I know how hard it is. I tried to simply fade over about 8 years of time, but my entire family shuns me now except for my dad, though our relationship is not normal. I was never DF or DA, I did just fade, I tried to in the most peaceful, inconspicuous manner, but I was severely mistreated by my family because of it. They are like, zero tolorance. Nothing I cared about ever mattered to them because I wasn't going to the meetings. In retrospect I wish I would have learned all the things about the organization then, that I know now. I faded based on my own conclusions I had come to, I hadn't even known about the WT organization's history. I heard something on here recently that was worded so well. It was said towards the WT, "you scare your members from researching their own religion because you don't want them to find the overwhelming truth that is right at their fingertips." This is 100% true. If only people knew. The WT is no better or different than the Catholic church, Scientology, etc.

You could reappeal the decision, to keep peace with your family. Knowing the truth about everything makes it hard though, to sit through the meetings, and especially hard listening to your loved ones reciting the crazy stuff they've been indoctrinated with. For instance, I have a chronic illness that will probably prevent me from having kids (don't have the money for special procedure for that kind of thing) and hearing my dad so callously say oh well, armageddon will be here soon, you don't want kids in this system anyway, ugh. I want to smack him and then feel guilty for feeling that way.

It is all very hard. How old are you? What members of your family are in? All of them? If you reappeal the decision will that ensure you don't get DF? If I were you I would look over the elder's manual, there are links to it all over on this sub. There's useful information in there about judicial committee meetings, disfellowshipping, etc. will help you feel more confident in this situation. They can really be bullies and leave you feeling helpless. If you can't find a link for that book, let me know and I will search for it for you.

And you're welcome, my heart literally aches for the people that come here experiencing the same awful stuff that I did/do. I guess if we can help each other out in one way or another that's a really good thing.