Question: Why can’t you go after Scientology for breaking child labor laws? Is it because they are working for a ‘church’ and not a company?

Thank you friend! Sometimes friends become the family we WISH we’d had. In our case, our “adopted” older friend sustained us through many a blue day. They were THERE for us when our parents basically all but abandoned us.

Both sets of parents missed our kids births, baptism, first school day, religious events. Our nearest & dearest friends were there.

In hindsight, our closest elder couple had kids who ignored THEM!

Ironic isn’t it, that their own children chose to do that. Maybe because they were NOT “well connected or wealthy” as their kids were college grads with high salaries & associated with people like that, & their parents were an “embarrassment” to them.

Hold close & cherish those to whom you are connected. They were brought into YOUR LIFE for a REASON! Especially now, with so much illness & death, we NEED to remain connected to those for whom we care & who care for US!

So many nice people here who respond to my posts & make my day better, including yourself. We’ve tried our best to make our kids’ lives happy & they ARE.

Sometimes in life, strangers become good friends, either personally face to face or on line! Wonderful isn’t it! We can share each other trials & tribulations & JOY TOO!

Cold here today, but the SUN is out & the sky is blue & not too many cloud. Trees are budding, my daffodil tips are starting to push their way up….my Husband is out there working on raking out the “stone driveway”……just had stone delivered after the really tough winter the the 27” of snow now gone.

The ghosts of the past are STILL there, they haunt us here & there, but do NOT deserve our attention. WE DID NOTHING TO DESERVE WHAT WE WERE HANDED.

The BEST is yet to come! Have a GREAT day friend!

“Oh my! I remember those exact same words from my dad! And funnily enough, I approach the education tion of my children like she does: let them think for themselves!”

I sent it to her because I knew her story and in my opinion she is still having some aftermath after that experience due to what happened in there. Thanks.

Thank you for your kind words Balletlady. It really helped me when I thought about the past and you are so right in that it is impossible to change the past. I understand that I need to focus on my life and try to find happiness as best I can.

I do have a small number of friends who help to sustain me. I need to focus on spending my time together with friends who I can share my life with.

God bless you friend. I am very happy that in the midst of such a horror show, you were able to emerge with a life so much happier than the other people you grew up with.

In my opinion, you certainly do deserve this life you made for yourself.

Thank you very, very much, Balletlady. Your story brought tears to my eyes. You are indeed a friend. I wish you happiness and freedom from suffering.

Hello friend George, thank you for the compliment as I too feel your pain. I am sorry for the burden you carried for so many years. It’s been said that “Children learn what they live”….that is why often times when WE become parents, we strive to be much BETTER at it.

My mom’s father (my Grandfather) died when she was almost 5 from a brain bleed……he left her mother (my Grandmother) with FOUR kids under the age of 5. At that time little did my Grandmother know, he had deserted his first family in another state, leaving two daughters & a wife she knew nothing about. These two women had never met, so a good part of the mystery was never solved. When he died his father claimed his body & buried him in their home state since my Grandmother had NO burial funds.

He lied on their wedding license indicating “he was never married before & had no other children”, huge lie. When he died suddenly & unexpectedly, my Grandmother was only 25 at the time, with FOUR kids & NO $$$. They were very poor. My Grandmother was NOT “warm, touchy, feely or comforting.” She took good care of the kids, ONLY to have her then 9 year old son die from a burst appendix. You can imagine how that went. Nothing but being poor, hungry cold with a bitter mother.

My mother focused on my two brothers who had problems, she’d run after them cleaning up the messes they created. Again, my father who held down a highly responsible job, was “absent” from that drama. As I said, I was left on the side lines to fend for myself.

My Grandfather was a full blown alcoholic (my father’s father)…he would steal my father’s toys & sell them off to buy himself a beer. He too would become aggressive, pushing my grandmother around for a 25cents to buy himself a few beers. He died by suicide when I was 8, & left a permanent stain on many of us.

It deeply cut me to hear how your dad attacked you physically…we look up to & depend on our parents to protect us…you father failed miserable at that & I am truly sorry for the pain that caused you.

Yes, we can forgive IF we CHOOSE to do so. After all this time, I am still working on FULLY completing that task…as I said the ghosts of the past still haunt us. Sometimes it’s a song, a color, a setting, a word….that brings it back.

My eldest brother is still living & under medical supervision for decades as he still is living the BACKWARDS LOGIC of thinking he does NOT need to take “his medications to stay grounded”. I have had to OPTED OUT on having him in MY life because of the destruction he’s caused for over 50 Years.

My younger brother sadly had mental health issues also…never diagnosed..too much to go into but he died at 43 by suicide as well.

I am thankful for my OWN husband & kids..& PROUD of them & I LET them know everyday that they are the most important people in my life. I try to visit my parents’ grave when I can, they are is 2 1/2 hours away from me, but it fills me with sadness & regre3t for “what MIGHT have been” & what they missed out on not wanting to be involved in being Grandparents.

IF you got anything GOOD out of Hubbard’s renderings, that is to YOUR credit…YOU leaned into it for the good of YOURSELF. Sometimes the written word hits home & if that worked for you, that’s a Blessing.

I wish you continued happiness & peace within yourself George. You ARE indeed like Skyler 23 a wonderful person who should find JOY in the small things in life….including the care & friendship from someone you don’t know but truly has “been there” & understands.

Stay strong, keep smiling, help someone in need & be GLAD you’re here with us!

I can understand that many people honestly believe that the U.S. Constitution was written by white men who wanted to protect their privelege and overlook the problem of slavery. That doesn’t mean I agree. I guess George Floyd and the pandemic brought some issues which were smoldering in the culture to the surface.

Fox – Probably most parents would not object to some “mild” sensitivity training of their children, teaching them to be respectful of all the other students but it doesn’t end there these days. There are attempts to eliminate gender specific words and push an entire social and cultural agenda that whites are “suppressors” and blacks, people of color and lgbtq are suppressed and their victims. No thank you.

I had a similar upbringing by what might be called normal or average parents so it’s interesting to hear stories from people who were raised differently and be reminded that many.people were raised differently.

There was a family in my neighborhood which had four boys. I enjoyed going to their house since their parents allowed them to cuss out loud in the house which was unusual and which I found very entertaining.