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Chatterbox: Down to Earth
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Please bear with me for the minute or two it takes to read this post.
Beofre I start, I want to say I love you all, so, so much. From Cho to Gared, you are so special and precious to me, and I treasure each of you as a person. I respect and value your opinions.
Ever since I have started Chatterbox, I think I've been very open about my faith.
This is hard for me.
Society has so many labels that I'm so scared to have slapped on my forehead.
But-to my surprise-when I joined, no one called me stupid. No one called me unacceptive. No one called me immature for playing with dolls either.
So, believe it or not, I'm happy that the admins chose to let same-sex oriented characters stay. This site is supposed to be a safe, non-judgmental place.
But I'm leaving.
Hear me out before you click out of this post.
Over the past year, I kind of changed into a totally different person.
I matured both spiritually and emotionally, and I grew closer to God. I made friends with some amazing people who help strengthen and support me in times of trouble. They helped me get through this situation right now.
Leaving is so, so hard for me. The reason I came back last time is because I missed you guys so much. I'm not leaving because I'm selfish, I'm not leaving because I'm intolerable. I'm leaving because I love my God. I know that I will have to face this issue in life. I have friends that I love dearly who are not straight. I love everyone on here, it doesn't make a difference if you're gay or not. But I also believe that it is a sin, (Leviticus 18:22) just like lying is.
If the admin said the impersonator going around was totally acceptable, I'm sure most of you would leave!
Please know that I am not perfect. I struggle with sin that is sometimes thought of as 'worse' than being same-sex oriented. But the amazing thing is that God still loves me, and He counts me as righteous just for believing in him (Romans 4:3)!
So, to sum it up, I love you all so much, but I'm making a choice to leave. I'm not being forced to. I guess you could say... I want to. I believe that God loves all people, but I also believe we're all sinners (Romans 3:23), and we all need Jesus in our lives (Romans 6:23).
I love you all so much and this is so hard for me.
I want to say thank you all so much for everything.
Admis-Thank you! You're so dedicated, patient, and all-around-awesome! Thank you so much for everything you do, I really appreciate it.
To the CBers-Otr, Hsg, Leafmist, Brooklyn Newsie, Cockleburr, Cho, Bibliophile, Scylla, Micearenice, Lyra, Booksy, Dragonrider, Coconut, HAb, Daisy, Indigo, Katydid, and everyone else-Thank you so much for being there. I've loved everything about being here, from the ski lodges (*Coughmicearenicecough*), fangirling (Brooklyn), hoping to meet in real life (Leafmist), and having the best friends anyone could ask for (EVERYONE!!)
I love you guys so much.
Bye
~Joss
submitted by Joss, age 14, ME
(December 16, 2016 - 9:08 pm)
(December 16, 2016 - 9:08 pm)
Farewell, Joss. Although I may not agree with you on this issue, I respect you devotion, and your religion. I thank you so much for voicing your doubts so carefully and eloquently. And although I will miss you, I...I will respect your decision to leave. I have a really enjoyed having you on the CB!! I love you too, and we will never forget you. Thank you for being here.
Sincerely, Owlgirl :)
(December 16, 2016 - 10:50 pm)
Thank you so much Owlgirl. I'll miss you too!!
(December 17, 2016 - 5:36 pm)
(December 17, 2016 - 9:55 am)
Hey, Joss.
I'm so sorry to hear about you leaving, I won't pester you to stay...but I wanna let you know that we all love you. You contributions to CB over the years have always stuck with me. Remember the DreamCasting thing? That was one of my favorite things on CB and I'm pretty sure that you created it.
When I read my name, when you listed some CBers, I was shocked and bursting with happiness. I considered you a close friend on CB and I never thought, for the life of me, that I'd be named! Thank you so much for all you've done. Love you, Joss.
Your friend,
HSG
(December 17, 2016 - 1:32 pm)
Of course I put your name there! You're one of my closest CB friends. And I'm really glad you liked dreamcastings, that was really fun for me!
I'll miss you!!
(December 17, 2016 - 5:38 pm)
Aw, that means a lot to me, Joss!
I'll miss you so much! But, as Katy said, you know where to find me! :)
~HSG
(December 17, 2016 - 10:33 pm)
Looking at this just opened up an internal struggle which I've been trying to surpress. I agree with everything you said, Joss. Right now I'm happy with the Admins' policy, but if a few more things change around that...well...I might have to leave too. For now I'm just going to stay mostly on Inkwell and hope for the best! I honestly cannot think that the CB would ever go down a path that I can't follow, and seeing how everyone has been dealing with recent issues proves my theory. So I'm waiting it out, testing the new territory, and seeing what happens now.
(December 17, 2016 - 3:12 pm)
Yeah, I think that's a smart idea, Rose bud! I'll miss you so much!
(December 17, 2016 - 5:38 pm)
Oh, Rose bud, you can't leave!!!! I certainly know you well, and it would be terrible if you left. Honestly I don't think this policy is going to cause everyone to suddenly burst out with gay characters or anything because that's not usually how character development works, so it's not going to be a slap in the face. It's more of something that makes people less afraid to do so, and is confirming that they can if they want to. I think you should be fine, Rose bud, and I hope you will be. Like you said, I don't think the CB would ever go down a path you can't follow.
As for the internal struggle... I'll give you my honest thoughts, on the thought process in general as opposed to the issue, although that factor does still matter. I would say don't suppress it; let it play itself out. There will be times where you have to quiet it and push it aside/suppress it when you need to focus on something else, or it gets to be too much, because we all have busy lives. But don't suppress it completely. Ponder, think, listen, consider, and come to your own conclusion, however close or far it may be to either side of the argument. Even after that conclusion, it never really finishes, although it might leave you alone.
In all aspects of life, I always try to keep an open mind (usually I succeed, but there are times where I don't because hey, I'm not perfect) and listen to multiple sides of an argument, especially to arguments that are in the middle. I do this because...well, I used to be afraid (I'm no longer afraid, just...aware of my goals) my ideals would not be my own, that they would come from influence, like that of my family. I don't want to believe something just because someone else does. But I'm pleased to say that I came to my own conclusion about my stance on this particular issue...my parents had never uttered a word about it, but I figured out what it was, and what I thought about it. I later found out my parents agreed with me, but I was proud I had not been influenced.
Enough about me. Although I'd say it's a good sign I talked about my own experience with beliefs and internal struggles, because I guess that means I can really connect with a person. I do connect with you, Rose bud. Why wouldn't I?
The point is, I think you should let your feelings play out and "test the new territory", and I also think it's not going to be a major problem in the near future on the CB. To be honest, you don't even seem to need my advice, you basically just said all this but...I want you to know that, well, I'm here, and I get you.
You're a friend and a CBer that's been here for so long and I enjoy when you're on here, and I don't want you to leave.
Sincerely, Owlgirl
(December 17, 2016 - 6:43 pm)
Goodbye, Joss! I'm thinking about leaving, too...I don't like this sudden turn the CB has taken...
But I read what you posted on my ski lodge, and I just wanted to say before you leave--thank you so much! I am touched. You've really inspired me to finish my other book I'm writing and publish it! I'm not sure what I'm going to call it yet, but keep a lookout in the next few years for a book with a character named Barnaby Hickks in it.
I'll miss you!
(December 17, 2016 - 3:14 pm)
Yay!!! I can't wait to read it!!! You're an amazing writer :D
I'll miss you too!
(December 17, 2016 - 5:39 pm)
I will admit that though you have been here for quite a while, I have never really got to know you. But I've started reading your ski lodge, and so far it's very interesting. You seem like a really good writer, and I encourage you to write your other book. Barnaby Hickks is a pretty memorable name--I'll definitely be on the lookout for it! So I am getting to know you as a writer, and I would hate to have another CBer leave, so I hope you choose to stay too.
(December 17, 2016 - 6:20 pm)
Bye, Joss. Thanks for being yourself.
(December 17, 2016 - 3:45 pm)
Bye, Scylla. *Hugs*
(December 17, 2016 - 5:40 pm)
Aw! I will miss you and your love of Aspen Heights.
I suppose it'll be like losing Elita. You seem to be dead, but you'll never truly leave. Goodbye, and good luck, Joss. You are an amazing, beautiful person, and I'll never forget you.
Brooklyn Newsie
(December 17, 2016 - 4:51 pm)