classylady

Traveler, I always read your comments. I don't necessarily agree with everything you say, but I don't feel like your posts are in anyway mean-spirited.

I need a laugh button.

When things are going wrong in my life I feel guilty that perhaps I'm not counting my blessings enough. But, you know what? Sometimes life is just plain hard, even when counting the blessings.

Sending hugs your way.

Will be going back to Hauns Mill later this year. We are curious to if anything has changed since we last visited.

I don't understand how you see MWS as an extreme group.  Their mission statement reads:
 
Mormon Women Stand is a collaborative online effort to join like-minded female members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who share a desire to make a public stand as witnesses of Jesus Christ and in support of 'The Family: A Proclamation to the World'. We believe standing together will reflect the divine nature and power that LDS women are endowed with to influence others for good. We unequivocally sustain the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles—commissioned by God and sustained as prophets, seers, and revelators. We support how the Lord has delegated priesthood authority to organize and administer the gospel among all of His children.
 
What is wrong with a group that is standing together for the beliefs that many women in the church hold and that is supporting our leaders, supporting the Proclamation to the World regarding families and supporting the Priesthood as was organized here on earth under the direction of Jesus Christ himself?

Do they have a legal/moral reason for keeping them? Are they claiming them as an offset for a debt you owe them or maintenance they did on your condo, for example?
If not, I'd sue them in small claims court and report them to local police. Yeah, you were a bit of a schmuck; but this is still thievery and they WILL do it to someone else, because that's the kind of people they are. (Right?). I submit that you might have a moral obligation to their future victims. If you won't stop them, then who will?
(As for the original question: no-brainer to me. They swindled you; the relationship's over. You don't need to get all dramatic and tell them why it's over; but you sure as heck don't need to seek out their company anymore. Let them fade out of your life.)

Sounds like you'd love love love Elmore Leonard's style of writing.
He's written something like a gazillion (okay, more like 40 or 50, so not that many) books, although so many of them have been turned into films & tv series it seems like more (Get Shorty, Justified, etc.).
He's almost pathological about using as little description as possible.
Actors & Directors love him, because his stories create these huge outlines for them to play in.
Readers split 50/50. Between those who love/need imagery in a story, and those who hate it and skip over.
Q

I look at it differently.....Yes. I wouldn't be happy about not getting it back....however.....I would want to forgive them so the sin if any is on their head and not mine....there could always be a time in your life when your all in the Temple and the same time and in the same session and you wouldn't want this to detract from your growth..

I felt impressed to write this. 
 
Sticks and Stones - A Parable

Church membership goes back about four or five generations on both sides of my family. I was baptized at eight years of age by my grand father, and I had my home teacher confirm me a member. It was my choice as to who baptized and confirmed me. I'm sure that if my father was alive I would have chosen him.
 
I would say that I've been active all my life, but there was a time during my teenage years that I only attended Sacrament Meeting. I was uncomfortable around the girls in my Young Women's group in my ward, so very seldom attended Mutual, and never went to Girls Camp. I wish I could have gotten over my shyness and lack of self-esteem that I had at that time.
 
I served a mission in Germany. It was the best time of my life, and also one of the hardest. It helped me overcome my shyness and my lack of self-esteem. I came home very confidant and with a strong testimony.
 
I wish I could say that having a strong testimony meant I always chose the right. What's the saying? The Spirit is willing but the Flesh is weak. That's me.  I have a great need of my Savior's atoning sacrifice and I'm so grateful for Him and His atonement.

Church membership goes back about four or five generations on both sides of my family. I was baptized at eight years of age by my grand father, and I had my home teacher confirm me a member. It was my choice as to who baptized and confirmed me. I'm sure that if my father was alive I would have chosen him.
 
I would say that I've been active all my life, but there was a time during my teenage years that I only attended Sacrament Meeting. I was uncomfortable around the girls in my Young Women's group in my ward, so very seldom attended Mutual, and never went to Girls Camp. I wish I could have gotten over my shyness and lack of self-esteem that I had at that time.
 
I served a mission in Germany. It was the best time of my life, and also one of the hardest. It helped me overcome my shyness and my lack of self-esteem. I came home very confidant and with a strong testimony.
 
I wish I could say that having a strong testimony meant I always chose the right. What's the saying? The Spirit is willing but the Flesh is weak. That's me.  I have a great need of my Savior's atoning sacrifice and I'm so grateful for Him and His atonement.

Thank you so much, it means a lot. She's doing as well as can be expected. My dad has had many heart attacks and episodes over the years that us kids have pretty much got use to the idea that he's immortal. But she's always known that one day this would happen.

You can also drink it. I'm drinking it right now. It's delicious.
 

There that proves it.  I am NOT older than dirt as Palerider has told me for so many years now.

Thank you for your prayers and kind words. I have always believed the Plan of Salvation but now it becomes the point to hang my sanity on. I am so thankful for the Gospel and all that God and His son have done for us. Without their love and care we would be lost in a dark world indeed. 

Prayers are with you too Talisyn.  :)

Pam, thanks for letting us know.  Sending prayers for the whole family.

Pam, thanks for letting us know.  Sending prayers for the whole family.

Sometimes life stinks. You and your family will continue to be in my prayers.
 
A few things I learned as a step parent in a difficult situation:  It sounds like you and your husband are dealing with a toxic ex. Be the best example of loving parents and united parents you can be. Let your home be one of peace and understanding where the children will feel loved and accepted. Don't stoop to her level. Buoy up your relationship with your husband. Before you know it, your children will be grown and gone and it will just be the two of you. Your relationship needs to come first. (Unless, of course, there is abuse going on with the children). Write everything down. Keep a diary/journal of everything that happens with the children. Talk things out with your husband, and if it's appropriate let the children know what is happening. Tell the children how much you love them, and then show it. A remarriage is a "special needs" relationship. And, it takes more effort on both spouses to make the marriage work. Divorce in 2nd marriages is high, nearly 70 percent when children are involved. That is why your marriage relationship needs to come first. What good is it going to do the kids if the husband and wife can't keep their marriage together? Have faith, even when things go wrong, that all will work out in the long run. The Lord knows of your situation. Sometimes, things don't happen the way we want them, but if you are keeping the commandments and doing what you should be doing, then it is NOT your fault when things go wrong. You will receive peace and comfort in knowing you did your best. <Hugs>

When my spouse did something that was hurtful to me, Instead of sweeping the hurts and misunderstandings under the rug, talk about them.  Don't be afraid to rock the boat. Or, to go along with that, in order to avoid the deep hurts during my marriage, when I meet my future spouse, run as fast as you can and don't look back. Those red flags you saw, they were there for a reason.
 
I don't want anyone to think by my above comments that I have an abusive spouse. He just brought a lot of baggage from his former marriage, and I wasn't prepared to handle it. Still can't handle a lot of it.

As a new missionary in the LTM (Language Training Mission, now the MTC), I was learning the discussions and came to where we testify to the investigator: "I testify to you in the name of Jesus Christ that Joseph Smith saw Jesus Christ and God the Father".  I had to stop and think, could I actually testify in the name of Christ to the truthfulness of the Joseph Smith vision and other aspects of the Gospel?  This was serious.  I couldn't just spout off the words if I didn't actually know if they were true.  To me, testifying in the name of Jesus Christ meant more than just belief.  It meant, I needed to know!  And, I needed more than just the faith and belief that I had.  Had I in the past had a strong spiritual witness of the truthfulness of what I was about to teach investigators?  And, I couldn't think of any.  At the time I was relying on belief and faith.
 
I got down on my knees and prayed for a strong spiritual witness.  I explained to Father in Heaven that if I was going to testify in the name of Christ to His investigators, that I needed more than belief and faith.  I needed to know.  It took more than one prayer.  It took a lot of tears and humility on my part.  But, I got my spiritual witness.  To this day I cannot deny that witness.  And, I was able to go out into the mission field with more than faith and belief.  I was able to go out in the field with knowledge.  I was able to testify in the name of Jesus Christ of the truthfulness of the Gospel, and of the truthfulness of Joseph Smith's vision.
 
For those who have never received a spiritual witness from the Holy Ghost, they may never understand how one can say "I know".  But, if you have received that witness, then you understand and it's undeniable.

This is heartbreaking.  I will pray for your nephew.

We have very few people in our ward that fall away. I live in the suburbs half way between Salt Lake City and Provo, and most of my neighbors are LDS. In my area, if someone does go inactive, they usually still have a belief in the church, but they allow something or some event to keep them from attending meetings. They usually come back. For those members in my ward that have gone through divorces, they have not gone inactive.  In fact, they receive a lot of support from the ward. I'm blessed to live in the area I live in. We are truly a ward family.  We mourn with those that mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice.
 
It's been my experience that those who truly fall away, they were looking for any excuse to leave.

Yes!  notmordorbund. Hilarious!