"Make me a blessing to someone today..."

I was telling Ruth about the Mitford series of books. So, I have begun reading the first one again. It is titled, At Home in Mitford, by Jan Karon. Besides the scriptures, these books are probably the most inspirational works I have read. My title to this blog is from the first page of the novel. Father Tim says this prayer each day. He says and does so many other things that make him a saint. And while I know that this is a work of fiction, I wish he were a real person that I could know and that I could be as Christ-like as he is. Not only does he know the scriptures forward and back, but he quotes Wordsworth with equal ease. He serves others willingly and is totally selfless. His utterances are almost always edifying and kind. The little town of Mitford is filled with such characters and character. There is always humor and there is so much that makes you want to nod your head in agreement. Here are some of his kind remarks to people:

To his less than affable secretary when she hads him a box of Little Debbies: "You are a pearl above price!"

When he walked into his friends' warm home: "A foretaste of heaven!"

And here is a little exchange that I just loved: Vet friend Hal talking to his wife, '"Tim has some heavy-duty stress to contend with. Holy Week, two Easter services, a Vermeer, a new dog the size of a Buuick, fourteen azaleas to get in the ground, and' he looked at Father Tim, 'there must be something else.'
'"A bone spur in my left heel,' he said, cheerfully" Don't you just love that?

So, I recomend the Mitford series to everyone. As I reread this post I see that I haven't done the book justice at all, so you will just have to take my word for it and read it yourself. I will end with one of Father Tim's favorite sayings which I would like to adopt as my own: Philippians four-thirteen, f'r gosh sake!