We love sharing snippets of notes Jan receives from readers. Today, we’re sharing this longer letter that is a perfect example of how the Mitford novels touch hearts and change lives. Enjoy.
Jan,
As a young Navy wife with two small children, I was introduced to the Mitford Series by a neighbor when we were stationed in Puerto Rico. I immediately fell in love with the characters and the stories. As we moved to various duty stations around the world over the course of my husband’s 30 year career, your stories about Mitford and it’s characters would ground me, give me a feeling of home and the comfort that was difficult to find when in very far away places. It was not uncommon for me to yell out “Where are my Jan Karon books?”, as I rustled through packing paper and boxes when we arrived at a new location. The stories were an anchor in turbulent times and a comfort when feeling alone. The Mitford Series helped me to feel like I had a home no matter where we were.
Since my husband retired from the Navy, we are more stable, and I am now working with elderly dementia patients at a skilled health care facility. Many of them are anxious, restless and difficult to deal with. One day I decided that I would start a “Reading Group” for our residents. I wasn’t expecting much, as many of them have no attention span and wander around in and out of activities.
To my surprise and delight, as I began reading At Home in Mitford, the room settled down and most everyone sat and listened. I tried to read with great expression and different voices, and it was a big success! Since that time, we have finished At Home in Mitford, A Light in the Window and we are halfway through These High Green Hills. The residents sometimes ask questions, and we talk about how their lives might relate to people and situations that are in a story. Although many of them are unable to remember from week to week, they always enjoy the current reading.
– Jan Adams