A Kindred Spirit

Kindred Spirit

 

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you . . .”  Jeremiah1:5 Before I wrote about Joseph in Baggage burdens., I already knew him in my heart.

Thanks to Jill’s needs I knew I had to create Joseph as a lonely, farm-loving young man, who had excellent carpentry skills.  To this character skeleton I added a couple of human weakness––he lacked self-confidence and was old school.

Creating Joseph as an old school character began with him being orphaned at the age of six. Because his parents died in an automobile accident, Joseph’s farming grandparents raised him. Their comforting efforts drew them very close to each other. His grandparent’s values became his––going to church, man is the head of the house, working hard, being determined, and having a family with many children.

Not having many true friends in the world begins with Joseph’s time at his grandparent’s home. While he could have become friends with his grandparent’s four older sons who were living at home, it didn’t happen. In the son’s late teens they became rebellious, attending wild parties, swearing, and drinking to excess. All actions met with strong disapproval from Joseph’s grandparents. Attempts to rein in their boy’s misbehavior met with the snarling, painful remarks. Joseph was turned off by their reactions. It made him the target of the boys’ attacks too.

Joseph’s feeling of isolation is reinforced when he made friends with Mike, his grandparent’s eldest son. Put off by his younger brothers, Mike had moved away and in time put a deposit on a farm in a conservative religious community. While Mike becomes part of the church, he isn’t really accepted. Joseph finds, when he inherits Mike’s property, he too is seen as an odd person to be watched carefully. The cut-off nature of Joseph’s farm becomes an irresistible attraction for Jill and leads to her marrying him.

The community’s religious convictions and Joseph’s past loneliness work to strongly motivate him to do everything he can to make Jill’s life happy. Their marriage must last. Joseph’s task is made all the more challenging when Jill sees Joseph’s love for their children as a source of competition instead of support.

Joseph’s manual farm labor, responsible for his muscular build attracts Jill. She needs him to protect her in case her father ever comes looking for her. Because Joseph’s work keeps him close to the house, she knows he will be around for her.

I can’t help identifying with Joseph. His love for gardening and his Ukrainian heritage make him my kindred spirit. What is it that connections you with someone special?

Some times all it takes is one act of kindness to draw two people together.  That is the basis of the attraction between Jill and Bill in Baggage burdens. to be considered in the next blog.