In the winter I used to look out of the study window in the Rectory in Chester le Street, County Durham, and see a growing young tree with its branches stripped bare of leaves. It seemed to reflect my life at that time. My wife, Mair, was deeply depressed. The Parish Church faced formidable challenges, And one morning I came down to pray, only to discover that our much loved 18 year old cat, Tigger, had died under my armchair. But the young tree in the garden gave me hope. One day an almond tree - literally , the 'awakening tree' in Hebrew, probably because it was the first to blossom in Spring - gave hope to a young man, Jeremiah the prophet, who protested to God that he was only 'a boy' (Jeremiah 1:7). I like the way Martin Luther (1483-1546) approached to life: 'Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.'