bowtwi

Ummm, well, uh, er, hmmmm, I have no idea how I did that. I thought it was funny cause someone just mentioned that movie where Tom Cruise slides across a floor wearing no pants and said it was a different movie and I corrected them. I'm usually the last one to see or retain lines from movies so I guess I just got too excited when I saw that here this morning. That was pre-coffee, but still, duh! And no, I have no earthly idea what movie this new line comes from. Please excuse the interruption. It feels like a typical dumba$$ attack to me.

I read it too. I liked parts of it and absolutely hated other parts of it. What I liked best was the freedom to think outside the box without condemnation. I also really liked the conversations it stirred up in my life. One day I was reading it in a hospital waiting room while I waited for a friend to have day surgery. The surgeon came out to tell me my friend's surgery went well and saw the book in my hand. He asked my opinion of it, said that he had just read it and hadn't decided yet if he'd liked it or not, but he was glad to have read it and thought it inspired him to think outside the box of what his established beliefs were.

Tom Cruise in Risky Business?

Yeah! Belle turned me onto freecycle.com and I've subscribed for a few years now. I got a glorious christmas cactus from a lady who just didn't have room for it anymore. It just bloomed for me! Tomorrow a lady is coming to my house to pick up all the little girly stuff I had for Annie's room to make it princessish - the canopy that hung from the ceiling over her bed, the pretty sheer curtains with the beads on them, the bedding fit for a princess in pinks and purples, Hello Kitty and Barbie junk - finally we'll be rid of them and this lady's 4-year-old granddaughter will be delighted to receive them. I'm tossing in a few books and a few dolls for good measure. I love freecycle! Now Annie's a teenager and into an entirely different style. It's great to know someone will enjoy that stuff.

I love this idea! Last week I attended a dinner theater with a friend who bought my ticket and arranged for neither of us to have to drive the hour-and-a-half to get there from out town. She said that a friend of hers had been treating her to dinner out for several years since her husband passed away and she'd been looking for someone to "pay it forward" to and lucky me - I got to see Church Basement Ladies 2 with some wonderful company! Especially these days when it seems most everyone is living below what we're used to, it's so refreshing to see people extending generous kindnesses.

Alright!!! Just what I needed to get my head back around right so I can get some work done - I've been so distracted today! LOL

Ha! Thanks, m - now it's runnin' thru mine too!

Bravo, Bravo!! Well told, my darlin' friend. I'm pleased to say I'm one of those friends that you met at Waydale and we've continued growing, raising our children together, laughing together, crying together, whatever was/is appropriate for the situation. I love that you're strong enough to kick my behind when I need it and you can take it when I feel the need to ask you why the face??? Someone just asked me over the weekend if I had known you face-to-face back in the day and I had to laugh because it sure feels like you've been my best friend since we were kids! I knew your way history pretty much most of it - but to read it and fill in what I had no idea about only brings me to respect and admire you all the more. I wouldn't have thunk that possible! Thank you for telling your story - I pray it frees you as much as telling mine did me. I love you and am so proud of you and pleased for you!!! (((((((Shell)))))))

Thanks, Hap! - as usual!

You Never Even Called Me By My Name By Steve Goodman and John Prine Probably better known as done by David Allan Coe Free one up for grabs

I understand, appreciate and agree with your response. One difference I see is that you don't now go back to twig fellowship and pick up where you left off as if nothing ever happened since you were gone and start posting complaining that the fellowship didn't treat some other person quite right or blogging at their site like a house a fire. Seems to me a bit tacky and rather in-your-face insulting to paw specifically and the rest of us in general. I have no idea who we collectively were not nice enough to. For all I know it was someone who came in here accusing us of lying abut vpw or lcm. I'm glad to see excathedra back and I hope it wasn't just a fly-by post to tell us how awful we are, but rather a return to the fun exchanges we used to have. Excathedra - I hope all is well in your world - your boy is at such a cool age now - I hope y'all are enjoying each other!

Linda - I'm impressed with most of your last post here and agree with most all of it. However, I have to say that since I was one person being trashed over there at that site a couple years ago back when IGotBagPipes started trashing paw and some others of us that I was shocked and stunned to see posters from here over there talking about paw by his real name and saying things that were really not only "not nice," but downright mean and untrue. I have no screenshots for proof, but as I ended up emailing someone in an attempt to explain things he thought I shouldn't be doing, I received email copies of threads from someone who was registered over there. It always stuns me and I would think I'd be immune to it now when I see people that have really benefited from this site throw temper tantrums, cause unsuspecting other posters to "take sides" and then leave in a huff only to return at some future time and stir up more poop. And somehow it seems worse when it's aimed at paw.

Well, it was all that I could do to keep from cryin'. Sometimes it seems so useless to remain.

Tzaia - Thanks for your thoughtful response. I appreciate it and agree with what you're saying.

Tzaia - I'm not understanding what specifically you would have us do differently. Do you think of us as counselors or facilitators for those still in twi and considering leaving? I mean no disrespect, but my understanding of this site's purpose is to tell the other side of the twi story and have some fun as we do so. We are cult survivors - we are not professionals and certainly anyone that needs that kind of help can and are often steered to that kind of help. I get that we're sometimes harsher than is comfortable, but isn't it human nature that when you see pain or trouble of any kind that you've encountered before you want to avoid it and maybe help someone else avoid it too? Maybe another site, called something like "Gentle and Painfree Help to Exit twi.com? Pardon the sarcastic tint here, but I'm trying to communicate. I've been stunned many times here at what is allowed to be said and left posted and what's been removed. Somebody has to make those calls and I think paw and the mods do an amazing and impressive job - and have since day one of this site. I remain thankful and impressed with GreaseSpotCafe and the staff.

[media][/media] Hey, Bolshe!

Harve Platig and Michael Fort? Weren't they rising stars in the cult? Wasn't Harve a VP at one point? Have they flown the coop? Is Howard Allen still living on grounds?

Well, it was all that I could do to keep from cryin'.

A year or two ago a greasespotter started calling me on the phone regularly. They were very excited about having a prayer partner and I wasn't opposed to it, was enjoying their company quite a bit and still believed in prayer and God and Jesus. But I hadn't really been to church much and hadn't been studying my bible - almost never since being kicked out of the cult. They asked me to pray with them and they did all the praying for a while. I'd listen intently and SIT in my head while they prayed out loud over the phone and when I knew they were done I'd say 'Amen'. One day they asked me to pray for them and just tell them whatever came to my mind. They had a specific question they were praying for an answer from God about. They said to me to just say whatever came to my mind, like in the old twi days. I was rather hesitant and I kinda stammered out what came to mind. It was NOT what they wanted to hear, but they said that they were sure I was 100% right on, that was what God wanted them to hear and that they had asked God to reveal to me what they needed to know in this situation. Since then they've asked me to pray numerous times - would simply ask me to pray and I would pray for whatever came to mind. They said each time that I hit it right on the head and they felt relief from what ailed 'em if it was a physical thing.

In 1982 I was 23 years old and found a lump in my breast. My family history was full of breast cancer and I was mighty scared. Long story shortened, I was ministered to by my friend that got into the way with me. Went back to the doctor for a second opinion and when he compared the films from the before and after being prayed for he said this didn't even look like the same breast!!! I'm 50 now and still nobody's had to remove anything from my breasts. Thank you, God!

Papa was a Rolling Stone (Temptations?)

That's it!!! Good call!

This is a great collection of information. How wonderful that you've compiled it into one place!

My daddy left home when I was three

All Shook Up - Elvis