by gumby 44 Replies latest jw friends
My experience: JWD has been a tremendous place of healing, and also has made me rip off scabs and experience emotional pain and intellectual growth that I most probably would not otherwise have done.
Most important, for me, has been the IRL friends I've made via this db.
It's all good! And I'm still on the journey.
LOL Richie about the shoe thing. I am hoping he comes home saying it was "found" . I hope to clarify that I didnt mean I was ever ashamed of being a cleaning lady, I actually enjoyed cleaning the office, just not my own house.......lol. But as you know the world of JW's are filled with everyone in the cleaning business. Which was really great for us at the time,,,,,,,but still we had to limit the amount of work we took in, limiting our income, because we were pushed to do more in the field ministry and to reach our to pioneer.
It really sickens me when I personally know of so many brilliant young ones still in the congregations, who are giving up scholarships, further education, only going to a certain level of college because it is only a year or two, instead of three or four.
This one young brother, is washing windows, dont get me wrong, nothing wrong with that at all,,,but this young man is brilliant , he only had to go to college for one more year to qualify for being an engineer. The elders talked him out of it, and talked him into pioneering.
I know it will not be the window washing he regrets one day, but it will be the loss of his dream, the one he gave up , of being an engineer, when he finds out the WT is a lie.
((((((((((((((((( Craig)))))))))))))))))) I am still on that journey right with ya my brother.........love ya , Dede
((Dede)) my dear lady! Ahhhh, how many many hours we all spent in chat, eh? You are indeed one of those precious folks who bring happy tears to my eyes.
And to a whole bunch of others (I'll not name names )...
A very thankful Craig
Dede,
I was visiting my daughter (one of those rare occasions - you see I am df'd and she is supposed to shun me, and she does!) and the subject of education came up. She said to me that "Dad, you never allowed us to go to university" - I couldn't believe what I heard: Of course I deep down wanted her to go to college but the Society not so indirectly stated that university/college was a trap and you don't need it, you get a trade and pioneer because the end is near blah blah blah. My daughter said that this was not true and that the Watchtower never said that! I told her that it was true and that I will show her older articles where they discouraged any witness from attending university. She said that was not necessary, hinting that this was a apostate-plot of some kind.
Now the WTS is back-pedalling and they have more of a neutral stand on education. Now it's our fault and not the Watchtower's fault. Don't get me wrong: I wanted her to get at least a college education, but then again I was "pre-occupied" by reaching out to become an elder and the Society strongly advised against higher education. You see their tactic?
I told my daughter to go back to school, but now she says she is too busy helping her husband with his cleaning business and she has 2 children as well. I told her it's never too late to get a higher education: just take a couple of courses and even if it takes twice as long, you eventually will have your degree.
Richie :*)
What a great father you are Richie, I am sure you daughter is probably stuck with the cleaning business and the JW rules for now. Keep talking to her telling her to go ahead a take some course when the kids are a little older maybe. That is what I plan to do.
I know how you feel , I feel really bad because I homeschooled my kids, and thankfully my oldest son is in high school being a normal kid, but my younger two have to finish up this year at home studying. I will have them in school next year. Another JW mistake that takes time to repair ya know. Where we live we were "encouraged" to homeschool our kids. But the society will deny they ever said that , but you know how it is , the elders say they have instructions from the "slave" on matters, or new letters etc, and you do what they say.
But like you said, it is never too late to fullfill stolen dreams. Don't be so hard on yourself about it, we as parents really were doing what we thought was the best, mainly that we were literally saving our children's lives. We see now that we may should have done things alot differntly , but we can't go back, if only we could , right?
So what you told your daughter was great advice and it is up to her if she wants it bad enough.
