For a few weeks I've had this 'Sister' on my mind, although she is deceased.
I've heard through the grapevine that her widowed husband isn't doing so hot, so I thought I'd share some memories.....
One of my very first memories of attending KH in my old hometown was of Hilda. Hilda was one of the older ones even when I was young. I'm thinking she was in her late 60's when I first made her acquaintance. She scared the Holy BeJeezus out of me! I was only about 6 or 7 but I will never forget her.
She wore her hair in an amazing combination beehive/bouffant that stood about 8 inches high on her head. She was very pale, and she wore bright orange lipstick that you could see for miles. I think her fashion sense died in the 50's.
Hilda's husband was a 'non-believer' and if you spent ANY length of time talking to her, you would know that (according to her) they fought non-stop and were rather miserable. Us kids had him made out to be a demon.
Hilda and my family were a lot alike--Uber-JWs. We would get to the Assembly site at 6:00, and damned if Hilda wouldn't be right there in the second row. She didn't sit in the front row because she always 'saved those seats' for my family. She always picked up all of the other 'older sisters' and together they made the most motley-looking crew you can imagine.
OH BUT THERE were perks to sitting near Hilda. It always seemed like, when us kids couldn't take sitting still for one more minute, Hilda would reach up and give us a piece of candy. Miracle of miracles, my parents allowed it.
What I most remember about Hilda, though, is that she was fearless. She would cut your heart out and serve it up to you on a platter if she disagreed with you. More than once I remember hearing Hilda say, "I don't believe that, but all of these dummies will" RIGHT OUT LOUD at the assembly!
SCANDALOUS!!!!
The most remarkable thing of all was how Hilda would go in field service. BY HERSELF. For YEARS. She was a regular pioneer, and when she picked up her magazine order after the meeting, she could barely carry it. Hilda was no slacker. As we grew older, we always wanted to go in service with her. We couldn't figure out how Hilda was placing all of these magazines!!!! She had a magazine route that Jesus woulda killed for.
She always patted us on the head and said, "Maybe one day." In the 25 years I spent in that congregation, Hilda never met with the service group! And I reg. pio'd for YEARS!!! When pressed, she would say, "It's a waste of time."
She told more than one Circuit Overseer where to get off. They would try to force her to meet with the group. She never did.
Sometimes, she would slip and SWEAR from the platform or in one of her answers. SCANDALOUS!!!!
And this whole time she talked smack about her husband. Well, you know how impressionable kids are. We were convinced he was the devil himself, having never met him.
And then Hilda had a stroke. Not a minor stroke, but a major stroke that debilitated her. She never left the rehab home, to my memory. Or maybe she did and just went downhill at home.
When Hilda died, I cried like a baby. We were convinced her evil husband would FORCE a church funeral of his choosing to take place.
Miracle of miracles, he asked my father to give the funeral sermon, at the Kingdom Hall!! This man whom I had never met, came to the Kingdom Hall for his wife's funeral out of deepest respect.
I hear from my parents that he attends every Sunday faithfully. Don't get me wrong, he'll never be a JW. He actually sleeps through most of the meeting, being in his late 80's by now. He just goes because he misses her. He is a pussy cat.
I learned two things from Hilda:
1. March to your own drum, no matter who doesn't like it.
2. Not everything is as it appears. Stay out of people's marriage, cause you don't know what goes on behind closed doors.
I miss her.