Someone suggested I post an introductory thread. So this is it.
Hi Everyone!
I am a married, rather young grandma of four precious rugrats, ages 2-9. I guess our only child son and his only child wife didn't want their own kids to be "onlies". My other half and I married rather young (18 &22) and will be celebrating 31 years together this summer.
I am sort of ADD, keep thinking I am still 28, love my husband now more than ever, and am so glad I woke up and left the crazy cult.
My husband and I began studying months after marrying and then decided to take the dunk. In the 18 years we were "in" we really were sincere and wanted to help people live forever. My husband went from MS to elder. Conducted the book study in our home. Never shared any of the private meeting stuff with me or others, and auxliary pioneered when he could. I was the perfect elderette. I pioneered. Took our son out in service with me until he began school. I often worked alone at the doors when an "odd out" publisher showed up or worked with the sister no one wanted to work with. Our son was baptized as a teen and was soon being groomed for MS. We had begun homeschooling him, so he often took the group out during the week. He was the substitute reader at our book study (still in our home), and helped with stage/sound and the magazine counter.
We moved around quite a bit (from TX to CA to NV) due to the job situation. I think our last move was the best, because it began our fade. Maybe we were just tired ... maybe it was too much effort to block our individual doubts. After moving to Nevada, within two years, we faded .... all three of us .... pretty much around the same time. We each had our own doubts and questions. We'd never discussed them. We didn't even discuss our fading, it was almost as though we telepathically agreed to it.
Since leaving, I finished getting my two year degree. My husband took some college courses. But now we work together at a great paying job that is actually a lot of fun. Our son at age 18 became a firefighter, but his true calling was law enforcement. He joined the military, had two deployments to Afghanistan and is a peace officer. Luckily our wonderful son does not resent us raising him in "the religion". We don't really have any bad feelings toward them really. It was a religious path that worked for us ... and then didn't.
We now completely embrace the pagan practices of Samhain (Halloween) and Yule (Christmas) as well as birthdays with our son and his family. We vote and are registered organ donors. I
Once I took the blinders off, I saw the world was not awful. People are basically kind. For all the bad in the world ... there is just as much good.
I've always loved writing, magic, and fairies ... and had to deny myself these passions. I began writing and completed a young adult fantasy series and am published! I am not rich or famous ... but getting those itty bitty royalty checks felt good! I am still writing and waiting to be discovered ... .
My favorite quote is from Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt "Do not fear death, but rather the unlived life. You do not need to live forever. You just need to live."
And now I am living like I mean it!
~ Forest Heathen 