Bramble

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Each opinion is a religion unto itself

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A list i'm on uses UPG (unverified personal gnosis.)

Rosie is pretty ugly, but she can't spoil my memories of Amazing Sea Monkeys.

Their fav song, 'Hey, Hey We're the Monkeys' keeps rolling through my mind today. They seem very close.

I think they kept some unamazing door knockers from my door today!!!!

Quote from Ckeer

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Another example from TWI 2- anyone else remember what I called loyalty/humility tests? one example might be to require a believer to do repairs on his home within a certain period of time- or some other task- perhaps lose weight. Or tell one spouse that they could not come to twig or fellowship with believers for a week or two to see if that lead to "Godly repentence" and then when that spouse squared away pull the same stunt on the other one if they got out of line. I belive it may have contributed to if not caused divorces.I know it strained my marriage.

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Ckeer, we went through all of that from '96 on, until we left in '99. I believe the HFC was trying to bust up our marriage. He was a major LCM wannabe--even grew a goatee like LCM's.

Yeah, we couldn't keep up, either. Just a matter of time before we were kicked.

Household fellowship teachings were deadly boring.

One HF was a regurgitated Way Mag Article--current Way Mag--, the next a regurge of the Sunday night Service tape(most recent,) the third a segment from Craig's class.

'As we stand in the Household and follow our leadership . . . blah de blah de blah.'

Insurgent--I remember this, too, but can't remember the where or when. Adv class '98??

I do remember the attitude--Man, he is a big spiritual dawg.

Rowf

In the late nineties we had a dress code--casual (jeans), casually nice (no jeans), casually elegant (dresses, nylons, sport coats, suits.) Even children were expected to follow the dress codes.

We went to a weekend camp/limb meeting in 97 that was 'casually nice', so the kids couldn't wear denim shorts.

Eventually household fellowship was deemed 'casually nice' so no jeans or tank tops etc there.

Branch/ limb meetings were casually elegant, so we were as dressed up as the local churches on Sunday.

I,ve been thinking, hmmm.

Maybe my Amazing Sea Monkeys didn't really die. Maybe. . . it was all a plan to foil the DARK MONKEY!!

Maybe they faked their deaths by floating, and escaped through the sewer system to go MOW.

Have a great year , my lovelies. I'll see you at the MOA!

Gosh, didn't the preparation and 'believing' of TWI prevent Y2K from being a world shaking disaster?

Imbus, I'm sorry you had to go through that, both the past ugliness and being being treated badly by that poster.

Oh, Cleaning! We had the blessing of cleaning the limb home--or doing their enormous lawn-- every other month or so. They rotated it around the branch so every one got to 'give.'

The LC was married with teen age children, neither worked outside the home--full time twi, mid nineties-- but they needed help cleaning their home. Sheesh.

Here's one:

Preschoolers can't have an imaginary friend because it is a devil spirit.

Oh my, you really have your hands full. My heart goes out to you and your family.

Despite their ages, it seems like they need the type of supervision and responsibilities you would give a much younger child, like a two or three year old, just to keep the chaos manageable.

May you find the strategies and help you need for your family.

IMHO LCM meant that if you leave the Way, you will be a greasespot--as in you will be hit by a mack truck and after your remains are scraped away all that will be left of you is a greasespot on the road.

People left because they were weak, slothful and/or hardhearted, in TWI's view. And weak equals evil, unproductive evil. Hiding out in the household, causing weakness to spread etc. Weakness brings down strength, ya know.

Obituary

The Amazing Sea Monkeys, not from Mars but from Wal Mart, have left this troubled world to join their Brethren in the Great Briny Deep.

They were hatched two weeks ago, lived long and happy lives, and reached the Amazing size of 3/4 of an inch!!

They died of natural causes (and, um, a shocking water change,) and were flushed this morning in a lovely blue swirl.

I am assurred in my heart that they will reach the Pacific. I think I can hear them singing. . ."Monkeys, Monkeys, Monkeys, Sweetest Name we know. . . " in their teeny tiny voices.

On the thank you letters--a bunch of people in my fellowship had to rewrite our letters. Not gushy enough?? We had to be 'more specific' about the changes WAP made in our lives.

I spent the whole class kind of stunned and couldn't remember what was taught once a segment was over. Yikes, I had to drag out my sylabus.

Okay, a shallow moment--

One of my kids was in a music thing at the Episcopal church. Their choir sang, mostly middle aged and elderly folk.

They wore lovely mauve(matched the pew pillows) choir robes with those pointy stoles, with gold embroidery, very flattering. No chubby ladies stood out like they were wearing a shiny tent.In fact, I don't recall much about the ladie's(or men's) weight issues.

They should spend some ABS and get some flattering choir robes--far less distracting(and embarassing.) They could embroider a way logo on them.

Okay, when will I learn??? That was twenty minutes I'll never get back.

The SIM worked!! Mittens has left the Amazing Sea Monkeys from Wal Mart not from Mars ALIIIVE!!

The Dark Monkey has been defeated!

Oh no! Now my fuzzy black cat has noticed my succulent monkeys!

Could the cat be working for the Dark Monkey?? I've often suspected a dark side within Mittens!

My Amazing Sea Monkeys from Wal mart not Mars, are this>. . . . .

Now I am concerned about the red arm bands and MOW, because they are almost grown--perfect targets for the DarkMonkey.

Must be vigilent(lant?)

I will light a candle. Dark Monkey hates that, right?

Gulp. Or will it draw the Dark Monkey to my humble moutain home???

I actually heard from the Major-College-Boyfriend-Who-Broke-My-Heart a few years ago.

About a year after we broke up--a difficult time--his brother died in a car wreck. This was about four months before I met the wows, my senior year in college. Anyway, I had known his brother well (they were only a year apart in age and very close,) and had visited his family several times, so I went to the funeral with a mutual friend. Nearby town.

The ex was a mess. He was in law school so we weren't at the same college anymore, hadn't seen each other in a year. We talked for quite awhile, not about us, but about his brother, no animosity. It was good.

Anyway, the ex contacted me after he saw an obituary for a family member. My maiden name was unusual, and he knew my home town etc.

He sent a card, because he remembered his brother's funeral. We emailed a couple times, just catch up stuff, how old our kids are etc, no fishing for anything.

It was good to hear from him after all these years.We dated for three years, so I have lots of memories of him. I had always wondered what his life turned out like.

My Amazing Sea Monkeys not on Mars but from Wal Mart, have almost doubled in size. I can't see if they have wrist bands yet, they move too fast.

Ala, the sleepover was a success, not much sleep had by all, including me. The cucumbers apparantly did their beautifying jobs, and the skinny braids gave every one that frizzed out look.

My Amazing Wal Mart sea Monkeys($3.98) are this long>

I have a brother who was homeless for several months, due to undiagnosed mental illness. My father finally found him and took him home. He was living in an abandoned car.

My brother was never able to overcome the illness and lead a 'normal' life. He lived the next twenty some years with my parents in the family home, where he did most of the yard work and house cleaning during the last years of my parent's lives.

Now he is living on his own, but my siblings and I oversee him, plus handled his finances etc. If he was on his own, he would be in a state facility, or, more likely, since he isn't violent, on the streets.

My Dad had a tragic childhood--raised in an orphange in the Depression, saw a sibling bleed to death, had another sibling adopted while he was left behind, farmed out to foster homes where he did the farm work of grown men. He certainly knew what hard times were. . . and he was always compassionate and giving, he volunteered, donated time and money to the types of causes we were taught to despise in TWI.

I aim to be like my Dad, not like what I was taught all those years in the way.

Insurgent--that is exactly the way I remember it.

If some beloved saints walk away from the true household of God, then it is up to the leadership to communicate to the household about these people's secret faults and failings.

The finger of blame and perversion must always point at those that leave, because the Way is Perfect.

Yup