Well, Weirddave, I don’t really see it that way, despite her intentions in doing it, I see it as restoring the balance.
Would you rather she send it back with a handwritten note stating that
“…A Donation has been made in Your Name towards the Missionary Position”?
Not, that in hindsight, that’s all that bad of an idea… 
I knew there was someone out there who digs this stuff. It’s REALLY HOT!
Heh-heh. He said “hindsight”. Heh-heh.
And why is it OK for the in-laws to “forcibly shove [their] beliefs that don’t jibe with [yours] into [your] face by making a donation in [your] name to a charity that [you] wouldn’t like”? Because that’s what I’m getting from your post. It’s OK for the inlaws to do this, even AFTER being told repeatedly that such cards and donations are unwelcome. But it’s not OK for Indygrrl to respond in kind? That’s bullshit.
The inlaws are obviously unwilling to respect anyone else’s beliefs or feelings, and evidently don’t feel that basic courtesy expectations apply to them. Just what sort of “mature” response do you think is appropriate in this sort of situation? Should anyone in a similar situation just suck it up and get over it, or does that only apply to atheists?
As for calling her a hypocrite, “I do not think it means what you think it means”. If Indygrrl had been intentionally doing things to offend these people, and then got pissed when they did something offensive, that would be hypocrisy. If Indygrrl was claiming some kind of moral ‘high ground’ based on her response, that might be hypocrisy. Since she’s done neither, then on what grounds do you claim hypocrisy?
(on preview) Damn, I babble too much and talk too slow. Oh well.
May the lord be with you!
Since a lot of you have asked, what I would have done is roll my eyes, mutter “Oh, geeze” under my breath, realize that they were making what they though of as a kind gesture because they cared about me, probably even taken a moment to dash off a thank you note saying “thank you for thinking of me, hope you are well” (note-not thank you for the donation), and then I would have forgotten the entire thing and moved on with my life, but that’s just me.
Why, that’s almost as stupid as responding to an assault by knocking down your assailant.
Oh, wait. That isn’t stupid at all. That’s called “self-defense”.
Never mind.
I claim hypocrisy for her doing exactly what she doesn’t want done to her. And yes, I think that the mature thing to do is to ignore it and move on. On BOTH sides. Her in-laws should ignore it and move on when they receive her childish retaliation.
No, what’s stupid is comparing a gift given to a charity in your name to a physical assault. Back to the cornfields, strawman!
You don’t see this as a blatant insult rather than a simple “wish you well” statement? They’ve attached their grandchildren’s names to a religious affiliation knowing that they don’t ascribe to that belief. It’s completely different from wishing someone well.
What is spicy jelly? Is that something like Stonewall Kitchen’s red pepper jelly? If so, then agreed, cream cheese and crackers is about as good as food gets.
Years ago I was dating a woman who had lost kidney function and was in search of a donor. Her evil aunt had things like this to say:
“She’s just doing it to get attention.”
“This wouldn’t have happened if her mother didn’t leave the Catholic church.”
“No child of mine is donating a kidney to that atheist.”
Real loving stuff. For Christmas, she sent us a check for $20. GF couln’t stand the thought of taking money from the bitch. At my suggestion, she signed it over to the National Kidney Foundation. A huge verbal knock-down drag-out ensued.
Well, then, you approve on Indygrrl’s act of giving to charity in someone’s name. Glad we have agreed to agree.
Which one are you talking about? It’s been pretty well established that he regards the grandparent’s act as “a simple ‘wish you well’ statement” and Indygrrl’s act as “a blatant insult”, so you’ll have to clarify which one you are referencing.
I was talking about him. It appears to me that he wasn’t getting the impact of the act being more than a simple innocuous prayer.
That’s the stuff. I believe there is a wide variety of this stuff…made by little home-grown operations in the Southwest. I hear people rave about it, but I’m not man enough to handle it.
Your GF’s response to her Evil Aunt was great.
er… that’s not missionary.
How do you know that it was a “kind gesture beacuse they cared about [her]?” She is, after all, related to these people. She’s probably got a much clearer idea of their motivations than any of us.
Turnabout is fair play.
We know in Indygrrl’s case that it is NOT a wish you well donation. She came right out in the OP and stated that it was meant as an “in your face” gesture. OTOH, we have no such indication from the in-laws. By her own description, older, set in their ways, very religious, they are exactly the type of people who would see a charitable donation as a nice way to let someone know you were thinking of them AND helping a charitable cause at the same time. Lacking any evidence to the contrary, I see this whole thing as a well meant gesture being thrown back in the face of someone simply because the receivee didn’t agree with the method the giver chose. I also think that the rest of y’all falling all over yourselves to congratulate Indygrrl on her petulant and spiteful act are doing so only because of your dislike for religion. If the causes were reversed, and the in-laws had made a donation to Planned Parenthood and Indy was irate because she’s a fundy and doesn’t believe in choice, so she donated money to the 700 Club in retaliation, I doubt she would get one attaboy here. I have no love of religion, indeed, I generally despise formal religions, but I also try very hard not to let my personal bias blind me to hypocrisy and cause me to forget common courtesy.