Question for Tina

Maximus

Skimming earlier, I noticed the name Satir.

I had occasion to work with a very special older woman who was an absolute delight. She had trained with Virginia Satir, who is now long dead, and VS had invited her to be part of her Peace group. (Starts with an A?) Have particularly fond thoughts of her.

I don't have access to some of the texts, but would love to have a copy of her poem "I Am Me and That's Okay." If you run across it or otherwise have access to it, would you post it? Helped me through some tough times, after all those years of being told "you've not quite made it and and it's all your fault."

My first organizational appointment was Advertising Servant--I doubt that any on this board have been around the organization long enough to know what it was. At each upward step, I thought it would get better. It didn't. I've held every position there is in the field.

I was convinced that when I got to Bethel the view would get better. It didn't. Surely when I made CO things would get better. They didn't. And DO work exposed me to the same thing, only on a wider scale. Helped a lot of people along the way, and I feel good about that.

Where were you when I needed you, Virginia? Sigh. For a worldly old bat, she was dynamite.

Thanks, Tina
Maximus

bijou

My Declaration of Self-Esteem

by Virginia Satir

I AM ME

In all the world, there is no one else exactly like me
Everything that comes out of me is authentically me
Because I alone chose it - I own everything about me
My body, my feelings, my mouth, my voice, all my actions,
Whether they be to others or to myself - I own my fanatasies,
My dreams, my hopes, my fears - I own all my triumphs and
Successes, all my failures and mistakes Because I own all of
Me, I can become intimately acquainted with me - by so doing
I can love me and be friendly with me in all my parts - I know
There are aspects about myself that puzzle me, and other
Aspects that I do not know - but as long as I am
Friendly and loving to myself, I can courageously
And hopefully look for solutions to the puzzles
And for ways to find out more about me - However I
Look and sound, whatever I say and do, and whatever
I think and feel at a given moment in time is authentically
Me - If later some parts of how I looked, sounded, thought
And felt turn out to be unfitting, I can discard that which is
Unfitting, keep the rest, and invent something new for that
Which I discarded - I can see, hear, feel, think, say, and do
I have the tools to survive, to be close to others, to be
Productive to make sense and order out of the world of
People and things outside of me - I own me, and
therefore I can engineer me - I am me and

I AM OKAY

RipVanWinkle

Maximus,

I remember the Advertising Servant. Seems like it was kind of a forerunner to Magazine / territory. Still have my magazine bag.

I go back to the "servant to the brethern". A.A. Worsley was our first back in the early '40's. Those were the guys who had to "rough it". They were there for the love of God and the WORK.

RVW

Maximus

Way to go, bijou!!

I'm most grateful.

Yesterday was the first Father's Day I've had in my life. My offspring just spoiled me rotten, together with their spouses. A joyous occasion. They have accepted their JW roots--but they've happily moved on, well adjusted and very secure in themselves. Virginia Satir would have loved it.

Felt like a king.

"It's good to be the king."--Mel Brooks

Maximus

larc

Hi RVW,

Welcome. I have not seen your earlier posts, but I was intrigued by your memories from the '40's. I have some memories from that era as well. Keep posting, good buddy!

larc

Maximus,

I am so happy for you. The JW's are so wrong about celebrations - how it makes people self centered and all. What it does is make people happy to be loved and appreciated. All three of my grown up kids made a point to call me on father's day. Gave me a warm feeling, and my son gave me a present. Hey, is life good or what?

Maximus

I was replying while your post came in, Rip.

::I remember the Advertising Servant. Seems like it was kind of a forerunner to Magazine / territory. Still have my magazine bag.

Decorated the store-front Kingdom Halls too. Did you use the special wooden blocks to wash it and keep it in shape? "Learn the remedy for world distress. Read The Watchtower." Slogans. Testimony cards. Groan.

::I go back to the "servant to the brethern". A.A. Worsley was our first back in the early '40's. Those were the guys who had to "rough it". They were there for the love of God and the WORK.

Good Lord! Art Worsley! He REALLY knew where all the bodies were buried. What a shame Knorr didn't let him marry as he wanted to. Too bad he could not have written his REAL story in the Watchtower. Jeff Schwem is so right. There were men who really put their heart and soul into it. And Art was one of them. Hated it when he had to play the game.

At that time period, guess who my servant to the brethren was? Young guy fresh out of Gilead who loved God and his brothers, and who was the epitome of Christianity then and now. Ray Franz.

Maximus

RipVanWinkle

Larc,

Those were "the good ol' days" for a lot of different reasons. There were so few of us. about 200,000 worldwide, and we needed each other. (persecution in the form of imprisonment due to the war, expelling from school because of the flag salute issue etc. etc.) We helped one another and overlooked imperfections. Of course this was before the early 50's with Dfing.

Today we've got BIG numbers and we have become a "throw away" society where people get thrown out and and the elders say "there's more where these came from".

So sad.

RVW

larc

RVW,

My first memories of a Kingdom Hall was about 1945. It was a rented room up above a business with a congregation of about 40 people sitting on folding chairs. It was after WWII and some people you met at the door would spit in our face or threaten you with them getting out their shot gun if you didn't leave their porch in a hurry. During WWII, my mother's cousin spent three years in prison for not serving in the war. It was a tough time to be a pacifist.

RipVanWinkle

Maximus,

No store front. We had a meeting hall up 30+ steps with a pot bellied stove. Toasted on one side - frozen on the other in winter. Roasted during the summer and collected water by the buckets when it rained since the roof leaked. The leaks were all by the front platform and it was not unusual for our speaker to get a little shower every now and then. We had no restroom - had to use the town's facilites which were about 3,000- feet away. Just hoping that there was no "hurry call".

Yes I remember the slogans for the WT. and Consolation. Still have my testimony cards and phonograph with records.

Also have my pictures of Br. Knorr followed by his sweetheart who later became his wife. Those pictures were from the St. Louis assy.(1941) In case you wonder if I'm really an antique, I must confess I didn't take the pictures, just have possession of them.

You're right Worsley was a good man. Nothing flowery, but loved Jehovah. Later we had J.W. Filson, D, Stull, L.L. Rockwell.(not in that order.)

It's unfortunate that some who were so obedient lost so many joys in life like marriage/children. I have family members who never married because that was for the new world. They grew old without the support they needed. As family we have tried to help each other.

If we can't enjoy the present what makes us think we can be happy with more?

RVW

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