February 19. Fred Rogers. Rogers was a puppeteer, writer, producer, and ordained minister. At his ordination, the Presbyterian Church asked him to use television to minister to children and families. On this date in 1968, the premiere episode of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood aired, and it ran on PBS from 1968 to 2001.
Rogers produced, wrote, and hosted the TV program Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. He had a degree in music composition and wrote 200 songs for the show, including the theme song, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
Among several Emmy Awards and other awards, in 2002 Rogers was awarded the nation’s highest civilian award: The Presidential Medal of Freedom. Here’s a story about Rogers being neighborly.
There’s always time for encouragement.
Rogers was a busy man. As the host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, he was constantly on the go, running an internationally-acclaimed television show and raising a family of his own. Still, no matter how busy he was, Mr. Rogers always took time out for others. He knew there was always time for encouragement.
A young college student named Anthony was having a hard time—feeling hopeless, lonely, and angry. Discouragement overwhelmed him. In the middle of all that, he suffered a devastating loss. How could the future get better?
Upon leaving his dorm room, he walked down the hallway but heard a familiar song and stopped to listen: “Won’t you be my neighbor …” He turned to find an empty room playing Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, and the host was asking what to do when you feel angry. Anthony watched the show without sitting down, and he suddenly started to feel a little bit better. It was the magic of Rogers’s kind words.
Several days passed, and Anthony got onto the elevator at the college to ride down to the lobby. When the doors opened, a familiar face appeared. It was Mr. Rogers himself, wearing a big coat and scarf and carrying a small case in front of him.
Rogers nodded at him in greeting, and they rode the elevator together in silence. When the doors opened, Rogers allowed Anthony to go out first. But as they stepped into the lobby, Anthony spoke. “Mr. Rogers … I don’t mean to bother you. But I just wanted to say thanks.”
Rogers smiled and asked, “Did you grow up as one of my television neighbors?” Anthony said he had, and Rogers opened his arms for a hug. “It’s good to see you again, neighbor.”
They hugged and walked through the lobby together, engaging in small talk. As they made it to the door, Anthony mentioned that he had watched the show some days before, and that it really helped him through a hard time. He thanked Rogers again.
But instead of leaving to go about his business, Rogers paused and let the door close. He unraveled his scarf, made a motion toward the window, and sat on the ledge. He turned to Anthony in concern. “Do you want to tell me what was upsetting you?”
Anthony was shocked. Most people wouldn’t take the time to hear about his life. But Mr. Rogers was different.
Anthony sat at the window and told Rogers what was bothering him, but this time he went deeper. He shared that his grandfather had died, and how losing one of the few good things left in his life made him feel broken.
Rogers listened intently and then shared how losing his own grandfather had hurt him too. “You’ll never stop missing the people you love,” he said. He even shared how his grandfather got him a rowboat when he was younger, for his hard work. The rowboat was gone, but he still had the work ethic his grandfather taught him. “Those things never go away.”
The conversation ended, and Anthony thanked him again and apologized if he made him late for an appointment. Mr. Rogers just smiled, answering, “Sometimes you’re right where you need to be.”
“Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11 NASB).
Think of a person you know who may be going through a hard time. Find some time today to say a kind word, send a text, or call. There’s always time for encouragement.
Burke, Daniel. “Mr. Rogers was a televangelist to toddlers.” Entertainment. Updated November 23, 2019. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/23/entertainment/mister-rogers-faith-religion/index.html.
Biography.com Editors. “Fred Rogers: Biography.” Last updated September 17, 2020. Biography.com. https://www.biography.com/performer/fred-rogers.
Keane, James T. “Review: The faith that made Mr. Rogers a great evangelist.” Published November 25, 2019. America: The Jesuit Review. https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2019/11/25/review-faith-made-mr-rogers-great-evangelist.
Breznican, Anthony. “Remembering Mr. Rogers, A True-Life ‘Helper’ When the World Still Needs One.” Published May 23, 2017. Entertainment Weekly. https://ew.com/tv/2017/05/23/remembering-mr-rogers/.
King, Maxwell. The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers. New York, NY: Abrams Press, 2018.
Story read by Peter R Warren, https://www.peterwarrenministries.com/
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”
~Fred Rogers