Friday, January 2, 2009

Confessions of a Pastor's Wife

What do you think friends? Good title for a book?



I was thinking about this the other day. Sometime around Fall 07, I went to an event at Gordon-Conwell for "Seminary Wives". Yes, it was not the most PC event, because there are several "Seminary Husbands", but to give them credit, us "wives" are in the extreme majority. I don't tend to take personal offence to non-pc things, for the most part. It actually bothers me when people add "sisters" to scripture verses that say "brothers". When people say "humankind" verses "mankind". I usually say "woman" is included in "mankind"...it's "MANkind" not "MALEkind".....anyways.....



I was given a book at said event and others recieved a different book. The other was something in regards to being a pastor's wife. Not being able to remember the name, I did a simple search for the topic and found nothing. I searched more and more and still found nothing. I am sure that genre does exist and I have simply not been able to find what I'm looking for (not that uncommon for a history major).



Being a pastor's wife is a very unique and special relationship in the church. There are a variety of leadership and congregational postitions and relations to the pastor. The "secretary" is yet another avenue. But, wife...let's face it, NO one else has that intimate a relationship to the pastor (nothing dirty implyed..well...ok, nevermind). I hear a lot of stuff, yes, but more than specific names and dates, the situations that come across a pastors desk and phone, the personal level of parishiners following the Word of God in order for us to pay our bills, and seeing just so many things from a unique perspective have promted my inner juices. "Maybe I should write a book." Now, maybe it will never come to anything. Maybe it will serve more as a diary or just a place to vent. But who knows. Maybe it will come to something someday. I plan on being a pastor's wife for a long long time. Though I think perhaps I would start it with this sentiment: More importantly than being "the pastor's wife" I am "Jonathan Chechile's wife", just as more importantly I am "Veronique". Now, I don't mean this in any selfish way, but moreso that I am me. My relationship to God is more important than that to my husband and son (as hard as that can be to say) and my relationship to other church members are less important. Do you get my drift?



In closing let me say this: Yes, I know I will need a very good editor if this idea should ever go anywhere public. History majors are longwinded and ADD girl with two glasses of Champagne is even worse.



Here Here to 2009. The birth of my beautiful son, Joseph. and to 3 years of marriage to my best friend and love of my life, Jon.

P.S. I wrote this, I think it was New Year's Day night, it was late and I didn't trust myself to post it without a post coffee brain readover. It is now almost a week later and I'm finally getting to it. Welcome to my life.

2 comments:

cg said...

I support you! I think you should do it. I want the first signed copy though...

cg said...

oh, and one more thing...you are definitely more than a pastor's wife, jon's wife, and joseph's mother..you are veronique! Of course, you are the other things too, but I'm glad that first and foremost you are you and that that's not going to change! love you!