Dear All,
It's a little over a year now (2 years last February) that my family and I left Watchtower and I can't begin to tell you how wonderful life has been!
OK, I'm saddled with a serious illness at present and enough has been said about it, but I'd just like to focus on how much a family can really grow once it has been freed from Watchtower's yoke. Not only are my wife, two sons and I closer than ever, there is real honest laughter back in the house - which has become a real home! My two sons are fast growing up and last Tuesday Karl, the older son (20), took himself off to Milan for the day. He went to watch Manchester United play AC Milan in the San Siro and even though his team lost the match 1-0 he said he thoroughly enjoyed himself. He strolled around Milan during the day until it was time to watch the soccer match in the evening and then caught the flight back home to Manchester. Karl is doing everything I would love to have done at his age, but didn't have the guts or the money to do.
Dominic (15), also, is revelling in his freedom. He, too, follows Manchester United and regularly accompanies Karl to home matches. He also spends an hour a day at the gym and is fast becoming a strong young man.
Claire and I are just happy that they are both happy. Claire loves to read, going to the gym, doing yoga and walking the dogs, while I love to study and practice Buddhism and listen to New Age music, which is so soothing and relaxing.
We currently have the builders here as the house is in need of much alteration. It was previously owned by an elderly widow and, as you can imagine, much renovation needed undertaking when we first moved in and is still ongoing.
Claire and Dominic have also been to the theatre a couple of times and, of course, Saturday mornings are now taken up with shopping and gardening, or doing other normal things we never had time for under Watchtower. And being able to have a lie-in is a real blessing I realise what overly-zealous nuts we used to be, never missing field misery or meetings and always volunteering to help out with any KH work. No wonder we were always shattered and we now realise it is another of Watchtower's ways of keeping people under control. If one is constantly busy doing JW work there's no time for other things.
The greatest happening of all, however, is the amount of true friends that are now in our lives. They take us for what we are, warts and all! That includes you dear people here who have helped our exit be one of ease. Thank you so much!!
Just thought I'd let you all know and, hopefully, encourage others recently out or trying to exit that there really is a wonderful life after Watchtower.
Love to all,
Ian & Claire
XX