Can we remember that our intention can be not only to inform and entertain but also to help, to heal a hurting world?

Romper Room’s Miss Carol saw me in her Magic Mirror.

Captain Kangaroo made me giggle.

But Mr. Rogers was my neighbor.

Fred Rogers realized the potential of television as a form of ministry. Not to convert kids and parents to a particular religion or brand of sugary cereal, but rather to reach out and connect and let us know that he cared and wanted us to be happy and well.

I knew Mr. Rogers cared about me and the way I felt as child. Didn’t you? What television show today makes you feel recognized and cared for?

Unbelievably, Fred Rogers has been gone 10 years now, passing on February 27th, 2003. My twin sons had just turned four and I remember feeling sad that they would grow up in a world without him.

Fortunately, PBS ran reruns so they got to experience the warmth, curiosity and friendship of the man who understood me in a way my father couldn’t, or wouldn’t, a man who knew that a neighbor wasn’t just the person next door zoned out in front of their TV, but anyone struggling to understand life and to remember to feel those good feelings.

Can TV ever go back there? Can we let go of the need to sell and move at the pace of psychosis?

Can we remember that our intention can be not only to inform and entertain but also to help, to heal a hurting world?

I hope so.

In December, after the massacre in Newtown, a Mr. Rogers quote went viral. Here it is again, in his honor and memory, in the memory of honor or all that is righteous.

“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.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster’, I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers–so many caring people in this world.”

Thank you for your words and wisdom, Mr. Rogers.

Love,

Your Neighbor

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Ed: Brianna Bemel