This always comes up around the holidays...people ask, "Are you going anywhere for Thanksgiving?" Sometimes I feel like a deer staring into the headlights as I look at people after they ask that question. "No," I say jokingly (although I am not joking), "my husband works all holidays."
***And I do know that there are many other people who work during the holidays...but even those folks get an occasional holiday off.***
Now I am not really complaining...it goes with the calling, of course a pastor is going to be present in his parish for all major holy days....and the pastor wouldn't have it any other way. It would be utterly strange to call in a guest preacher so the pastor could go to Florida over Christmas.
I guess what I would like, though, is for the congregation to realize what the pastor and family give up to be there, for them...giving them Christ's gift of life and salvation.
Thankfully, my side of the family has been able to come to our home for all the major holy days. My folks just live two hours from us, so they always come to our home. When our kids were little we were able to leave our home for a few days to visit with my folks...and my brother and his wife. That is getting harder to do as the kids have more responsibilities.
When our children leave our home the only option we have in seeing them is for them to come to us...it will always be like this until my husband retires. (How many pastors do you know that truly retire?)
We have never celebrated any major holy day with my husbands family ever....the distance is too great and my husband's father is also a pastor so he has the same dilemma that we face.
So, again...I am not complaining....it is a joy for a pastor to give the gifts of Christ to those who are present for these holy days. Just please stop asking and understand that the pastor's family is usually going to be home until the summer....when the pastor can slip away for a week or two.
5 comments:
This is most certainly true! :)
We have been here for Christmas 8 times and this question was asked more this year than ever before. I did feel like a deer in headlights when I kept getting asked this question even after they have seen us not go "home" before. Plus dh just got off of disability for 6 weeks so we're all glad he is back to work now and don't want to take a vacation now.
Last year all services were canceled at Christmas and this year all were canceled at New Year's. It puts a new perspective on this question. If we would have known in advance we could have gone home for those Christmas. But truly I would rather have my dh work for all the holidays than to have services canceled.
I'm a PK so I can't imagine going home for the holidays because I never did. Actually we were 3 hours away so we always left after services, but we never spent Christmas Eve at my grandma's house and we had to go home after a few days at grandma's for the next church service.
As someone who is new to life as a pastor's wife, thank you. I was very confused as to where else they thought their pastor ought to be. Or if not him, me and the children apart from him? Anyway, well said.
As a grown PK, who now travels to see my Pastor Dad and Organist Mom on CHRISTmas, I know this is just our life. There were times I wished we could see our cousins and other relatives on CHRISTmas, but our life was as it was. We had many blessings and created many memories by staying home.
Very well said Laura. It does become frustrating when we are asked are you going away for Christmas or any of the other major Holy days. Our children don't understand either as they think that there will be a Christmas or and Easter when we can visit them; but it will never happen. A Pastor belongs with his church family on Holy days and we his family remain their with him.
A Blessed New Year to you and the family.
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