Mother's Day (May 10, 2015)
Dear children of mine, and the folks at Calvary Temple who said they were our friends,
I didn't realize until this morning what day it was. We don't try to notice days. Makes it easier to live in a world that condemns the innocent and excuses the guilty. So when dad realized and told me, we called Leah who also struggles with this day, without her mom. You know churches love to honor moms, but how can I go and be honored by strangers? So dad took us out to one of the old hedgerows down the back forty, and we picked lilacs while he dug out some five gallon buckets full of lilac shoots to plant in our hedgerow at the cottage. Then we had breakfast out, and saw Helene and her family, hugged and kissed her. Then went and bought some roses, Leah a pretty peach rose bush in honor of her mom who sadly, has had to cut off her daughter in obedience to her pastor Scott and her husband. For not wanting to attend Calvary Temple anymore. Sad.
For me the lilacs were the best part of the day, remembering all the lilacs you children would pick for me. White and pale lilac and deep lilac. Oh and all the flowers, gifts from you, clematis, roses, prunes and apple trees, grapevines, tulips, daffodils, Shasta daisies, black eyed Susan's. Gosh I cannot recall them all, they are still planted in all the places we put them, even Joelle gave me the pretty Jacobs Ladder rose. We laughed recalling the poems you kids would share for me. I loved the poems. Even when Josh S. quoted from the The Raven...I choked while Jonathan laughed. I still have Candaces poem she wrote and had framed for me about mothers. You children always gave me the happiest Mother's Day anyone could ask for.
And you know, I know you hate doing this to me. I know you don't understand why, but you trust that pastor Scott is telling you the truth that there is some good reason for this destruction of your mom and family. And that you are scared. If your wonderful mom could be 'bad', it means you could be too. Nope. You are being lied to, I was lied to, so many have lied to us. Apparently good people. Others have believed the lies, thinking it is wrong to distrust pastors. God says not to trust any man. Or like someone once said, Trust but verify. But when this all happened we didn't know that did we? We were simply honest people who assumed our pastor was a simple honest person. We had no idea he was operating a mafia ring of destruction of lives and property. Like Grampa said, another Hitler, but on a small scale.
You recall that excellent biography I had on Bonhoeffer, always interested in our German history. Found this quote again, and it is worth sharing with you my beautiful, precious, loved children. If you are told to not read this letter, then I ask that those who do read my words would share this with you. Via facebook or Twitter or Instagram or phone called or letters, or visits. Because I cannot stop reaching out for you. That is what parents are supposed to do for their children, always reach out to them no matter what they do. But Calvary Temple has become an upside down church, instead of saving lives, they destroy them. Why? What is pastor afraid of? Our love, our goodness, our strength of character, our integrity?
In a letter Bonhoeffer wrote to family and friends shortly before his imprisonment, he reflected on their experiences under “the great masquerade of evil” brought with Hitler’s rise and asked of the future: “Are we still of any use? What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, straightforward men. Will our inward power of resistance be strong enough, and our honesty with ourselves remorseless enough, to find our way back to simplicity and straightforwardness?”
So I want to ask, because the stories you made up and told us in no way resemble the actual stories......Mike & Hannah how could you destroy your parents? And Lisa & Tony, how can you destroy your four precious children? And Erica K. really? How could you give away your four babies? And Roy, what about your three beautiful sweet daughters? And Keith & Debbie how, why? Your two beautiful intelligent precious daughters? George & Sarah I am heartsick at the lies you have told regarding your lovely sweet daughters. Why? And Joey, please explain how you arrived at the notion your parents are to be counted as dead to you, uh, for what cock-a-mamie reason? And Dan & Yelena, really, my mind went into shock at what you have been doing to your own children. I am stunned at the amount of lies and deception. Waleed and Amy, never in my wildest dreams could I have seen you turning your young daughter out on the street on a cold January day, and finally offer to bring her home after three long months of sorrow and heartache. Sheer depravity.
So to all you supposed people of integrity and godly character (not), please read and reread the quote from Bonhoeffer on this Mother's Day when so many are destroyed at your hands. God is just. There is a day of reckoning. Will your "power of resistance be strong enough, and your honesty with yourselves be remorseless enough, to find your way back to simplicity and straightforwardness" with your own children and mothers and fathers? I pray you have the courage. I know God will help you if you ask him. He will judge you for your harshness, if you do not.
Love you children. I do not blame you at all. It is my fault for trusting those who were false, and obeying when told I had to be punished for no reason. Never submit to things if you disagree. You have good heads, use them.
Mom
I didn't realize until this morning what day it was. We don't try to notice days. Makes it easier to live in a world that condemns the innocent and excuses the guilty. So when dad realized and told me, we called Leah who also struggles with this day, without her mom. You know churches love to honor moms, but how can I go and be honored by strangers? So dad took us out to one of the old hedgerows down the back forty, and we picked lilacs while he dug out some five gallon buckets full of lilac shoots to plant in our hedgerow at the cottage. Then we had breakfast out, and saw Helene and her family, hugged and kissed her. Then went and bought some roses, Leah a pretty peach rose bush in honor of her mom who sadly, has had to cut off her daughter in obedience to her pastor Scott and her husband. For not wanting to attend Calvary Temple anymore. Sad.
For me the lilacs were the best part of the day, remembering all the lilacs you children would pick for me. White and pale lilac and deep lilac. Oh and all the flowers, gifts from you, clematis, roses, prunes and apple trees, grapevines, tulips, daffodils, Shasta daisies, black eyed Susan's. Gosh I cannot recall them all, they are still planted in all the places we put them, even Joelle gave me the pretty Jacobs Ladder rose. We laughed recalling the poems you kids would share for me. I loved the poems. Even when Josh S. quoted from the The Raven...I choked while Jonathan laughed. I still have Candaces poem she wrote and had framed for me about mothers. You children always gave me the happiest Mother's Day anyone could ask for.
And you know, I know you hate doing this to me. I know you don't understand why, but you trust that pastor Scott is telling you the truth that there is some good reason for this destruction of your mom and family. And that you are scared. If your wonderful mom could be 'bad', it means you could be too. Nope. You are being lied to, I was lied to, so many have lied to us. Apparently good people. Others have believed the lies, thinking it is wrong to distrust pastors. God says not to trust any man. Or like someone once said, Trust but verify. But when this all happened we didn't know that did we? We were simply honest people who assumed our pastor was a simple honest person. We had no idea he was operating a mafia ring of destruction of lives and property. Like Grampa said, another Hitler, but on a small scale.
You recall that excellent biography I had on Bonhoeffer, always interested in our German history. Found this quote again, and it is worth sharing with you my beautiful, precious, loved children. If you are told to not read this letter, then I ask that those who do read my words would share this with you. Via facebook or Twitter or Instagram or phone called or letters, or visits. Because I cannot stop reaching out for you. That is what parents are supposed to do for their children, always reach out to them no matter what they do. But Calvary Temple has become an upside down church, instead of saving lives, they destroy them. Why? What is pastor afraid of? Our love, our goodness, our strength of character, our integrity?
In a letter Bonhoeffer wrote to family and friends shortly before his imprisonment, he reflected on their experiences under “the great masquerade of evil” brought with Hitler’s rise and asked of the future: “Are we still of any use? What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, straightforward men. Will our inward power of resistance be strong enough, and our honesty with ourselves remorseless enough, to find our way back to simplicity and straightforwardness?”
So I want to ask, because the stories you made up and told us in no way resemble the actual stories......Mike & Hannah how could you destroy your parents? And Lisa & Tony, how can you destroy your four precious children? And Erica K. really? How could you give away your four babies? And Roy, what about your three beautiful sweet daughters? And Keith & Debbie how, why? Your two beautiful intelligent precious daughters? George & Sarah I am heartsick at the lies you have told regarding your lovely sweet daughters. Why? And Joey, please explain how you arrived at the notion your parents are to be counted as dead to you, uh, for what cock-a-mamie reason? And Dan & Yelena, really, my mind went into shock at what you have been doing to your own children. I am stunned at the amount of lies and deception. Waleed and Amy, never in my wildest dreams could I have seen you turning your young daughter out on the street on a cold January day, and finally offer to bring her home after three long months of sorrow and heartache. Sheer depravity.
So to all you supposed people of integrity and godly character (not), please read and reread the quote from Bonhoeffer on this Mother's Day when so many are destroyed at your hands. God is just. There is a day of reckoning. Will your "power of resistance be strong enough, and your honesty with yourselves be remorseless enough, to find your way back to simplicity and straightforwardness" with your own children and mothers and fathers? I pray you have the courage. I know God will help you if you ask him. He will judge you for your harshness, if you do not.
Love you children. I do not blame you at all. It is my fault for trusting those who were false, and obeying when told I had to be punished for no reason. Never submit to things if you disagree. You have good heads, use them.
Mom
