Pslam 40:2

In the beginning....

Well at least the beginning of my life. I was born and raised in a small town in the Midwest. My life as a toddler and a young child I do not really recall. I lived a happy and healthy life with my family. My dad was raised as one of Jehovah's Witnesses and my mother started to go to the meetings when she was in elementary school. Being a JW was all I knew up till when I was in my 20's. 

When I was younger my parents were not active JWs. I remember very briefly when I was a toddler, and my parents took me to meetings. (Church services for those reading without a Jehovah's Witness background.) I would always remember them taking me to the Memorial of Jesus Christ death. It occurred once a year and was one of the biggest nights for the Witnesses.  We went to a hall with a lot of families who had children the same age as me and my sister. However, we stopped going when I was about 4 or 5 years of age. The reason was unbeknownst to me, but we still held the beliefs of an active Jehovah's Witness. What did that entail? 

We did not celebrate holidays, birthdays, salute the flag or associated closely to ones who were non-JWs. As a little girl it was very confusing for me. I told people that I did not celebrate holidays or birthdays, but I did not know why. My parents told me what to do and I did it. I found explaining it to my peers in elementary school very challenging. Especially with birthdays, it always made me sad that I could not wish someone a "Happy Birthday!" 

By the time I hit 4th or 5th grade we started to go back to the meetings, and yet again the reason was unknown to me. That is when I met my best friend, Kae. We met at a JW get together. Shortly after the get together we started going to a different congregation that Kae and my grandparents went to. I started to make friends my age and really started to get integrated. Thus began my journey as a JW woman.