The Man, The Myth, The Legend
Mister Rogers is my hero.
Not was, but is.
And I wish you could get inside my brain to understand how serious I am. Every time I immerse myself in Mister Rogers related material – books, quotes, videos, documentaries – I cry. I cry when I listen to him talk slowly and carefully, telling me that he likes me. I cry when he accepts awards by asking everyone to take time and think of those they’re thankful for. I cry when I watch him speak to the US Senate on behalf of millions of children and, in the process, change the mind of a gruff senator through kindness and humility. I cry when I read about the countless lives he touched while here on Earth.
Fred McFeely Rogers would have been 85 years old today.
In honor of his birth and life, I’d like to share a few things I love about Mister Rogers, the man.
First of all, and this isn’t one of the three things, but…Fred Rogers represents the term “hero” well. Heroes scare me, actually. In this day and age, it seems we just wait for them to fall and, more often than we’d like, they do. The more we find out about Fred Rogers, though, the more his legacy seems to be strengthened. In fact, I’m convinced that instead of saying, “See, told ya!” when an icon fell, Fred would be consumed with telling them he cares about them and he’d try to help them. He’d want to know what led them here. He’d want to know their story. Which is the first thing I love about him…
