This is our Christmas tree. It is a living thing and a central character in a drama unfolding in our own yard. We purchased the tree 12 years ago in a fit of environmental purity and good intention. “Let’s have a living tree instead of spending money on a cut tree every Christmas.” It has worked well for us. It saw some hard times in the years we were going back and forth to Saigon, but it was always outdoors. We knew it would survive, but there were periods when it was a struggle to keep it watered and healthy, and often we would find brown patches and a deck full of needles on our return.
Though Bernd Hummel and Jim Potter never met I like to think they would have enjoyed one another’s company – but I’ll never know. Earlier this month Jim died at age 58 while Marilynn and I were visiting Bernd and his two daughters in Germany. The two men were quite different on the surface of their lives but similar in their deep commitment to the communities where they live and work.
