Colorado Parks & Wildlife Research Library

In the first of the Father Tim novels, Karon enchants with a story of the newly retired priests spur-of-the-moment adventure. For the first time in decades, Father Tim returns to his birthplace, Holly Springs, Mississippi, in response to a mysterious, unsigned note saying simply: "Come home."

Father Tim and Cynthia arrive in the west of Ireland, intent on researching his Kavanagh ancestry. The charm of their lakeside B&B is broken when Cynthia startles a burglar and sprains her already-injured ankle. Then a cherished and valuable painting is stolen from the lodge owners, and Cynthia's pain pales in comparison to the wound at the center of this bitterly estranged Irish family.

Episcopal priest Father Tim Kavanagh, recently retired from service at Lord's Chapel in Mitford, accepts a post as interim priest at a small parish on an island off the Atlantic Coast where he and his wife Cynthia quickly become involved in the lives of a whole new community of people.

Father Timothy Kavanagh, married for the first time at the age of sixty-something, struggles to deal with the upheaval and delight of having a wife, while also presiding over the triumphs and troubles of the people of the small town of Mitford, North Carolina.

Since he was a boy growing up in Mississippi, Father Tim has lived what he calls "the life of the mind". But then he finds a derelict nativity scene that has suffered the indignities of time and neglect. Can he give the small assembly new life, restore the camel's ear, repaint every piece? Imagining the excitement in the eyes of his wife, Cynthia, he steps up to the plate, beginning a small journey of faith that touches everyone around him. Also included...

In the small town of Mitford, rector Father Tim and his lovely wife Cynthia ponder their retirement plans, trying to raise their young charge, Dooley, and find Dooley's missing, abandoned siblings, while a brash mayoral candidate is calling for development and "progress"

"Since he was a boy growing up in Mississippi, Father Tim has lived what he calls "the life of the mind." Except for cooking and gardening and washing his dog, he never learned to savor the work of his hands. And then he finds a derelict nativity scene-twenty figures, including a flock of sheep, that have suffered the indignities of time and neglect. Could he give the small company new life? Restore the camel's ear, repaint every piece, replace a...

The inhabitants of the small town of Mitford join together at Christmastime for a fun-filled snowman-building contest, complete with hot chocolate, doughnuts, and the joy of the holiday season.

"After five hectic years of retirement from Lord's Chapel, Father Tim Kavanagh returns with his wife, Cynthia, to Mitford where he - and his beloved friends and family - face the challenge of settling into the next phase of their lives"--

Since he was a boy growing up in Mississippi, Father Tim has lived what he calls "the life of the mind". But then he finds a derelict nativity scene that has suffered the indignities of time and neglect. Can he give the small assembly new life, restore the camel's ear, repaint every piece? Imagining the excitement in the eyes of his wife, Cynthia, he steps up to the plate, beginning a small journey of faith that touches everyone around him. Also included...