I was excited to meet another poster today! I've been left alone by the elders since the summer and feel like it's now "safe". Although I have a nice, small group of never JW friends, there is something about being around someone that lived with hearing/believing "the truth" at some point in their lives that is a bond unique from other relationships.
Our lunch went very well and hopefully we'll get together again soon! It can be nerve wracking to meet someone from online, but thanks to those of you that post your meetup experiences, we can have a tad more courage when making plans to meet.
P.S. - We are both frustrated that the local news hasn't covered the former elder found guilty of molesting young boys for more than a decade and recently sentenced to life. So, hopefully with our efforts and another ex jw we can get this story picked up by local news.