by garyneal 34 Replies latest jw friends
Hi Gary,
All is well here in Montreal Quebec except for the language politics. I've been retired now for 18 year and enjoying every moment by the grace of God. Life is good! Family is doing well; all my kids are working and no health issues to speak of. And so far I have two wonderful grandkids. And I'm working on a second book.
Glad you are back and hope you plan to stay and encourage some of the theological discussion you are interested in.
LoL...
My 1st ever exJW video I ever saw was back in Oct 2007.
I never even heard of "Beth Sarim""
And I saw some video in Oct 2007 talking about Judge Rutherford his 12 cylinder vehicles and "Beth Sarim""
And,,,
Heard a reference to the Proclaimers book 1993,,,I went and took the book out and confirmed it AND,,,
Voila,,,that month in 2007 I became PIMO,, and somehow stumbled across this site 2 years later in 2009,,,and here I am.
Bribie: "Do Christmas cards brighten up your life? If so I feel sorry for you!"
Sounds like your life could do with some brightening up! 🙄
GARYNEAL:
Welcome back!
NOTFORMER:
I also think the poster ‘Bribie’ can use some brightening up.🙄 When I first was ‘Fading’ from the Jehovah’s Witness religion - the FIRST thing I did was to send out Christmas/Holiday cards to my estranged non-JW relatives and family friends.
These were the good people I mistakenly turned my back on (on the say so of the religion). The religion wanted to isolate me from my friends and family!👎 At the end of my unhappy saga in the Witness religion, I came to realize my mistake and I am eternally grateful I was able to get in touch with all these people before it was too late! It was wonderful to be in touch and celebrate Christmas again and it brought back happy memories from childhood.
It felt great and I’ll always remember the feeling of coming back into the light after being in a dark place.
LongHairGal: it takes a special kind of killjoy to suck the fun out of life. The WT is especially adept at it. I've read lots of testimonies like yours about leaving the WT and being able to just let your hair down and enjoy a bit of fun with the broader community. It's a bit like leaving an abusive partner: a lot of people when they do so, their first actions are to do something that their abuser absolutely forbade or made a fuss about.
NOTFORMER:
You are so correct that leaving the JW religion is like leaving an abusive partner.
In so many ways they can ruin somebody’s life and I’m very Glad I got out!👍🏻
Leaving the WT Borg is like leaving an abusive partner on so many levels.
You hear ""where else would you go?"
Thats a gaslighting,,thought-stopping technique!
Its a form of ""hypnosis"",, what Rick is currently talking about on SixSreens.
Hey Gary! Sorry things didn't work out with your wife.
I am a ubm (never jw) and I also loved the Christmas cards. Why anyone would think that a simple act of kindness is a bad thing is beyond me.
My kids have grown up, married and kids of their own and luckily no jw's in the bunch. They have become Christians with churches of their choosing and all are happy. We still have a chuckle about dad being jw and how he tries to juggle holidays so he can be there for grandchildren. We shall see how it continues as the kids grow.
I wish all the best going forward even if it will be a bit scary as change often is. You have been through a lot, hope you give yourself permission to move forward and keep the love of your family in your life.
Hello Gary, I have stopped by myself after a 15-year hiatus from posting for a return visit. I think I had already left by the time you arrived. I came back by because someone I never thought would wake up from the Borg did and it got me to thinking about all of us who passed through this site and I wondered if they might be here right now, the same place I was 19 years ago.
It has been interesting to see what has changed and what remains the same and for sure the soul sucking, life hating and fun adverse mindset that the Borg wears like a badge of honor is tough to shake but given enough time it's possible.
Best wishes for a satisfactory outcome on your personal issues.
