Let's Make the Most of This Beautiful Day

I can't believe I haven't posted about the movie Won't You Be My Neighbor? yet. I saw it about a month ago. Everyone who knows me knows that I've loved Mr. Rogers since I was a kid. I had a letter from him in my classroom.

The movie takes you through the professional life of Fred Rogers. He's a fascinating man, and it was fun to see and hear his family and coworkers talk about him. The most inspiring to me is the testimony he gives in a senate hearing in Washington to Senator John Pastore. He speaks of the good that PBS does, and single-handedly changes the course of PBS's funding future.

It's a really inspiring movie, but I thought it had a pervading feeling of sadness to it. He was so upset by 9-11, and we all know that things have only become worse in the world since then. There was much conjecture over what he would think of the world today, and you can imagine, it wasn't too positive. His funeral was protested by the Westboro Baptist Church (because of course it was).

No less, Fred Rogers wasn't afraid to tackle subjects like death, war, divorce, assassination, and disabilities. He never spoke down to kids, but he did speak with tact. That made all the difference.

If you haven't seen this movie yet, then wait for it to come out on Netflix or the library, and watch it. It is definitely worth your time, and his message needs to be remembered.