The Counting Tree by Jennifer Arrington

The Counting Tree

by Jennifer Arrington

In June of 2019, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. There was no family history; my only risk factor was being female. I was about to start a new job, and then everything happened at once: I underwent a lumpectomy, intraoperative radiation, and started hormone blockers. It ended up being a much “bigger deal” than I had imagined, but we came through it all and breathed a sigh of relief, putting that episode behind us.

A little over a year later, however, I discovered a new lump. That lump led to a double mastectomy and a long road of multiple surgeries and adjustments with lots of sitting around the house doing nothing. The enforced isolation and recovery depressed me, so I pulled out a manuscript I’d started about ten years before.

That manuscript turned into The Counting Tree and became my personal therapy. And, as part of that therapy, I gave my protagonist, Heidi, breast cancer (sorry, Heidi!). I finished the story and let my daughter and a friend read it, thinking the manuscript had served its purpose. But they told me the book needed to be published, so that’s what we did!

The Counting Tree, centered around thankfulness, opens in 1988 South Africa, where a young Heidi has flown halfway around the world to work as a camp counselor. In chapter 2, the reader learns of The Tree, a weeping willow where children hang personalized wind chimes. We peak in on Heidi as Johann, the enigmatic camp director, reluctantly shows her around the property. Here they are at The Tree:

Tears pooled in Heidi’s eyes as she scanned the hundreds of chimes hung throughout the branches. How beautiful and what a contrast… every placard proclaiming a child’s blessing hung in a weeping willow.

Words from the Psalms came unbidden, “We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof…” she quoted softly.

“…for there they that carried us away captive required of us a song.” Johann finished quietly.

The quoted words of Psalms resonated between them, filling the space; their eyes locked, his startled by the depth of her understanding, hers grateful for the connection.”

You will laugh and cry and cheer Heidi on as she navigates this new life and the beginnings of a beautiful love. But life isn’t kind to Heidi, and the reader follows Heidi’s journey back to the United States, through adoption, parenting twins alone, breast cancer, and eventually to another Counting Tree. This one, although a continent away, is startlingly familiar.

We released this heartwarming love story on Thanksgiving Day, 2022. Currently discounted to $2.99 on Kindle, you can download your own copy now. Just a warning: you won’t be able to put it down! Many reviewers state that they read it in one sitting, and the most recent reviewer says, “Reading this story is an emotional, inspiring, and rewarding journey. Highly recommend!”

The Counting Tree is the winner of the

2023 National Indie Excellence Awards

Category: Religious Fiction.

Jennifer Arrington started her first novel as a 9-year-old, writing in messy cursive, filling pages of an empty notebook. Her book was set in a boarding school for girls and included a schematic of the school, the dorms, the grounds, and of course, the netball courts.

Given that Jennifer has lived in four countries and five states within the United States, that manuscript is long gone. However, writing and journaling have always been her own personal therapy, and reading a reason to “get everything done” so she can focus on her TBR pile.

During her stay-at-home mom years, Jennifer used nap times to pen her first novel, Trusting for Tomorrow, inspired by her experiences with celiac disease. Ten years later, while recovering from multiple surgeries after recurrent breast cancer, she completed The Counting Tree, incorporating parts of her own breast cancer experiences into the story.

Jennifer self-publishes and spends her days on marketing, networking, and writing. She is currently working on a biography and a middle grade children’s adventure series. Although the styles and genres are far apart, Jennifer maintains that bouncing between the two keeps her brain fresh and helps maximize her writing time.

With a master’s degree in nutrition from Texas A&M University, Jennifer spent much of her career as a high school chemistry teacher and still tutors chemistry via Zoom. A self-proclaimed bibliophile, she also loves paddle boarding, snorkeling, and beach walking. Always reading, she often enjoys three concurrent books: an e-book, an audiobook, and a paper copy. That, she maintains, ensures a book is always on hand!