Dear friends,
It has been a long time since I have posted. Time heals much pain, and finally, my family and I have been able to move on with our life outside of JW land.
Many of you became our friends, our support system, and you know very well our exit story...we were labeled, slandered and disfellowshipped for having questions regarding the date 607. We sent out letters exposing the elders and circuit overseer to over 200 families. Our home was egged and our "frosty" was vandalized...all ending up in court with the 3 JW so called "brothers" that admitted their guilt...etc. (You can find our "story of these events here on JWD.)
We lost all of our family that are Jws. My husband, Black Pearl is estranged from his parents brother sister and law and neice,and his Grandmother. I lost my in laws, my Grandmothers, and Aunt and Uncle and all my many Cousins. Even my own brother and his wife and children have nothing to do with us. All because we found out the truth about the "truth". We wanted answers, as to why dates didn't match up, and why was the society lying to us about its past? Why were there Freemasonry symobols all over everything including the literature in the early years. Of course none of this is unfamiliar territory for the majority of you. We all share the same discovery, disbelief, rejection, anger, hurt, and pain. That is why JWD was a God send to us!! And for that we will FOREVER be indebted!!
Upon leaving, I will never forget my Father in law sitting me down and telling me, "You DO know what is going to happen don't you? You and (Black Pearl) are going to end up divorced, and Ashley is going to end up pregnant and on drugs." I told him he was crazy! But that is the typical JW mentality. You couldn't possibly have a happy marriage or moral teens outside the organization.
7 years have passed now since that conversation. I am happy to report, that this May his son, Black Pearl and I, will have been happily married for 27 years! And our daughter, well, that sweet child of only 11, has grown into a lovely young woman. She graduates this June, and we could never be more proud of her than we are today. And as a side note, contrary to what her JW Grandfather expected ,she has never been involved in drugs or alcohol, and is one of the most driven young women I have ever known. Of course, THEY would never know that, because they cut her off too!! Although she was never baptised! They still chose to delete her as their Granddaughter at only 11, despite my pleadings with them to just call her or send a card from time to time to tell her that they still loved her..but NOTHING.
So it is with great pride, and against all odds, that I am happy to share this exciting news with all of you:
On January 27th, 2012 Ashley entered a contract with legendary producer Keith Olsen, and 6-Time Oscar Gammy nominated song writer Jud Friedman.
You may or may not recognize his name, Keith Olsen, but his work you certainly will. Here's a little about him... He was the man behind all our beloved rock music...the producer of tons of rock bands such as:
Fleetwood Mac
Grateful Dead
Ozzy Osborne
The Music Machine
Scorpions
Whitesnake
Pat Benitar
Heart
.38 Special
Eddie Money
Rick Springfeild
REO Speedwagon
Santana
Jefferson Starship
Sammy Hagar
Rick Springfeild
Alice Cooper
Loverboy
Journey
Lou Gramm
Hank Williams Jr.
Footloose
Flashdance
He has produced over 120 albums that netted a 1 in 4 Gold or better ratio, with 24 Platinum or better, and more than 14 are Multi-Platimum. Unbelievably, sales from him work has exceeded 110 million units at retail, equaling more than a BILLION dollars in business!
They are currently working on her 1st 2 singles, and Keith will be her producer for at least her first 2 albums. One will be a Country, the other will be Pop/Country crossover. Hopefully, in about 3 weeks the 2 songs will be completed, and then off to the label they will go...and we are hopeful that they will sign her. As soon as we have them to share, we will share them with all of you.
As a VERY dedicated JW mother, I steered Ashley away from her dream of being a country music singer when she expressed this desire at the tender age of only 6. I will never forget the shattered look on her face as I explained why she could never pursue that dream and still be a witness. I tried to convince her that she should have a dream of pioneering, or of going to Bethel. To this day, I shudder when I recall that conversation and at my words I said to my daughter.
After we left the organization, of course education became a priority to her father and I. We wanted our daughter to go to college, to have a career, and an education, something we were never offered, as we ourselves were brought up in JW families.
When talking with Ashley about her future, we quickly learned that she had never forgotten her dream, and it was alive, more then ever. We decided to support her in this "big" dream of hers, no matter how big it was or how far away it seemed. Because for us it was about having the ability to dream, without being told what your dream had to be. It was called FREEDOM. And we didn't want to her or us to have regrets...to look back as an adult, and to wonder what could have been.
She has been working tirelessly toward accomplishing her goals,, especially so these last couple of years. And little by little, one day at a time, doors that seemed impossible to reach, let alone open, have been opened.
I guess I wanted to share this with all of you, because not only am I extremely proud of her, but I wanted to share with all of you parents out there who have left the organization, or who are considering it, that YES...there IS life out there!! Follow your dreams! Encourage your children to follow their dreams, no matter how big or small of dream they have.
Here is one of my favorite quotes: Dreams are like stars...you may never touch them, but if you follow them they will lead you to your destiny."
Anyhow, thanks for taking the time to read this. When we get her songs done, I would love to share them with all of you!! God Bless!!
Sincerely,
Lady Liberty :)
P.S. Here is her link if you would like to follow her!!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ashley-Honnell/169060816469082
THANK YOU in advanced!