Your own kind and heartful of wisdom shows the wonderful person you are!

I keep you in my thoughts everyday & wonder how my gorgeous little Haven is doing & big sissy “Nellie Bell” as well & I imagine the littlest one crawling about! I hope the “big brother” is bringing all the toys his “sissies” need to have & older brothers loving them all to pieces…at a safe distance.

Bill is a wonderful man, I’ve come to know him through his phenomenal posts as well. I can’t believe how MUCH I’ve learned just being HERE reading those deep personal stories from everyone.

I am deeply saddened that the Aftermath isn’t on A & E any longer…so so many BRAVE people stepped forward….an eye opener. If it was for Mike’s OWN BRAVERY in setting himself FREE….IF that A & E Series had NOT been on TV….many people would have been unaware or uneducated as to the whims of COS.

Your words of support & compassion for Bill speaks volumes, not only for Bill but for everyone else as well. How Wonderful you are Jen! Hugs to you & your family dear friend!

For friend Bill…You DID the best you could at THAT time….never put yourself down…you are stronger than you know…you ARE SITLL HERE WITH US & that type REVENGE is sweet….THEY thought you’d be gone a long time ago…FOOLED THEM didn’t you!

I thank everyone…I PRAY THAT WHAT HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM YOU IS RETURNED IN THE FUTURE…SOONER THAN LATER.

Thank you so very much. When I told her I couldn’t see her anymore, some part of me died.

We were lucky that my cousin, Gail, came home early and found her. You probably know that she took a massive amount of pills. If she had died, I would have been right behind her.

BalletLady is pretty amazing and someone who’s care for someone she’s never met got me through some tough times with a mentally ill parent.

Bill as another “never-in” I think your story is really powerful. And I think when you share you never know if someone who knew you or knew of you may be reading… or even someone newer, but they ask after your name and see the looks or check your info out online and realize it’s true…
And THEN they start to recognize that if you could’ve gotten out of there – off of the Freewinds of all places, gotten your wife out of there… reading stories of others who’ve gotten out via sheer will and perseverance, then maybe that starts to make the excuses they make to themselves ring a little hollow. Maybe they see through your story, Mike’s and others… that no matter how important, connected or even semi-unknown one may be – that “church” is dangerous and doesn’t care a THING about those who dedicates themselves or for how long. They care about money and extracting every last bit of it, but they care nothing for loyalty or commitment.

You literally took your life back… you’ve likely impacted far more than you’ll ever know! I’m impacted by all you went through… everything happens for a reason and no coincidences. We just don’t always get to see why or who’s path may have been changed because of ours before them. But I’m betting a lot of people who thought you should be long gone, yet you got all “OT” and defied death only AFTER you left, will see you posting and remember from where or how they knew you and be blown away. Your story isn’t one easily forgotten and I believe that’s also not an accident!

I’m so glad they didn’t rob you of your life or your beloved wife!

OSD – I can’t imagine the pain that story brings back. I know if one of my kids wanted to disconnect, it would feel like a death. But BECAUSE your heart is far bigger than anything else in your life, you were the one to pick her up from the hospital, the one to be with her as she wrestled with being sick and the one to hold her as she passed. As a mom… I know that blip where you did what you were told and she temporarily let her despair get the better of her, that happened so that you BOTH knew… so you both had that blessed and hard time together.
I know you know all of this logically… you are ALL heart and it comes through in a lot of what you share and it’s why you try to help people lighten up and keep coming back.
The “burden” of a big heart like that is that you feel everything, you feel for everyone blessed to be a loved one in your life. And it’s always why I’m betting you are loved very dearly by those in your family and in your life… you’re not one to let life just pass by. HUGE hugs to you… you’re a gem and a gift. I think you help a lot of people who come here and just when it starts to get to heavy… you have everyone laughing and smiling.

Balletlady:

As you have compared Mike with myself I should point out that Mike was stronger than I.
I would have laid down and died before leaving my wife behind. Fortunately, my wife wanted me to get her outta there. Had I not battled for 6 months to get her out she would still be there and I would be dead.

You are welcome Bill.

To me, when you truly believe with ALL your heart & soul & are deeply passionate in that belief….that you are doing good & really helping,

Despite what you might hear that’s negative…i.e. “gossip/hearsay” you will STILL hang in there do to your strong loyalty…preferring NOT to believe that what’s been said is TRUE.

With ALL that’s been exposed thanks to Mike, Leah, & all those BRAVE former members who helped open the eyes of many…still in, or never ins….it’s boggles the mind to think that people will remain IN.

Yet…FEAR IS A GREAT MOTIVATOR….fear of leaving family & friends they will be disconnected/disavowed/disassociated/defellowshipped from is a BITTER PILL to have to swallow.

I can’t imagine being “up there in years” & this is ALL you’ve ever had, your ENTIRE LIFE is wrapped up in tis CULT…yet you STILL believe because YOU ARE AFRAID NOT TO…what ELSE do you have since all your entire life’s been “handled by COS”.

You have no money, nothing you own & every time you have $$$, you are EXPECTED to “donate it”. You’ve nowhere to go, no health insurance, no car, & you are under lock & key…..FRIGHTENING.

I am so happy for you Bill, that you’ve had freedom to live your life & SPEAK OUT & ENLIGHTEN SO MANY OTHERS. I read all these posts every day & each & every person that posts has something new to say….& I can’t imagine that when you are OUT & breathing free & reading some of the posts….CLEARLY 9n pun intended)…….
…..you WOULD FEEL WHY DID I STAY SO LONG!!!!!

BEST news is….REVENGE is SWEET…as I noted…it must piss THEM OFF that ALL of you are now well informed & speaking out…….& I just love to know that DM is probably not had a moment’s rest since AFTERMATH hit the A & E TV Screen & these blogs are open for everyone to speak out & inform others about their own experiences.

AGAIN THANK YOU MIKE & LEAH & EVERYONE ELSE…
BRING BACK MORE AFTERMATH….

Balletlady:
Thank you again for your latest comment.
For you, as a never in, to understand the situation as well as you do is great.
I would not have imagined that a ” never in” would understand what I write. Others no doubt have said to themselves, ( a few have posted it) “That guy must be either stupid or delusional to have stayed as long as he did. Thank you.

Amen Bill! Sometimes we can impact someone else’s life & we are not even aware of it. I am sure as a survivor OTHERS may have seen what you’ve accomplished & said to themselves “Well if someone as sick as HE is can do it….I can certainly do it too”.

Sometimes living for others is what WE need, the WILL to live not for ourselves, but for someone else. In your world then…you wanted to BE THERE for your wife…THAT kept you going & HERE you still are, simply amazing & a TRIBUTE to yourself as well.

Your wife also at that time survived for you. Like I once said to Mike Rinder about his first wife Cathie….
“Part of the hate & resentment she may feel for you (Mike) is because at that time, knowing what was going to happen TO you (Mike)…you(Mike) made the SNAP decision & YOU GOT OUT…& left her & the children behind.

We ALL know what MIGHT have happened to Cathie, dragged in & GRILLED over & over numerous times about “ANY KNOWLEDGE she MAY have had that Mike was going to Blow”…of course Cathie DID NOT know anything since Mike made a SNAP decision to save himself knowing was about to come his way. Cathie no doubt was probably punished as well….hence her hate filled rants against Mike.

HAD Mike said anything to his former wife about his thoughts of leaving, she would no doubt have filed a KR & Mike would have ended up God knows where.

Bill, the years you’ve had as a free man, WELL lived to the best of your ability & the thoughts you put here…have helped others more than you know. As a “never in”…I learned so much because of people like YOU.

Stay strong my friend, stay as well as you can….YOU’VE GOTTEN YOUR REVENGE..because…

“THEY thought you’d be long gone & dead years ago & they must be really pissed to see your comments here”……I DK quite why…but when I THINK OF THAT>>>I CAN’T STOP LAUGHING!!!!”

That is flying hilarious. My favorite comment to date.