Mr. Rogers with Daniel Striped Tiger.
“Discovering the truth about ourselves is a lifetime’s work, but it’s worth the effort.”
― Fred Rogers
“There is no normal life that is free of pain. It's the very wrestling with our problems that can be the impetus for our growth.”
― Fred Rogers, The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember
“It's a mistake to think that we have to be lovely to be loved by human beings or by God”
― Fred Rogers
I watched Mr. Rogers and Me on PBS last night. I think Mr. Rogers is kind of like St. Nicholas, and Pope Francis is kind of like both of them.
I liked something else Mr. Rogers said:
“I feel so strongly that deep and simple is far more essential than shallow and complex.” - Mr. Rogers
Mr Rogers used to drive down to Baltimore from Philly to be with a comatose child at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The child was a fan of his and he used to bring his puppets and sing to her. Then he'd drive back home. He did this several times. No fanfare. No press involved.
ReplyDelete"Funny" to admit it, but I do miss Mr. Rogers' programs. He seemed like such a kind and "normal" person in this crazy, messed-up world.
ReplyDelete"I'm Proud of You" by Tim Madigan is one of my favorite books.
ReplyDeleteI especially loved Mr. Rogers teaching contemplation to his viewers. When Yo Yo Ma visited him one time (of course, just tremendously warm, with some wonderful music that reflected anger as well as happiness, etc.,) Mr. Rogers came back and sat at his kitchen table. He talked about how good it was to hear something beautiful, and that, afterwards, he just wanted to sit quietly and THINK about what he had experienced. Then he asked his audience to sit there quietly with him to think about they had just heard. Oh wow! Sit and be still. We need lots more opportunities to do so.
ReplyDelete+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteI love the connection you make between Mr. Rogers and St. Nicholas, but I'd hate to reimagine the story of the Council of Nicea with St. Nicholas hugging Arius! ;-) On the other hand, Mr. Rogers might have succeeded with gentleness,where St. Nicholas seemed to have failed (Arius never having renounced his heresy) with his fists!
(Writing this is making me a little nervous about what I'll find in my stocking this Christmas. LOL!)
Fred Rogers was a lovely man...
ReplyDeleteWhen I had three kids under 4 we moved across the country. I watched Mr Rogers every day because I needed to hear I was special. After a year the babies grew a little and I'd made friends. I didn't need to watch Mr Rogers every day. But he was my neighbor during a difficult time.
ReplyDeleteI loved Mr. Rogers. When he died, I had a Mass said for him.
ReplyDelete