Beneath the Mulberry Tree

By: Jennifer B Duffey

Narrated by: Steve White

Jimmy Watson dreamt of retiring to a small farm in the country. After a lifetime of building a successful business, his dream becomes a reality. He has traded in the stress of meetings and deadlines for the calm of grazing cows in a noonday field. So when he becomes plagued with a series of nightmares, he must decide between his peaceful life and a path he cannot understand. It's a choice that will eventually lead to the most important question any man must face - which is greater, life or love? Will he choose tranquility or unimaginable pain? The answer is beneath the mulberry tree.

©2015 Jennifer B Duffey (P)2016 Jennifer B Duffey

Good and Faithful Servant

This short listen about Jimmy Watson and his family in Georgia is different. Its sweet, sad, full of good southern lore . . . but most of all it is about obedience. There’s no high handed, Bible thumping Christian speak. Oh, no. For that’s the would send us high tailing over the hills to escape. This is about the quiet, still small voice . . . except for the voice that Jimmy Watson keeps hearing in his sleep until he agrees to buy ol’ man Johnson’s place. Those were nightmares, persistent, nagging nightmares. Myrna, Jimmy’s wife doesn’t want ol’ man Johnson’s place. Myrna and Jimmy’s kids ask their dad over and over if Jimmy is SURE if he wants to buy it. Well, NO, Jimmy doesn’t want it, but he HAS to buy it, or he will have no peace. BOOM! Lesson one: There is no peace outside the will of God. Stated nowhere in this book. But clear as the nose on your face. I listened in awe as Jimmy followed in obedience. I also listened to see if there was some big, Aha! moment as to why he had to buy the farm. There wasn’t. I think, perhaps, those come in heaven, although, if we are very lucky, the Lord sometimes gives us a peek down here. Full of good southern wisdom and laughter, grown men chasing emus, I can’t help but to believe that this author has some more stories up her sleeve. As we follow the life of Jimmy Watson, we see that he has the same aggravations and life crises that we all do. Yet his reaction to them is different. Frustrated and angry at the daughter of ol’ man Johnson, who refuses to empty the house of an array of junk and personal items belonging to her father, even though ordered to by the local authorities after the sale of her father’s farm, most of us would’ve thrown it in the dump. Not Jimmy Watson. Lesson two: Followers of Christ emulate character. Jimmy Watson packed up the personal items he had found along with quite a bit of cash that was hidden in various places, deducted the cost of shipping, and sent it to the ungrateful woman. When the healthy farmer begins to have gut wrenching pain, and it is thought to be his gall bladder, he has an even tougher choice to make: Go home to Jesus now, with no more pain; or remain with his loved ones and endure unspeakable pain. Lesson three: Put others above yourself. And that one, dear friends, we almost always fail at. But not Jimmy Watson. When he thought about the sadness it would cause his wife, Myrna, his children and grandchildren if he suddenly left them, he chose to stay . . . and suffer. And more than that, to LIVE, to make provisions for Myrna. To serve the church. To stay busy. As long as his body possibly could. This is a book that everyone should read or listen to. And think about. Its about a regular man who chose to live an extraordinary life.

I loved Beneath the Mullbury tree!

The narrator Steve White did a great job tell the story of a family going through a rough patch in their lives. The book was beautifully written , and the main character , Jimmy is my favorite. This is a wholesome story. I listened to the audio version while reading. My friend will love it I will be telling her about it soon, I Hope you love it too !