reminded me of a similar humiliating experience i suffered at school, when i was 11 years old.

during our school's end of year 'prom night' (not actually called that in the country i live) which was in the style of a disco night, my unbalanced jw mother came to pick me up early and stormed right into the hall and grabbed my arm and pulled me out in front of all my friends right in the middle of the dancing.

on the way out she gave the teachers a lecture about the music being far too loud and how unwholesome the whole thing was for children of my age.

Bruja-del-Sol

When I was about 7 years old, the teacher celebrated his birthday with the class. Of course I wasn't allowed to participate, so I was sent to another class and the teacher of that class set me at a table in the front of the classroom with my back towards the class. I've felt so lonely and ashamed because of that...

A week later my teacher came to me right before I went home and he gave me a bag with candy... he saved it for me from his birthday party. I thought that was the sweetest thing, so I accepted it and ate it all before I got home. Of course I felt guilty after that, but the satisfaction and comfort it gave me that the teacher had actually been thinking of me was more important. Twenty years later I went back to my old school and met him again. He couldn't remember me, but I thanked him anyway for what he did for me. I'll never forget him, since he was the only person who actually cared about me during primary school.

18

I am trying to decide what to eat tonight.

by Iamallcool in

jw
friends

i am trying to decide what to eat tonight.

any suggestions?.

Bruja-del-Sol

We had caprese salad (tomato slices with mozzarella and olive oil with garlic and herbs), another salad (leftovers from the day before) with red pepper, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, carrot, onion and a dressing of olive oil and apple cider vinegar with oregano, basil and parsley and tomato soup (with lots of herbs, garlic, ginger and cream).