What I was before the Seed:
1. A drug using, lost girl who had skipped 49 days of High School in 4 months, had 6 F's and one C (awarded by a druggie teacher) on her report card.
2. A promiscuous 15-year-old girl, used by so many men she couldn't count, specifically men over the age of 20, to include a teacher, who was 30.
3. A girl who had lost all the moral values her parents ever taught her and felt her life would never be turned around, which caused thoughts of suicide.
4. A girl who had been "brainwashed" by a rebellious teen generation which told her that free sex was good, that she should "love the one you're with," and that drugs should be legalized. Hmmm, let's see what happened to most of those cultural icons -- oh yeah, most of them are dead -- or are now conservative.
What happened after the Seed:
1. After several weeks there, an actual "clearing" of my mind -- not brainwashing -- that allowed me to regain a sense of moral conscience. Part of this was getting away from old habits and destructive music.
2. An actual sense that I could have value without a relationship with a guy. I actually had a sense of sexual purity when I left the program.
3. I will admit, a very difficult return to High School, which ended up strengthening my character, and allowing me to stand up for my beliefs later in life.
4. I remember knowing outsiders thought we were in a cult and being brainwashed. We used to think that was funny, because many of us were having the time of our lives, especially as oldcomers and oldtimers.
5. I remember some of the best friendships I've ever had being formed, while we extended our "rap" sessions to Denney's (or was it Sambo's?) into the wee hours of the morning.
6. I remember a bunch of us taking ballroom dancing lessons and actually enjoying it!
7. I remember really fun softball tournaments and parties in Tarpon Springs.
8. I remember becoming really good at a sport, which gave me physical confidence I never had before. My best Seed friend and I played this sport all the time and had a blast.
9. I remember having my first boyfriend (also a Seedling) who respected me and my new-found purity. We actually dated without having sex -- what a concept!
10. I remember a new-found love for learning, which netted two years on the H.S. Dean's list, one year on the Junior college Dean's list, and then completion of a four-year university ON TIME with my peers.
11. I remember my Dad getting "straight" from Open Meetings. He was so inspired by us, he quit drinking. Hmmm, he was an aerospace engineer and West Point graduate. Was he "brainwashed?"
12. I was commissioned as an Army officer and had a successful career, to include achieving two Master's degrees, one in business, and one in Journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill.
13. I fondly appreciate my "rap" experience at the Seed, because I am able to help others by relating to them in a way most other people can't or won't. Also, I have no fear of public speaking, which made me absolutely love being a Media Relations officer in the Army. I also love public speaking and have been asked to speak at several events.
14. I'm married to a great guy, have five beautiful children, live in a lovely house, am involved in many community activities, and in my church. I think the Seed really screwed me up, don't you?
