We had a family in our congregation that you would not believe.
They were former bethelites, maybe that helps explain why the husband wore a woman's winter coat that was given to them! (he was really short).
They would do anything to save a penny. To get their son to take shorter showers they told him that it would automatically cut off after 5 minutes and then the father would go outside and under the trailer with a stopwatch and cut off the water! Is this theocratic war stratagy in action!
To save money on food the whole family would go dumpster diving! They would sift through the dumpsters at local grocery stores and salvage the vegetables that the stores threw out - and then they would brag about it if you were ignorant enough to accept their invitations for dinner!
This next story may be enough to out me in my small town, but I just have to tell this. I used to work for the fire department, and one time they were called out by a concerned citizen who saw a bunch of mutilated deer carcasses near their house, thinking it was someone involved in witchcraft or something sick. Well, you guessed it, it was our former bethel family, who had asked local hunters for the carcasses of deer they shot, and really I don't think I want to remember what they wanted them for, maybe they were going to skin them and make clothes?
I can't remember, and I'm not sorry.
On another subject, sorry for hijacking, but the mother would clip their fingernails and toenails (she never wore panty hose, just an unnecessary expense, you see) during the meeting!
They were so strange it would be difficult to make them up!
redredrose
JoinedPosts by redredrose
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redredrose
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26
Speaking of depression ...
by easyreader1970 ini didn't want to hijack the suicide topic because it was a bit more serious than what i am about to say.
not that what i am about to say is comical.
i've been dealing with major depression for the past year and a half or so.
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redredrose
No one can tell you what you need to do, we can only speak from our own opinions and experiences.
I can see that you are in a no win situation right now, if I read correctly you feel paralyzed.
I have suffered from depression for 40 years and I can only speak from my own experience. Seeing a psychologist helped me tremendously in learning different, less self defeating ways to think. He also helped me see the uses of medication in perspective. It is true that there are two basic types of depression, chemical imbalance and situational. In the case of chemical imbalance, it is easy to see that medication simply evens out that imbalance. For situational depression, medication can help in two ways; first, situational depression over time can cause a chemical imbalance and again, medication can even that imbalance out, next situational depression can be helped by medication at least temporarily because it can relieve the depression thereby enabling you to feel better and giving you the emotional and physical energy to make some changes in your life.
Depression is a soul sucking black hole, and I found it impossible to do anything about my life until the medication let me feel good enough to think and act.
Please get help from a professional and if they recommend medication, consider it seriously.
In my case with the help of counseling and medication, I have been able to make real changes in many areas of my life and I am at the point of being able to go it without medication, even after 40 years.
I truly hope you find what you need. -
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Has anyone here made their own beef jerky? Can you give me tips?
by UnConfused inthanks in advance
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redredrose
Echo JeffT and HappyDad:
You want it THIN, I used a round roast (when we were still going backpacking) and set it up in the freezer.
Sometimes I'd marinate it in soy sauce, Worchestershire, fresh grated ginger,fresh minced garlic, black pepper, crushed red pepper and a little mirin (a sweet Chinese cooking wine).
We liked it spicy!
I'd marinate the slices at least 24 hours before dehydrating it.
This is making me hungry! -
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redredrose
Lets see if I can remember:
James Taylor
Three Dog Night
Black Sabbath
Alice Cooper
Yes
Pink Floyd
ELO
Emerson Lake and Palmer
Led Zep
Blue Oyster Cult and Billy Preston
Cars
Jackson Browne and Emmy Lou Harris
CSN&Y
Prince
Santana
Dylan
Paul Mcartney
Jimmy Buffet (every year)
Deep Purple
Leon Russell
Black Oak Arkansas
Doobie Brothers
Jethro Tull
Moody Blues
Macy Gray
Alan Jackson
Toby Keith
Kenny Chesney
Tony Bennet and KD Lang
John Prine and Nancy Griffith
Tom Petty
Stevie Nicks
Doobie Brothers
Black Shelton
Kenny Wayne Shelton
Thats all I can remember now. Wow, so thats where half of my life went... -
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Attention Book Lovers!!!!!!!
by whyamihere inok, i am on my 8th book this month - not too bad for this mommy.
anyway, i've gotten back to my previous life of indulging myself into books that you can't put down.
little children by tom perrotta.. excellently portrayed 2 unhappily married suburbans who's repetitive wrong choices impact a their dull lives, yet alter your own moral thinking of them being heroic in their quest to find happiness with a self imprisoned/trapped marriage they each lead.
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redredrose
Ooh, you guys sound way more intellectual than I am!
I read for escapism: anything by John Connolly Every Dead Thing, Dark Hollow, etc; anything by Randy Wayne White Dark Night, Tampa Burn etc; Simon Green especially the Nightside series; historical mysteries Fiona Buckley; anything by Preston and Child,
adventure by Jeff Long Descent, and James Rollins Map of Bones and my very guilty pleasure is supernatural/vampire fiction Laurell K Hamilton, Kelley Armstrong...
I read alot and the library lets me do that and not bankrupt myself, lol
I'm jealous Rob! -
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How to find new friends?
by socialdistortion inhi... my name is chrissy & i have been away from the "truth" for 8 years now.
i married a "brother" when i was 20. i was humiliated by the "elders" in the backroom for oral sex & publicly humiliated but never disfellowshipped.
my husband & i left the truth together after moving away from the area where we lived when we were witnesses.
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redredrose
I feel what you're saying, and find myself in the same dilemma. My massage therapist and I have hit it off and she's gone out to dinner with me and my husband and I am planning on taking a sculpting class with her in the fall. Am also considering taking dance classes with my husband, that may be a way to make new friends. I'm also interested in cooking classes.
Maybe the answer is to get involved with things you are interested in and you may find friends that way.
I am not an expert, these are just ideas. -
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Your TOP TEN reasons why
by wobble incould i have your top ten reasons why "da troof" is not the truth ?.
i know it may be difficult to limit yourself to ten,or you may only have one,one is enough if it is big, after all,but i would love to have your thoughts.. peace and love to all,.
wobble.
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redredrose
I only needed one reason: they lied
they lied about the NWT
they lied about 1914
they lied about 1975
they lied, they lied, they lied!
Do I sound bitter? -
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do you love/like/tolerate/hate.... your job??
by oompa ini want to find something i love....so i will never have to work another day in my life.....maybe mark twain said that....not sure...but a good idea.................oompa
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redredrose
I agree with Changeling: What job?
Really, every job I've ever had eventually bored me, from writing for a newspaper to timeshare sales to executive assistant to the fire chief.
The only thing that hasn't bored me is living life to the full, traveling and learning, you tell me how to make a living doing that and I'll be materially rich.
Otherwise I hope I'll be content to be rich in life experiences. -
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I've had it... I'm gonna do it.
by Darklighter ini'll be free from the bondage of the watchtower pharisees.. after over a year now of researching my belief in god and the watchtower society, i'm convinced that i can't live my life untill i'm out.. they finally just a few weeks ago deleted me as an ms, over six months after i asked them to.
that's a big relief.
they didn't get the hint from my 2 hrs.
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redredrose
Darklighter,
Sounds like you've got off a to a good start in fading. I wish you every success in getting out and keeping your marriage intact.
There are some similarities in our situations. My husband also is disgusted with the authoritarian rules and legalese of the Witnesses, but he also believes that it is the Truth, even though he doesn't attend meetings and doesn't follow the 'rules'.
I hope that with patience he will finally see it for what it is, a lie!
I hope the same thing for you. -
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what is the best jwd thing to happen to you?...from another jwder
by oompa inhow good can it get here folks?...........many here care for each other....we need each other...but how much?.......how far??.....oompa.
btw...thanks all...many have made me laugh...and made me cry...and made me sober...(and some made me hor.ey).
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redredrose
I'm grateful I can't compete with that cleavage!
Finding JWD is the best thing that has happened to me in a while. It helped crystallize all the doubts I'd been having for years, and I found people that share the same experiences and emotions as me. For those of us raised in the Truth, that is a rare thing!
JWD has helped me not to freak out my family and friends still in and has helped me to express myself, which is hard for me to do.
Is is also the place where I discovered a longtime friend who is feeling the same thing as I am. You know who you are!