Got photo albums at home. I went on vacation with people that are my worst antagonists today. They are in my photo albums as a fundamental part of my life. They are my former flock.

How did you move on?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/2013 10:42AM by volrammos.

to me, it overshadowed everything. I did tell him at one time that he had ruined the day my children were born, etc.

Put the memories away somewhere. I wouldn't throw them out.

My ex and I are friends now and I still have all my memories. There are still some I can't visit, but I hang onto for my children. At one time, I was going to throw out my wedding dress, but now I'm glad I didn't. It still has some emotional value to me.

Stop thinking of yourself as a sheep.

No, that's too snarky. The past is the past, but clinging to it too tightly is not very functional for your future.
People change, or they should. Nothing remains the same. I should take my own advice and quit wishing things were still "the way they used to be" between me and my extended family. They have shown their true colors. They won't go back to accepting me now that they've been "warned" by the gossip of the family. If they believe her over me, then they never cared much for me anyways.

I probably shouldn't comment because I didn't have a very hard time making the shift. My best friends and family are not LDS except my NOM mother. What irritates is all the TBMs that fawn over Mom because they THINK she is TBM while giving me the stink eye if I happen to be around when they drop by. Not even so much as a "hello" when they see me. Mom will never resign because she loves the attention. She thinks these people are her real friends.

But one thing I did was start attending meetings of Secular Humanist group. Most of them came from formerly devout religious groups and were feeling the same type of loss. They made me stronger and reassured me that my decision to leave LDS, Inc. was courageous and the right thing to do.

I moved on by filling my time with going to adult education classes for four years (a few each semester). Met new people, got to know a lot more about what the rest of the world thought and did.

I was retired from my prior jobs, so I got involved in what I liked to do that I didn't have time for in the past.

I started (with three other women) a local Red Hat Chapter in 2000, I think, which I headed for a couple of years. It was strictly a social group. NO projects! (We figured we had done them all!) Great fun. Took photographs, decorated hats, had a Red Hat Closet for women to add to their attire with little cost. Met a lot of new people. Some are some of my best friends now. The web site is still up.

Visited a few churches. (Still not interested except in visiting from time to time.)

Did a lot of reading and walking.

There is a whole new world out there outside Mormonism that has a huge variety of different people, ideas, activities. Dozens of organizations that need volunteers also.

Jump in. The water is fine!