HOW BROOKIE SAVED OUR FAMILY
I just read Brookies story...which I have known most of (but not all of) for many years. I just wanted to add something to the end of her "story".
It was my son, Austin, who married Brookie. When they were engaged, they did get many "congrats" from elders, elder's wives, other cong. members. The funny thing was that my husband and I, having been JW's for over 4 decades (grew up JW), didn't realize that in order for a person to be considered a "Believer", and thus accepted by JW's as one privileged to be in line for the "New System", one had to be baptized. Hello? Here was a wonderful woman, Brookie, raised a JW, putting in her field service time, giving talks, not participating in school events and she doesn't BELIEVE??? My husband and I just figured that even though she wasn't baptized, our son was still marrying a "believer" and thus was "marrying in the Lord".
Then, as Brookie mentions, the congregation(s) boycotted her wedding shower. That evening my husband called up one of the elders and asked if he knew about this boycott. He said yes. They had had an elder meeting and decided to tell their wives and others not to attend. Why didn't they bother to tell us? No answer. Such a loving thing to do. I will NEVER forget the looks on Brookie and Austin's faces when they figured out that no one was coming to the shower. There goes a piece of my heart.
Then the week before the wedding, our son Austin, was "marked" for marrying an unbaptized person, thus NOT marrying "in the Lord". He had NEVER been talked to by ANY elder or WARNED about this marking. The same elders who had been busy congratulating the couple now turned against them in full force and took the congregation(s) along for the ride. I will NEVER forget Brookie sitting on our couch the Thursday this was done and seeing her completely break down. There goes another piece of my heart.
A wedding originally planned for 350 people was attended by 130. (But...we did get to upgrade the meal from chicken to Filet Mignon...we couldn't get our deposit or money back for the food)! HA! See what they missed?
Brookie kept her chin up through the whole thing. She was the most beautiful bride. The wedding was conservative (unlike most of the other JW weddings in our area), tasteful and attended by those who really loved Brookie and Austin. My husband married them. And it was a damn good wedding talk. So what the elder's did was in fact, weed out the people who didn't care about Brookie and Austin and thus didn't come, from those who thought...TO HELL WITH THE ELDERS AND THE WATCHTOWER...this couple deserves our love and we're going to the wedding.
My husband and I spent over a year after this going back and forth with the local elders and even up to the GB, to have the local elders disciplined for not warning my son and marking him "illegally". They (the GB) did admit to us what was done was wrong, but they weren't about to apolgize for THEIR mistake in front of the local congregations. Instead, one Sunday they pulled Brookie and Austin into the back room and set them in the middle of about 12 elders who then "aplogized" for their actions. WHAT A CROCK! Brookie and Austin were so surprised by this "ambush" that they weren't prepared for and didn't really know how to respond to. Although they did "accept" this so called apology, later they retracted it and of course, this was done in private so no one else in the congregation(s) knew about it. Another cover-up.
But what this did was open me and my husband's eyes to the total hypocrisy and lack of love in this org. It showed us how they twist and turn scriptures for their own benefit. It showed us that those we thought were our friends, were not. It showed us how EVIL this org. was.
And that is how BROOKIE SAVED OUR FAMILY. Because of her marrying our son, we were able to see the JW org. for what it really was. We didn't want any part of it from then on. We broke free.
So what for a couple of years tore us apart inside, eventually saved us from wasting the rest of our lives on the JW treadmill. We have Brookie to thank for that. So out of her misery and rejection came something GOOD. Thanks Brookie!!
Love & many hugs...mumsy
