Customer Reviews

The Tree That Survived the Winter

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wandering around a huge mall, surrounded by people, I felt incredibly alone. My marriage was over and I felt so lonely, so unloved. I wandered into a bookstore and picked up this book... and it changed my life. This simple, loving, child-like story helped me through my dark night of the soul. I now facilitate grief recovery workshops and give it as a celebration of survival to all those in my groups.

"...she felt an inner voice - a small but steady voice - which remained fluid and alive when everything else in her seemed paralyzed." Over and over again, as I journey through the winters of my life, that line, which has taken on a mantra quality, gives me hope. Mary has effectively captured the longings of the human heart in this delightful story which speaks so deeply to the child as well as the adult spirit in each of us. I am grateful for the ways in which this book continues to touch my life.

I've given this book to several people who have experienced the loss of a loved one in recent years. It has encouraged every person who has read it. It is easy reading, but very impactful...a book that should be kept on the shelf and read any time life throws a curve ball.

This book is an allegory about life in general. How we all must face tough times before we can truly appreciate the good times. In this story, a tree begins to come to life after the dreary time of winter. The ground was frozen, the air was cold and there was very little warmth in the sun. This caused the tree to move inward as the elements threatened to damage it. However, with the arrival of spring, the sun is now warm, the roots are growing deeper and stronger and her leaves are budding.
However, this newfound joy soon turns to sadness and hostility against the sun, as she wants to know why the sun abandoned her. The response is to point out how the adverse conditions of winter have strengthened her into a much stronger tree, capable of surviving against much harsher weather. She then learns that it is not the good times that make us stronger, in many ways, they make us weaker. Only by being exposed to the difficult times can we be made to understand and appreciate the good times and also be better able to survive even more difficult times. Without that experience, the truly difficult times may lead to our downfall.

This book is one of the most touching books I have ever read. It is a perfect gift for someone going through a difficult time, such as the death of a loved-one, addiction or finding God in their lives for the first time. The book is also great for putting on a shelf and going back to it every now and again when you need it.

A marvelous uplifting story told in the image of a tree who survived the coldness and hardship of winter.It is so easy to identify with the story and to be able to see it as an image of one's own story in dealing with the hardships of life.I would recommend it highly for anyone interested in dealing with their own inner journey of life.

I first received this book 10 years ago when my husband passed away. Since then, I given numerous copies to those who have lossed loved ones. It is simple, but helps the healing process.

A beautiful book that I have read during a painful divorce and then the devastating death of my son. Makes you realize that we are all part of the universe and that with pain also comes growth and hope. It's a beautifully written, short book which is a comfort to those in pain.

THIS WAS AN EXCELLENT BOOK WITH A STORYLINE THAT PARALLELS WITH MY LIFE. IT CAME AT A TIME WHEN I NEEDED THIS MESSAGE.

I love this type of book! It is almost an allegory, but not really. It is written like a children's story, kind of like a picture book, but has a deeper meaning. I put it in the same category as 'The Wall' and 'Hope for the Flowers.' One page that I often remember from this book is the one where the sun tells the tree that he needed the winter so that he would be strong. And when the tree blames the sun for not being there when he needed the warmth from the sun, and the sun says that he was there all the time and sometimes his light was about more than the tree could take - it reflected so brightly off the snow.