Discovering Joye: Uncovering the Treasures Inside Ordinary People, Places, Things and Ourselves - eBook

Discovering Joye is a small treasure of sweet nothings. They are small poems of inspiration and stories to entertain. At the end of each chapter are points to ponder. It is light reading but yet it has deep meaning. I found it fascinating and enjoyed it tremendously!

I received this book from the Book Club Network in exchange for my honest opinion.

I did not know what to think when I opened the package with this physically little book Discovering Joye by Jim Stovall. Even though it is a small book, it is packed with a wealth of knowledge and insight about living your best life.

Joye Kanelakos was the mother of Jim Stovalls employee Dorothy Thompson. After her mothers passing, the family went through a special box Joye told them about before she passed. In it they found out their mother was a poet. No one knew.

Each chapter in the book Jim Stovall has written is a discovery chapter. Jim shows how to discover positive ways to look at various parts of our lives such as money, friends, work and family. Joyes poetry is featured in each chapter and each poem chosen fits like a glove in the chapter where it was placed. The words are simple yet full of wisdom. What a wonderful treasure she left her family.

Jims way with words is powerful. He helps you find the power of positive in life situations. His words combined with Joyes poetry make a perfect little book for discovering the treasures in our daily lives.

I did receive a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What a beautiful book! Not only does the cover appear rich and inviting, the inside has the grace and beauty of two Christian authors. Jim Stovall has shared some of the beauty of his heart and that of Joye Kanelakos, whose poetry graces the pages of Discovering Joye. During her final days, Joye (mother of a colleague and co-worker of Jim) told her family found about a special box in her home. After her passing, her family found a treasure of poetry that Joye wrote during her life that spanned most of the 20th century. With at least one of Joyes poems central to each chapter, Jim Stovall adds his wisdom, prose, and poems with a Discovery summarizing them.

The subtitle of the book is Uncovering the Treasures Inside Ordinary People, Places, Things, and Ourselves. It is absolutely accurate as Joye and Jim look for the best in everybody and everything in their writings, including family, work, problems, and holidays, among others. The positive and uplifting readings in each chapter make this little volume an excellent start or ending to ones day. This reader used it at the end of each day, and could sometimes see it as a source of re-adjusting how I perceived various events of the day. It adds a bit of wonder, a bit of joy, and a new appreciation for our daily walk.

I highly recommend Discovering Joye to adults of all ages, and young adults, who appreciate poetry and prose that bring inspiration into their daily life. Discovering Joye also can be a welcome gift to those in your life who need a touch of wonder to help restore and revive their spirits or for those going through challenges in their health, business, or family life even one beginning a new career or graduating.

I received a copy of this book through the For Readers Only group at The Book Club Network, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.

Stovall never met Joye Kanelakos. He only knew her as the mother of one of his colleagues and coworkers, Dorothy. When Joye was near death, she told her daughter about a special box. After her death, her children went through the box and found a treasure. The box was filled with Joye's poetry. Dorothy read one of them to Stovall and the scene came alive in his mind.

Stovall realized there are discoveries like Joye's poetry to make every day. He shares some of the discoveries he has made through his relationships with others. It may be a discovery he made while on a speaking engagement or something one of his wise friends said. He relates the story and frequently adds one or more of Joye's poems.

Here are some of his discoveries:

We must savor each moment with the special people in our lives as we never know which moment with them will be our last. (27)

Every season is a gift, every day is an opportunity, and every moment is a treasure. Spend them all wisely. (46)

Being grateful today makes you appreciate yesterday and anticipate tomorrow. (130)

The poems from Joye are moving. Here is one of my favorites:

Our Legacies

Every footprint that we take

Makes a change where we have passed.

Small things there beneath our heel

Are changing where the print was cast.

What then could any difference make

When ruthless paths our courses take?

Beneath our heel some things will bend

Without the strength to rise again.

The nineteen stories that Stovall tells are encouraging and full of insight. There is one on money and another on friends. He encourages learning, celebrating family, giving joyfully, practicing gratitude, choosing happiness, and includes many other topics on living life.

Stovall does an amazing job of revealing the insights found in Joye's poetry. The combination of poetry and prose makes for pleasant reading. This book would be a wonderful gift. Its small size and short chapters of wisdom would be appreciated by anyone loving poetry. Stovall's book is a good reminder that we all leave a legacy. What kind of a legacy it will be is up to us.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through the Book Club Network for the purpose of an independent and honest review.

When one of Jim Stovall's staff members brought him a collection of her recently diseased mother's poems, he felt he had found a treasure. These were previously unpublished poems about the ordinary happenings in life. He proceeded to put together a book which includes her poems. Each chapter is a new discovery. In fact their titles all begin with Discovering _ As an inspirational author and speaker, he writes an inspiring word about the topic and then includes one of Joye's poems.

While this book would not be considered a devotional book, it has no scripture references or mention of God, Jesus, etc, it is an inspirational book. There are nuggets of truth which would inspire anyone and the poems are definitely delightful.

I also enjoyed its "pocket size".

I received this book from the Book Club Network in exchange for my honest opinion.