AT HOME IN MITFORD - WEEK 12 CHAPTERS 21 - 22

AT HOME IN MITFORD by Jan Karon

You just have to love our sweet Father Tim just a little bit more after these chapters! From the concerns about the movie to forgetting his birthday to crawling through the attic of Miss Rose's house to read the inscribed beam, you can't help but wish every person had such a devoted, caring, and honorable man in their life.

I'm going to start with Father Tim's visit with Bishop Stuart. What a dear friend and confidant. One that is willing to verbally spank him a little because of his lack of care for himself. (And we know something's brewing don't we?) Do you have such a friend or spouse? One that lifts you up, yet calls you out when you are running yourself into the ground? It is so easily done in today's day and age isn't it? Carve moments for yourself, dear friends, of respite and relief. I am speaking to myself as well right now.

Cynthia and her curler, oh how I laughed, because we've all been there. We get home and realize our clothes didn't match, we're wearing two different earrings, makeup on only one eye, etc. We stand in front of the mirror with the realization of how we looked, and we just want to melt. But everyone's been there in one form or another!

How interesting Father Tim's struggle with what to do with the curler. How telling when we see the memories flood his mind of his father's delight in letting his mother know her "shortcomings." Oh the difference of helping someone with a mishap versus a gloating of put downs.

Speaking of memories of the past, we finally learn what Willard left on the beam to Miss Sadie- Winterpast. I just let that roll around on my tongue. It was a house dedicated to letting old things being left in the past and new things coming forth. Oh how I could carve that on the beam of my mind!

As always there are so many other thoughts to pursue, but I leave the floor to you!