En route to Nashville, we dropped in on The Brewers. Becky noticed a Holland cruise bag on their floor, and though Dan and Kristin had not been on a cruise, the bag triggered a very dramatic story that made me grateful to have friends like this.
Their home is in a quaint, mid-century neighborhood in Warrenton, VA, a place that is slowly becoming a part of the Washington, DC “exurb” region.
But not without a fight. Fauqier County (pronounced “FOCK-year)1 is working hard to steer clear of the typical sprawl so ubiquitous in northern Virginia.
One such way is what the planners call “in-fill.”
Across their street, a developer is putting up four homes on a large block that will only add to the healthy density a town offers: More home owners, people walking around, better use of land, increased tax base, no sprawl.
One problem stood in the way: A 200 year old Ginkgo tree.
Well, from the developer’s perspective, a tree is no problem at all; you just clear it. But this one was planted in 1821 and remained perfectly healthy, blessing its surroundings with resplendent yellow leaves each fall.
Dan, who was not known to be a justice warrior, took his concerns to the city, and they threw the issue back at him: “Why don’t you contact the new land owner and see if they’d change their site plans?”
You can read more about how this opened the door to a long process that included the recruitment of many stakeholders and investors who were poised to do their part to save the tree. Good news!
In the eleventh hour, the tree was not saved but timbered and shredded as neighbors watched sorrowfully. Mercifully, the Brewers were on vacation, but Kristen says she caught a glimpse of the destruction on Facebook Live.
Want to read the bad news story? I warned you. Here it is.
Here’s what I love about how Dan’s posture:2
His motivation was the glory of God, the one who ought to be honored for creating such a life-giving tree.
He had the common good of his town in mind, thus providing his kids a lesson in civics they will never forget.
Robert Crowley lamented our human drift toward self-interest in a poem. Keep in mind, he was writing in the 1500’s:
And this is a city in name, but in deed
It is a pack of people that seek after meed (profit).
For officers and all do seek their own gain
But for the wealth of the Commons not one taketh pain.
And hell without order I may it well call
Where every man is for himself and no man for all.3
He remained buoyant. Rooted in hope and joy from his relationship with Christ, he could smile after this tragically ridiculous ordeal. In the end, it was only a tree. That sounds harsh, but it allowed him to do something even more shocking:
It moved Dan and his family to recognize the inherent dignity of the developer as well. Somehow Dan refrained from tossing gopher bombs onto the man’s property in protest.4
He’s ready for the next challenge, and I can’t wait to see what that will be.
Before I reveal how the cruise bag fits into this story, I feel it’s worth noting that I met Dan in 2001 during his Freshman year at Millersville University. We met often, became spiritual brothers, had a lot of fun, and kept in touch.
Hanging with the Brewers was a perfect way for Becky and me to begin our study leave!
The cruise bag that Becky noticed belonged to Rita, another advocate of the tree who became their friend.
After the tree was taken down, it was used to exchange meals back and forth. It remains for them, and anyone who asks, a launching point for a great story.
Another T-shirt seen on the streets of Warrenton says, “Work Here. Sleep Here. Fauquier.” Dan says “his friend” has such a shirt, but I have a suspicion he is that friend. He’s worn more provocative placards in the past. Reply to this email to hear all.
My book, Good Posture, commends such an approach. I call it civility, but it goes deeper into something more like holy, public kindness, modeled after the Creator. See Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5.
Quoted by Lewis Mumford in The City in History: Its Origins, Its Transformation, and Its Prospects, page 343. New York: 1961, Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc.
These are high-powered smoke bombs, perfect for adolescent pranks in a small town though you must understand I never took part in one, OK?