My Visit with my Jehovah's Witness Mother

I stayed with my parents this past weekend, as I came into town for my 35th high school class reunion from Tucson High School. The weather was lovely and so was everything else. I loved seeing all my old high school buddies, even those that were my friends since the 1st grade. Everyone looks great!



I have been praying for my mother who is a Jehovah's Witness, for a long time. (My father was disfellowshipped several years ago) She is getting better with her health, looks good and she seems to feel well. My dad is better too, he lost 30 pounds, he was way overweight last time I saw him; he has diabetes. Our relationship has improved much in the past few years, as for many years, Mom has completely shunned me. Last year I stayed with them for 10 days after Mom had her bilateral mastectomy. This past weekend, I stayed with them again. Last years, when I stayed there, I slept on an air mattress on the floor, which is fine, because I really don't want to inconvenience them. Mom and Dad have separate bedrooms, (well they are old) but Mom GAVE UP her bedroom and invited me to stay in it, and she went over to sleep with Dad. I couldn't believe it! That's HUGE STEP for my mother, a huge step indeed! There was a time when if I were in the same place as she was, she would walk right out because of her anger with me at leaving the Watchtower Organization

Saturday was their 56th wedding anniversary. Imagine, they have stayed together for 56 years, in spite of all the bad times, the Watchtower, shunning, my father's alcoholism. My sister drove up from Sierra Vista (she was disfellowshipped as a JW same year I left, and has been a Christian for many years now). We took them out to lunch at Mimi's Restaurant, and we had a nice time.

The funny thing is that she was acting like a mother again. Even though we have been speaking to each other the last few years, there was a coldness about her. This weekend she turned on the warmth. She's 76, I'm 53 now. As I left to attend my reunion, I chuckled and smiled as she gave me the "motherly advice" about not going to my car alone when I left the building, be careful, etc....same advice I tell my daughter if she's going to be out late. However I thought to myself, that it's really nice to have her caring again, so I just smiled and said, "yes, mother, I will be careful".

It's amazing how God is working in their lives, and how God has been healing relationships. I am just counting on God to get my mother completely out of the Watchtower before she dies. I am diligently praying for their salvation. Last year I gave a copy of Charles Love's book, Twenty Questions Jehovah's Witnesses Cannot Answer. Dad has already read the book and agrees with it. Mom doesn't know that he has it, but I'm praying that she will inadventently find it and read it. I am confident that God can and will open the eyes of the spiritually blind, such as my mother.