Belle

How many of you experienced TWIt's version of being especially good unto THE household? I had surgery and was out of work and off my feet for a week. Only one couple in my area called the day of my surgery and I never heard from anyone else the whole time. A co-worker and friend (non-TWIt) cooked dinner for my ex and me. She brought it over and visited with me while I ate. She called almost every day to see how I was and if there was anything we needed or that she could do to help my ex. Lots of other co-workers, friends and family called to check on me, sent me cards, etc. Nada, nothing, zilch from anyone in TWI. ***** A girl in my branch had a late term abortion because of a problem with the baby. We were told to leave her alone, not to bother her, call her or send her cards. I later spoke with her about it and she said it was the hardest thing she ever had to do in her life. She was awfully hurt that not one person called to check on her or show any concern for her and her family. ***** A girl in a neigbhoring branch got arrested unjustly. Her bc said that he would take care of the situation for her, but never bailed her out of jail. She was left in prison for three days until her roommate got p1ssed that no one in the branch (many people knew) bailed her out. They were afraid to because the bc said he was "handling" it. He handled it by asking her if any of her family members could help her out. NO. She quit talking to them according to TWIt rules that if they "refuse da verd" (da verd = TWIt) then they weren't to be family. *** The more important/favored you are, the bigger your birthday recognition *** I realize there ARE stories of people really helping others, going out of their way to take care of people, but I think a lot of those are people acting on their own (like the girl's roommate) or certain favoritism among TWIt's elite. Has anyone else witnessed this sort of behavior or was it unique to my area?

Dan Ackroyd 1941 John Belushi

Pulp Fiction John Travolta Get Shorty Thanks, Raf! That was hilarious!

It's really true, OM. If you have a mortgage you are no longer considered an advanced class grad because you are not living up to the ac grad standard. You can not be a hfc, you can not attend the ac or the ac special and you can not go wd or wc. You can offer your home for them to run classes, hold fellowships and meetings. You can provide snacks and serve on class crews. You can give minimum 15% of your income to TWI. You can string chairs. You can clean the wc's home, mow their yard and any other piddly things they ask you to do. You can help the wc when they move. You can ALSO babysit for free when asked. Doesn't it sound great? ;)--> I'll bet you can't wait to get that invitation to return.

Very cool, O&A. Thanks for sharing your story with us.

Jack Nicholson The Witches of Eastwick Cher From the Hip is an excellent movie and, yes, it's from his brat pack days (I'm from that generation and was a huge Judd Nelson fan, what can I say? I highly recommend it! I resemble Elizabeth Perkins in the opening scene in the mornings. I'm tickled to have stumped the experts!! :D--> :D--> :D-->

Misheard Lyrics I found this site. It has some really good ones on it. BTO's, "Taking Care of Business" (Make Correction) (Suggest Different Misheard Lyrics) Misheard Lyrics: Well you get up every morning at the long cock's warning Take the 8.15 into the city Correct Lyrics: Well you get up every morning at the alarm clock's warning Take the 8.15 into the city The Beatles', "A Day In The Life" (Make Correction) (Suggest Different Misheard Lyrics) Misheard Lyrics: Nobody was really sure If he was from the House of Porn. Correct Lyrics: Nobody was really sure If he was from the House of Lords.

Yeppers! AND you can do all these things and not have to worry about getting "reproved" for putting your hobby above your "spiritual goals" because you are missing TWIt functions. :D--> Definitely PRICELESS!!!

I think mj and peahead need to take reading lessons.....or maybe all the rest of us do. They are obviously seeing different stories than we are. Privvy to more information. Maybe they read through their crystal balls. Maybe they're more spirtuall than the rest of us and "just know" more. I, for one, would much rather have Ned Flanders children than Ozzy Osborne's. I think people like mj and peahead are so jaded, bitter and unhappy that they just don't know what it's like to have people do nice things for you "just because". They probably don't know what it's like to be "really" loved either. TWI love may be the only love they know and we all know that's poisonous love with all kinds of strings attached.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROR!!!

Mr. H, :D--> You are a perfect gentleman. HCW, you've got the moves down pat! We did work on our technique for deflecting unwanted advances. I also learned quickly to put my Bible and stuff up across my chest before the hug so that I wouldn't be pressed into the guy. Some guys would pull you in so close you were touching from your toes to your shoulders. I hated that! I got pretty good at cheek deflection and Bible barriers.

:D--> :D--> :D--> :D--> :D--> :D--> :D--> :D--> If you believe that one I have some ocean front property in Arizona.

JT, you are right on the money, but it's many who ARE in TWI don't believe what's being taught. :)--> Many that I know and a few who have been trying to figure out how to get around the legalism. Maybe they're lurking here and will see how to do it. I wonder what the relatives of these people must think about TWI and their kids...."Hey, Dad, we'd like to buy a house but we can't buy a house because of TWI rules.....So could you maybe....?" I thought of asking my parents to do that but didn't have the guts to. I was too embarrassed to ask them to do something like that because of a stupid rule that everyone knows isn't right. skyrider, you're absolutely right about homeowners having other obligations and focuses. If you buy your kids are in the same school, on the same little league teams, you shop at the same stores, etc. It's much easier to become rooted and grounded in your community and then those friends and obligations start competing with TWI. That's why they don't want people to have hobbies or do anything that might take time and focus away from your devotion to TWI. It's all bout control. You're story is right on.....stick to it! :)-->

There's the one about the ABS the guy asked for back, but it's not about sex. There's the other lawsuits about copyright infringement and basic bully tactics. I don't know how those people sleep at night. I wonder if they even believe in God and that they'll have to answer for these things one day.

LMAO! Don't stop! I'm loving reading these!

Perfect! That bears repeating. It reminds me of someone saying that people who talk about sex all the time most likely are the ones NOT getting it. ;)--> I'd rather see a sermon any day than hear one. TWI was rather verbose and bombastic when it came to spiritual matters, but terribly lacking in the "proof" department. Vickles, I had to chuckle at your parking spot and green light spirituality. I found myself doing similar things and thinking I was so "it". GAWD, it's embarrassing now! Satori, I do find myself thinking of teachings or the significance of numbers occasionally but I try to catch myself and dismiss the thought as quickly as I can. It's part of getting rid of waybrain for me. Good questions you asked.

I think the leaders in my area were working double time trying to get me and my ex together. They were always making comments to each one of us separately about the other one and encouraging a relationship. It was when they quit trying to set us up that we started noticing one another. Now that I think back on it, though. I wonder if he didn't just want to be married and I was one of the only single girls his age in the area. He expected me to change so much that between he and TWI I really did become a different person. I think maybe I was in TWI and about the right age and so he figured he would make me into the woman he really wanted to love. :(--> There was extreme pressur on the single people I knew to find someone in TWI to marry. People would meet someone at a function and move to live closer to them, then it didn't work out and they would go through the same steps. Heck, TWI won't even marry two people when one of them isn't in TWI. And it's very rare for them to approve of a marriage when they aren't both advanced class grads! Naw....it's not legalistic.....it's not a cult...it's all in your imagination.

Or something.......He didn't take his own advice and he didn't even believe it. He only said what he said because "not everyone was spiritually mature enough" to handle the truth. --> I, too heard of people getting in trouble for sleeping around before marriage and you certainly weren't allowed to live together. But funny how there were different standards for the "inner circle"....er....spiritually mature.

I LOVE hearing about the WOW stories. :D--> It really blesses me to hear about the blessings and growth y'all experienced. It blesses me beyond what words can express that I never had the blessings that y'all had. :)--> Maybe I should join you on the Family Tables.

Sad, really sad. I wonder if those girls had "counsellors" much like the ones abused by lcm had. Telling them they were doing the right thing. --> It's so hard to believe that parents would believe the word of a coach over the word of their own children, but we've all been too close to a similar situation to know it doesn't happen. Think about what that does to the children's faith and confidence in their parents.

The ONE time Bob M had a "real job", he was fresh out school and it consisted of two menial jobs, didn't it? He's not one for "real work". Danny's example says it all. He thinks he's too far above the "average" man.

What was the reasoning behind separating married couples? That's nuts!

The Breakfast Club Judd Nelson From the Hip

I don't think I know about a Bennett lawsuit either. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? I can't believe WayDale was up a whole year before the lawsuits exposed martinfart. I can't believe how long I lurked before finally being set free! The personal stories are phenomenal, exciting and excruciating to read. The "Night That Will Live in Infamy" thread about the suicide was heart wrenching and really showed me what an awful group of people I had given power over my life. I think the personal stories really helped me see that I wasn't alone and that I wasn't imagining things.

Waterbuffalo, maybe HCW deserves the benefit of the doubt. I recently sent him a pt and gave him my e-mail address. He responded in the e-mail and said that he had responded to the pt as well, but I never got it. I had changed e-mail addresses and thought perhaps my notice had gotten lost in the process but see that there is no response posted in my pt's. HCW, to reply to a Private Topic: At the top of the forums choose GO then MY SPACE then PRIVATE MESSAGING then go to the Private Message and open it like you do the forum threads. then click REPLY like you do on the forum threads. If you only respond by clicking REPLY on the e-mail notification about the private topic it gets lost in la la land or goes to the moderators or something like that. :)--> Sorry, I would have told you sooner if I had realized that is probably what you were doing. Thanks for the pictures and LOL! Yes, someone that stylish and carrying extra shoes around WOULD have been under spiritual suspicion in TWI II. ;)--> I'm glad you were spared that horrible aspect of TWI.