Yep, I have an actual career now, and by the end of this year will be making nearly 3x what I made when we were still JWs.
Posts by Odrade
-
35Have you recovered financially since leaving the Tower?
by lovelylil inremember how many families (maybe even yours) struggled with money issues while being a jdub?
i remember lots of families under stress due to being jdubs.
you are always told by the tower not to work overtime if it conflicts with the meetings and not to go for higher education, for the same reason.
-
-
-
22
yet another email...
by puck injust got this one from my mom.... .
making the devil happy.
devil's beatitudes (happinesses).
-
-
Odrade
Thinking person's beatitudes
1.Blessed are those who put their energies into helping the unfortunate, for they will be accomplishing good works, not simply wearing a butt print from napping on the kingdom hall chairs 5 hours a week.
2.Blessed are those who thank those who expend themselves in honorable service, for appreciation is a small thing to give those who work hard, and lack of appreciation is one of the cruelest and most disheartening things to endure.
3.Blessed are the sensitive, for they are the keepers of kindness. They are the ones who make sure that the smaller and weaker do not become skinned and thrown about by the "shepherds."
4.Blessed are the the strongminded, (troublemakers,) for it is their challenges that maintain the integrity and prevent abuses of authority by the men in charge.
5.Blessed are the complainers, for without complaints there will be no improvement.
6.Blessed are those who strive for excellence and hold others to the same high standard, for they are the ones that provide high caliber education.
7.Blessed are those who do not turn their backs on the cruel and abusive, claiming that it is "none of their business," for they are the ones standing between predators and our children.
8.Blessed are those who are easily offended, for they teach all of us to be more compassionate, kinder and to watch what we say and what we do.
9.Blessed are those who carefully choose to give their available funds to organizations who adminster their charitable works with full disclosure to the public-for they know that their monies are being used for the hungry, sick and poor, not simply to fund real estate ventures.
10.Blessed is he who professes to love God, and hates and holds accountable his brother and sister when they abuse God's little children - for he is a true Christian.
11.Blessed are you who, when you read this, have the ability to recognize a wolf in sheep's clothing, and choose to exit an abusive organization.
-
56
My Wife Just Left Me Because of the Evil Watchtower
by rassillon inthis is very difficult to write because i am crying.
i am normally not the kind of person you will ever see cry because things don't affect me that much but this has got to be the hardest things i have ever went through.. i just got through discussing with my wife my feelings.
i guess it has been hard to hid some of the things that i have felt since i have learned that many of the wt teachings are false.
-
-
Odrade
I'm sorry rassilon. You say she has left before? Because of PMS and stuff? This is a problem she has. Don't let it make you feel wrong for being honest. This is a woman who runs away from her relationships whenever things upset her or don't go her way. It's not all just because you have finally stated what you feel about the WT. Even if she hadn't left over this issue, you two still have a problem. Again, I'm sorry, it's just that this pattern of running away for minor reasons kind of struck me as the primary issue.
-
29
Dog Owners: Is your pet a Killer?
by restrangled inone of my dobermans today, dragged a tarp off a pile of wood we had covered.
sure enough there was a large pink nose sticking out of the pile.
he went in and dragged out an oppossum which must have weighed fifteen pounds.
-
-
Odrade
Aw, Nina, I'm sorry about Moose. I was hoping his condition would be manageable. :( He was a cutie. I have a photo of him you put up in my screensaver slideshow.
-
27
My insensitive dub brats (found some pictures)
by MsMcDucket inwhen my husband was in the hospital, they told me that they had been going out of town to various states.
they were like mom, you didn't know we have drove to arkansas and (some other state) to go visit some unknown witnesses!
omg, i could of stroked!
-
-
Odrade
No, I don't think you're a bad mother for raising your kids JWs. You did (presumably) what you thought was right in that instance. But I do think that your blaming it on the WT might be missing the boat. Maybe they treat you that way because you treat them with a lack of respect.
I'm not projecting, and you're not my mother. MY mother doesn't treat me that way. When I said the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I meant you taught them to treat you with disrespect by the way you treat them.
I think lots of people blame their bad relationships on the WT, when really it is their own fault and due to their own actions. It is simply easier to blame it on some outside force than to accept responsibility for their own bad treatment of their "loved" ones, and the "loved" ones' consequent avoidance- which is then too easily labeled as "shunning."
-
27
My insensitive dub brats (found some pictures)
by MsMcDucket inwhen my husband was in the hospital, they told me that they had been going out of town to various states.
they were like mom, you didn't know we have drove to arkansas and (some other state) to go visit some unknown witnesses!
omg, i could of stroked!
-
-
Odrade
Nah, I'm just noticing a tendency for parents and children who have poor relationships with each other, due to their own actions, who then blame it on leaving (or staying) in the JW religion. But I guess you can call 'em insensitive brats if you want. You made 'em, you raised 'em. I'm guessing that apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
And yes, my mother caused a tremendous amount of damage to our relationship with her unwarranted name-calling. Fortunately, she learned to not do that. We missed quite a few years while she was figuring out how to treat her children respectfully though.
Not that I expect my words or experiences to have any effect on your actions, but somewhere down the line when your kids are still avoiding you, and you are still calling them names and imputing wrong motives, you might think about how things got that way. Or... you could just keep calling names, scapegoating the WT, and taking no responsibility for your lack of respect having some impact on the problem.
BTW, this isn't based on just this post. I've seen you bad-mouth your daughters for a long time. Yes, sometimes you brag on them, but it really seems like you think they're pretty worthless human beings. I feel sorry for them.
-
29
Dog Owners: Is your pet a Killer?
by restrangled inone of my dobermans today, dragged a tarp off a pile of wood we had covered.
sure enough there was a large pink nose sticking out of the pile.
he went in and dragged out an oppossum which must have weighed fifteen pounds.
-
-
Odrade
Neighbor's dog kills squirrels once in awhile, and she got a young raccoon a couple of years back. My dogs are weinies. (One of them is a weinie weiner. LOL!)
-
27
My insensitive dub brats (found some pictures)
by MsMcDucket inwhen my husband was in the hospital, they told me that they had been going out of town to various states.
they were like mom, you didn't know we have drove to arkansas and (some other state) to go visit some unknown witnesses!
omg, i could of stroked!
-
-
Odrade
:::And I still say that they are insensitive brats.
Glad you're not my mother. Why should they be anything else when you go around saying that's what they are? I notice also that you amended your initial post to call your daughter's lovely picture "looking provocative or whatever." I can't imagine a daughter wanting to tell you anything if that's your attitude towards her. Sad really, but I guess you can blame it all on your leaving the JWs. It's probably much easier that way.
P.S., Is your youngest also an insensitive brat for getting lost?
-
27
My insensitive dub brats (found some pictures)
by MsMcDucket inwhen my husband was in the hospital, they told me that they had been going out of town to various states.
they were like mom, you didn't know we have drove to arkansas and (some other state) to go visit some unknown witnesses!
omg, i could of stroked!
-
-
Odrade
"unfortunately," huh? The way I see it, the easiest way to alienate an adult child is to call her an "insensitive brat" for doing the normal, everyday things adults do. Now... if you ARE still footing all the bills that allow them to take a roadtrip, then surely they should let you know what they are doing with your car and your money. If it is their car, their money, they are on their own, and paying their own way, it is not being an "insensitive brat," it is called being on their own.
But I suppose only you know if viewing them as insensitive brats is the best way to improve your strained relationship with them. Frankly, I'd reserve that attitude for the times they REALLY do something insensitive and bratty... like shun you at the hospital while visiting their father.
-
27
My insensitive dub brats (found some pictures)
by MsMcDucket inwhen my husband was in the hospital, they told me that they had been going out of town to various states.
they were like mom, you didn't know we have drove to arkansas and (some other state) to go visit some unknown witnesses!
omg, i could of stroked!
-
-
Odrade
I often drive to another state on the highway without informing my mother. If she called me an "insensitive brat" for doing so, I would be highly incensed. I am an adult, and being such am not required to clear it with mommy if I want to take a road trip. Perhaps they are simply giving you the same measure of respect that you are giving them?