A Tree Stump and an Uncle: The Story Behind "Love One Another"

Of all the stories behind the Original 21 Precious Moments figurines, the one behind Love One Another might be the quietest.

Sam Butcher was watching his young daughter Tammy sitting with her uncle on a simple tree stump. That was it. No drama. No crisis. No bumper stickers or boxes of kittens or heavy-hearted walks through department stores. Just two people — a little girl and the man she loved — sitting together in the ordinary way that people do when they feel completely at ease with each other.

Sam saw it. He drew it.

And what he drew became one of the most enduring images in Precious Moments history.

The Figurine That Never Left

Love One Another holds a distinction no other piece in the Original 21 can claim: it is the only figurine from that first collection that has never been retired. While 20 of the Original 21 have been discontinued over the decades, Love One Another remains in production today — still available at PreciousMoments.com.

There's something right about that. Of all the messages Sam ever put into his work, this one — drawn from a wordless afternoon on a tree stump — may have been the most essential.

The title comes from John 13:34: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

Sam didn't illustrate theology. He illustrated life — and trusted that when you capture life honestly enough, the theology takes care of itself. Tammy and her uncle, sitting together on a stump, became a reminder that God's miracles are present in ordinary interactions and everyday activities. That love doesn't require an occasion. That sometimes the holiest thing happening in a moment is just two people choosing to be near each other.

That's what Love One Another has always been. That's why, more than 45 years later, it's still here.

The complete Original 21 Precious Moments figurines