by seven006 57 Replies latest jw friends
Dear Sharon and family
Hi, my name is Beck. I live in Melbourne, Australia...and because of this forum, myself and many others from down under have come to know of your tragic loss. I would like to offer you my heartfelt condolences all the way from the other side of the world.
Please be assured that many of us who read here, are thinking of you and your family right now. Take care and keep strong.
Love Beck
ps..thanks Dave
Hi Sharon,
Dave has kindly kept us up to date and he has done a wonderful thing in allowing us a way to contact you and share our thoughts. I am so sorry for your loss. Please except my sincere sympathy and love. I know you are a Christian and your faith can be of enormous help in dealing with your feelings. I hope you are able to continue to draw on your own beliefs and soak in the many kind remarks made by people here and in your own community. I no longer follow the Christian religion but I do still strongly believe in the ideals espoused by Jesus as he endeavored to emphasize the power of love. I find it strengthening to notice that there are so many different ideas about religion here but there is a common idea that we all want to send you our love and sympathy. We all hurt and share your pain. Many of us have first hand experience with losing our religion and also losing a loved one to death and can be of tremendous help should you choose to stop by once in awhile and visit this multi faceted community. I really appreciated your own comments about depression and your call to those who need help to seek it out. Good advice. I hope you will remember that you have a great number of fellow brothers and sisters of all faiths who only want to help as you face the loss of your own sister and her family. Thank you for providing such a nice memorial service for the community and sharing some of your memories about your sister and her kids and husband. My mom also liked roses.
I don't know if you have a computer but I thought that perhaps you would be upbuilt by my mom's story, your namesake, who experienced a profound lack of love but came out of it all with her own faith in God and her own love of her fellow man as strong as always. I was very proud of her. Her story is here:
http://www.exjws.net/shunning/sharonkennedy.htm
Sincerely,
Sean
Hello Sharon,
I'm sorry we meet under these dreadful circumstances. Please accept my condolences for your family's pain - which should never have occurred. But it did, and now must be reconciled into life, somehow.
I wish you and your family time to heal, and peace.
When greeting people to our forum, we usually say "welcome." Well, welcome to our forum, perhaps you'll visit sometime? You're always welcome, you and your family.
waiting (30 yr jw female, 1.5 yrs out)
Sharon,
All I can say is that we're here for you if you need us. My heartfelt condolences go out to you and your family.
TR
My dear Sharon and family:
May I add my deepest sympathy for the tragic loss of your sister Janet and her family.
My most sincere hope is that you will find some comfort in the words that are being expressed here in these letters.
There are so many “if onlys” and “what ifs” that add to the helplessness this senseless tragedy causes. But all of us here can share a true heartfelt sympathy, for the despair your brother-in-law must have felt, knowing, as we all do, the callous and cold treatment the JWs feel justified in heaping upon those who don’t conform.
We hope you will come to our site, for the healing it offers those who have suffered at the hands of the WTS taskmasters. Asking questions, venting, crying and laughing have such a positive effect on those who don’t know where to turn to for comfort.
I know how much being here has helped me in my own healing process and have seen many others here too benefit from either joining in or just reading. Here is where I find encouragement, that the constant chipping away at the “walls” of the WTS, that is being done now, will weaken the hold it has on so many people, and it will eventually be stopped from causing more hurt and pain.
Please be assured that we genuinely care and send our love to you.
Had Enough
"Never doubt that a small group of citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."...Margaret Mead
Dear Sharon and family,
Let me add my sincere condolences to the others. Any of us who left the JW organization gave up family and friends...or those who are thinking of leaving of leaving are contemplating that loss. It is terrible.
You had that ripped away from you. Your sister and her children are gone...and not by their choice or yours. I was a witness for 35 years, and all my relatives save my sister are still in and faithfully shun me and my children. But at least I have the comfort of knowing that my own children will now never have to make that choice too. I got them out in time, and they now have a chance to lead happy normal lives. I hope the same can be true for you and the rest of your family. I wish there was more I could say. Please know that you are not alone and there are many out here who would gladly offer you support and encouragement.
Tracy
Sharon,
I'm sorry for your pain and wish to offer my sincere sympathy.
I hope you have and find some good friends, all of us that have left the WT feel for your pain.
Any way we here share your sorrow and hope you make it thru this.
Dear Sharon,
I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your dear sister and her family. I know this must be an extremely tragic time for you for many reasons. Please know that there are many caring individuals in the xJW community who would like to help comfort you through this very difficult time.
You will be in our thoughts and prayers.
Kindest regards,
Kristen
Dear Sharon,
I never knew Bob or Janet, but I was filled with grief and anguish when we learned what happened last week. I can scarcely imagine the magnitude of your sorrow.
I was a Witness for 20+ years, have been out more than 25 years now and consider myself one of the dread "secular humanist atheists." The Watchtower taught us that the world was filled with monsters and demons, but that was only a fable intended to keep us locked within The Tower's walls.
We know better now.
I wish you strength, love and healing.
I too am your brother, and I grieve with you.
Hi Sharon,
My heart goes out to you and your family. I don't know if I can even attempt to put into words
what I feel for you in my heart. It brought tears to my eyes when I looked at the picture of
your sister. She was just beautiful and I couldn't help but think that she could've easily been my,
or everyone else's, sister. I hope one day soon you'll be able to think of her, and a smile will
warm your face.
Love, T
