ALICE KIM, LCSW

Shortly after settling into our apartment on the campus of a seminary as newlyweds, I was asked, “Do you feel called to be a pastor’s wife?” It was a reasonable question but one I had not anticipated. Prior to marriage, acquaintances and friends would ask about my then fiancé. I would respond with the usual descriptors including his preparation for pastoral ministry. Reactions ranged from “more power to you to” or “do whatever makes you happy” to, “you’ll make a great past

Pintrest boards, calligraphy font on canvas, gift shop worthy knickknacks attempt to inspire with a catchy phrase like, “Do what you love.” I can humbly say yes to that. Week after week, I step into the four walls of my office, sit across a face or two or sometimes more, and am invited to the sacred place of entering into their lives. I am invited as a guest to inquire, be curious (and as my family would say, be nosy) about what experiences has shaped them and how they have