by Dreams End » Sun Feb 19, 2006 2:42 pm
Just a quirky little synchronicity story...i hope.<br><br>My sister called last night. It was after 8 so she'd had a few. Chatty, that one, when cocktail hour comes around. <br><br>She's with my Mom in Florida for a little vacation. She called, concerned about how I was doing. She knows about my wife's situation and our various challenges.<br><br>I should back up and say that some years ago my sister joined a bit of a cult. Luckily, she hooked up with a group that had split off from the main cult, a nominally Christian group called "The Way, International." The main leader, plagiarist Victor Wierville had been replaced by someone even more authoritarian so groups started to leave and the membership numbers declined. But you can still find "fellowships" and also groups putting out various tapes and publications in the tradition of VPW. <br><br>Anyway, she called to tell me a story. They had reserved a car for the week on the internet but when they got there, what a surprise, no car. They took a cab to the hotel and learned to use the local bus system which worked out okay. They'd take a bus into Clearwater and from there to the beach.<br><br>Last night, the were getting on the bus and a self-described homeless guy was getting on with...begged a buck off of them in fact. He was well dressed and friendly enough and bent down and produced a piece of paper, asking if my Mom had dropped it.<br><br>On the paper was a childlike drawing of a sun with a happy face. The only word written on it...was my first name. My first name is Ty, a rather unusual, but not altogether unheard of name...and it could also have been "thank you" abbreviated as I've seen before.<br><br>But she'd had a couple of other happy face moments in the last two days. She'd found a fun page of happy faces to include in emails just before she left and they'd both gone parasailing that day...the company they chose had a happy face on the parachute. <br><br>Anyway, my mom was kinda creeped out by the guy in the first place, so though it seemed like a nice little story (my sister was convinced it meant she needed to call me and that something was wrong, which it wasn't.) I told my mom to listen to her instincts. It was a fun story, I said, but if you see the guy AGAIN, maybe don't hang out with him.<br><br>I told them that Clearwater is now basically owned by Scientologists. (there's even a famous case of a <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.lisamcpherson.org/">woman</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> there who died in their "drug detox" program. Evidently detoxing involves bruises and unhealed sores.") "Oh, yeah," said my Mom. We met a scientologist last night. We met a woman and said we'd pay her 20 bucks to take us back to the hotel. <br><br>Well, it was my sister who'd brought up religion, not the woman, so, again, just a coincidence. However, my sister, as noted, is great potential cult recruiting material (but she's already got one, thanks) and my mom used to be shucking out her money to "The Forum" the latest incarnation of "EST." So I told them they'd be fine, but don't give anyone there personal information. Scientologists can be tough to shake once they've got you in the loop.<br><br>Who knows if the happy faces meant anything. They are ubiquitous, after all. Although, usually, they don't have my name written next to them.<br><br><!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>By the way, google scientology and clearwater if you need convincing that these guys do represent a threat. Their "drug" programs are being given funding and credibility there and elsewhere. And FYI, the group "narcanon" as distinct from Narcotics Anonymous is a Scientology front. These guys are still dangerous even after the passing of L. Ron. <p></p><i></i>
