Customer Reviews

The Listening Tree: Fifty Stories of Grace-full Everyday Living

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I found The Listening Tree quite an exciting read. There are many stories in our world and many that need to be told, I feel Joyce has covered some of the best in her book. It is a book well worth reading, and the stories are quite spiritually impacting...truly The Lord is in every part of human life!

Thank you joyce for the long years of work puting this book together...thank you for calling it to our attention.

Jerry

The Listening Tree by Joyce Ann Edmondson is filled with charming, elegant and inspiring set of stories, and accompanying each of the stories is a `moral' containing the learning message of the tale, and a `reflection,' evoking positive emotions and the responsibility of ethics.

I feel close to the storyteller, her stories stirred my emotions, amused me, fascinated me and made me think. Through especially "The Run -Away," and her other stories, the author; Joyce Ann Edmondson suggests ever so subtly the different ways in which many of the inner conflicts may be worked through.

Joyce Ann Edmondson is an excellent storyteller. I recommend "The Listening Tree" to anyone wanting to stay up late reading. Her stories will most definitely appeal to multi-age readers. I wasn't able to put it down. I look forward to reading more of Joyce Edmondson's work.

This is a book that will make you remember the faith you had in life and in people. When at times you have thought it was gone. Most of all it reflects the love of God that assures us, that we are not alone. If a reader is looking for inspiration, they will find it among the pages of The Listening Tree.

The Listening Tree by Joyce Ann Edmondson is a collection of fifty gentle and uplifting stories told with love and insight. Joyce's own spirit comes shining and lights each story with her love of God and her respect for all life.
Joyce Ann reminds me, very much, of my foster mother, Barbara Anderson. As I read this lovely, inspirational book, I could not help but think of Barbara Anderson and her gentle way of teaching me about God and His Love. Every morning, at the breakfast table, we had what she called a "devotional." She read a short story and then the verses from the Bible that illustrated the point of the story. I wish that she had had The Listening Tree for those morning devotionals. I hope that other people who are carrying on Barbara's tradition will read The Listening Tree at the breakfast table. To me it would be a great beginning to the day and the family would go about their daily tasks with the Grace of God going right along with them.
Thank you, Joyce Ann Edmondson, for your loving, gentle book.

The fifty stories in the Listening Tree could be used as inspirational stories to begin or end each day, except others might be like this reader who looked forward to following one story with the next. The writing gives meaningful Christian based messages without preaching and with peacefulness and humility. Joyce Ann reveals her innermost thoughts of love and her ongoing search for meaning through learning and life events.

The Listening Tree includes life experiences from Joyce Ann's birth family and her adult family and her search for meaning in relationships with others as well as God. For example Joyce wrote about her grandson's love for wheels and then related:

"God is a great storyteller. He has a space for all His children. He will bring them close to Him and explain how the wheels in heaven work. Then he will let the children ride on the heavenly trucks, engines and trains as long as they like."

The writing is excellent, easy to read and captures the reader's interest from the beginning to the end. One can only hope that Joyce Ann will write more stories for follow-up. There was so much I could relate to in my own life. I think many readers will find this also.

Joyce Ann Edmondson, author of The Listening Tree, is an exceptional writer. She has the ability to take Gods love and express it in such a tender and compassionate way.

It is impossible for me to write a review of her book without giving you some background information on my walk. I came from a church that taught me, for nearly 16 years, that to have emotions was to live by the flesh, to be angry was a sin punishable by eternity in hell, and submission meant a victim of domestic violence had to stay in the relationship regardless of injuries to the body or damages done to the spirit. I came out of those 16 years believing that God was very angry with me and couldn't possibly love me.

Once I started reading The Listening Tree, I had to put it down and pause from time to time. This was due to the fact that it was reaching a part of my heart that had become numb long ago. I read one story at a time, over a period of two weeks. With each story, within her book, I felt more encouraged and the wall that I had built began to slowly come down.

Joyce Ann Edmondson writes in such a way, that it is almost as if love begins to bloom within the readers heart. The reader is able to grasp the gems of love, compassion, and truth because Joyce Ann Edmondson delivers the message in a way that delicately embraces the heart.

The author writes about shells on the beach and how it resembles the beauties of heaven. I could relate to this because there was once a beach here in Hawaii that I frequented to collect various shells. In the story titled, The Run-Away, she writes of being able to talk to God truthfully and honestly. She shares an example that helped me, for the first time in years, to cling to the truth that God really does care about what I have to say. The writer talks about emotions and how they are acceptable, and gives us an example of Jesus' emotions. My favorite story was, The Yarn Doll, because in it the author conveys the message that no matter how tattered and broken we are, God still loves us immensely.

The Listening Tree is a book which I believe can be a very precious and valuable tool in healing the hearts of those that have been wounded by the storms of life. It is a valuable resource for those who want to reach out to one who has had a difficult time grasping Gods love for them.

Joyce Ann Edmondson is an amazing and gifted writer, and is able to use her skills in writing and her love for God, to gently and compassionately touch the hearts of those longing for love and acceptance.

Hope Fields
Author of Journey to the Magical Places of the Heart

The Listening Tree
Joyce Ann Edmondson
ISBN: 1-4137-3761-7

A review-"The Listening Tree"
This work is arranged beautifully-with vignettes replete with uplifting stories of human reaction and thoughtfulness. The first impression I had was that it would be a great tool for teaching, specifically spiritual instruction to young and old alike. I was stirred to think of adjectives that describe Mrs. Edmondson's book such as delightful, engaging, interesting and safe. The book can be enjoyed by reading to a youngster as well as any thinking and concerned adult.
She is a talented writer able to put forward her observations and experiences and their relation to biblical principals. She does this at the end of each story using appropriate scriptures or prose that in my view are beautifully said prayers-positive prayers of thanksgiving and foresight. The book has been written in a most pleasant format-an entertaining way that will engage your thinking about life and what it means and could be. I believe she has captured life as it is and made the association with God and his blessings as they always have been.
It is apparent to me Mrs. Edmondson is well schooled. The style is one that shows a proper use of every standard in English. It is written to be understood-an accomplishment she deserves to be commended. I recommend the book as a nice journey away from stressful events on any occasion but also as a teaching tool to augment-or for that matter to be-the topic and text for classes in the relationship available to us all between human beings and God. It is truly an enjoyable book to read anywhere.

Andrew Huddleston, M.S.

Everyday of your life there is a new lesson to be learned. The Listening Tree is full of everyday lessons that are learned and taught by experiences and the love of God. These sweet stories that are compiled in this book help you view life with spiritual heart.

Joyce Ann Edmondson compiled an amazing collections of stories that anyone could relate with from small child to parent to grandparent while learning some very sweet lessons in life. Very well done Joyce Ann. This must read has brought a smile into my heart and home. Thank you,

C.J. Wilkes
Daddy, I Forgive You

I thought I'd just riffle thru your book....but I couldn't put it down!
Within the context of "everyday life situations" represented in each
vignette, Joyce has managed to attain a perspective from several different levels, and surprise twists, so that there is much more than the usual simplistic approach one finds in spiritual tales. They are truly
thought-provoking stories...

JOAN GRIFFITH
Sarasota Social Columnist and Free Lance Writer

Review: The Listening Tree by Joyce Ann Edmondson

Joyce Ann Edmondson refers to herself as Grandmother in the book The Listening Tree. It will be her voice to her grandchildren when she is no longer around and I am sure they will hear it in every word they read. It makes it extra special as you read it.

She has managed to capture everyday events in her life over the years with family and friends in such a way as to give a special meaning to each and every one of them. She finds meanings or purposes to them that she is able to express from her heart and to make us rethink every aspect of our own lives. She shares her interpretation of real life happenings eloquently yet simple enough so that a child will understand. She proves to the reader that she has been an observer and a listener to all those around her and took from the scenes only the "gold" to refine.

Her faith in God, and love for her family and humanity is poured out unselfishly in each of the fifty stories to share with the reader. It is a wonderful book for every grandmother to share with their own grandchildren. I know I will mine.
Mary Ellen Goble Preece author of In This Valley I Grew, Life on Blacklog and Happy Hollow