Seven springs ago, I encountered for the first time the hymn Lord, Let My Heart Be Good Soil. “Lord, let my heart be good soil, open to the seed of your word,” we sang. “Lord, let my heart be good soil, where love can grow and peace is understood.”

The song came to mind again recently when I saw films about two people whose lives and work were good soil. Neither was Lutheran, but both embodied the core ideas of Hanson’s hymn: Henri J. M. Nouwen and Fred Rogers (aka Mister Rogers).