Inspiration From Mitford

Every summer I get the urge to read through the Mitford books again. If you’ve never been to Mitford, you’re due for a visit. This delightful series of books by Jan Karon contains a cast of quirky yet lovable characters who live, work, love, struggle, and serve in the little town of Mitford. Reading these books again and again has strengthened my faith, encouraged my heart, inspired my homemaking and service, and caused me to laugh and cry out loud. Ms. Karon’s faith in the Lord Jesus Christ shines brightly through these books as she uses her gifts to weave a tale about living out an extraordinary faith in the midst of an ordinary life.

For a long time I’ve had an itching of sorts to share with others the abundance found within the pages of these books. They are so full of wonderful word pictures, of beauty, of descriptions of soul-comforting food, and examples of hospitality.

When browsing through the archives of Monica’s blog, The Homespun Heart, I was excited to find that several years ago she began fleshing out some of the very ideas I had swimming in my head. She created a series of posts called Mitford Moments. (I would encourage you to visit her blog and type “Mitford Moments” into her search option to read the fun and helpful posts she put together.) In her posts, she quoted various passages from the series and shared how she desired to create an atmosphere in her home and community like Mitford. I loved this quote she wrote, “. . .the Mitford experience is one we create in our hearts and attitudes, not one that we find in a location.”

Monica's posts have inspired me to study the Mitford books as I read and jot down some ideas about how to put into practice the things that I find there. So from time-to-time, I would like to share some Inspiration From Mitford of my own with you - that your heart, too, would be encouraged, that your faith would be strengthened, and that you would be inspired to live out your faith in your everyday world.