A look back at some life lessons from Mr. Rogers…
Hi neighbor, how are things with you? Today I wanted to tell you about a movie I watched recently. It’s called “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. It’s the true story of a man who was very special to me when I was a little boy. Maybe he was special to you too. His name was Mr. Rogers and he had a television program called “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood” where he talked to boys and girls about their feelings. He let us know that it’s okay to sometimes be mad or sad or just confused and that it’s good to talk about our feelings with each other. I know that for me childhood could sometimes be a little scary and sometimes I wouldn’t know what to do with my feelings. Mr. Rogers made me feel safe and understood. He made me realize that I was special just the way I am. Although I never met him, Mr. Rogers was my good friend. But that was a long time ago and too often as I’ve grown, I forgot about all the good things Mr. Rogers told me about. Maybe you forgot about them too. That’s why I loved this movie so much. It made me remember just how special we all are and how wonderful this world we live in really can be when we love ourselves and each other.
Now I’d like to introduce you to another friend of mine. This is Jocko and when I was a little boy, Jocko was my best friend in the whole wide world. Some people think Jocko looks a little scary and I guess that’s fair, but to me, he wasn’t scary at all. In fact, he was always there for me whenever I got scared. I think part of the reason I loved Jocko so much was that my Nana got him for me and I loved my Nana as much as a person can love another person. My Nana died many years ago and these days Jocko lives up in my attic and we don’t spend very much time together anymore but that’s okay because Jocko and my Nana live right here, in my heart. And I know she would be very proud of the man I’ve become. I know Jocko is proud too, he told me so.
Thank you for letting me share my little story today and now my friend, I’d like to ask you, did you have a special friend when you were a little boy or girl? I bet you did. What was their name? What did they look like? What special person in your life gave them to you? You know we are so lucky to have special people in our lives. People that loved us and helped shape us into the wonderful people we became. It’s with that in mind that I’d like you to read this next section, words by Mr. Rogers himself…
“I’d like to give you all an invisible gift. A gift of a silent minute to think about those who have helped you become who you are today. Some of them may be here right now. Some may be far away. Some, like my astronomy professor, may even be in heaven. But wherever they are, if they’ve loved you, and encouraged you, and wanted what was best in life for you, they’re right inside yourself. And I feel that you deserve quiet time, on this special occasion, to devote some thought to them. So, let’s just take a minute, in honor of those that have cared about us all along the way. One silent minute…”
“Whomever you’ve been thinking about, imagine how grateful they must be, that during your silent times, you remember how important they are to you. It’s not the honors and the prizes, and the fancy outsides of life which ultimately nourish our souls. It’s the knowing that we can be trusted. That we never have to fear the truth. That the bedrock of our lives, from which we make our choices, is very good stuff.”
I hope you took a moment and did as Mr. Rogers asked. I know I did and I found it a very powerful and emotional exercise. I’d also encourage you to seek out the movie “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”. It starts a little slow but turns into something truly special. I can’t think of a movie that affected me so much in an emotional but positive way. I watched it for free by getting on my Amazon Prime streaming service and signing up for a 7 day free trial of Starz. Below you’ll find a magical little clip from the movie. It’s made all the more magical by the fact that the incident shown actually happened to Mr. Rogers in New York City.
Well, I’m afraid that’s all the time we have together today. I’m so glad I got to spend it with you. And never forget, you’re perfect just the way you are.
