“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” by Fred Rogers
It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood
A beautiful day for a neighbor
Could you be mine?
Would you be mine?
It’s a neighborly day in this beauty wood
A neighborly day for a beauty
Could you be mine?
Would you be mine?
I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you
I’ve always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you
Let’s make the most of this beautiful day
Since we’re together, might as well say
Would you be my, could you be my
Won’t you be my neighbor?
Won’t you be? Won’t you please?
Please won’t you be my neighbor?
Dear God, such positivity! There is so much positivity in this song. As I think about Fred Rogers (a.k.a. Mr. Rogers) sitting down to write this song for the opening of his children’s show, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, I am trying to get myself into his process for coming up with these lyrics.
- What do children of every background need to hear?
- There will be some children watching this show that live in poverty that watch this show. What do they need to hear?
- Some of the children watching this show will live in scary situations. What do they need to hear?
- Some of the children will have it all (in a good way). What do they need to hear?
The thing about Mr. Rogers is that he communicated to every person that they were wanted and worthwhile. “It’s not only a beautiful day, but it’s a beautiful day to have a friend. Not only can you be my friend, but will you be my friend? I’ve always wanted to have a friend just like you. I’ve always wanted to live near you.”
Then he almost depersonalize it and opens up the possibility that anyone can be friends. “Since we are together, let’s make the most of the fact that we are together and be friends in this moment.”
I am like many people who were young from the 60s through the 90s. I used to watch this show. If you asked me to rate Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, and The Electric Company, as a child I would have put Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood last among the three because it moved a little slow and was quieter, but there were a couple of aspects I loved. I always loved the model of the neighborhood that the camera would scan over as it seems to lead Mr. Rogers to his own front door. And I loved Trolley and the Land of Make Believe. I can’t tell you why, but I loved that trolley and how it would go through that tunnel. In retrospect, however, what appeals to me from my memories is the gentleness and the sense of being wanted. And I was a loved child, so it’s not like I had a big hole in my heart where that is concerned. But it’s still nice to feel wanted.
Father, as I go through my life at work tomorrow, help me to express this emotion to others. Help me to let them feel wanted by me. Help me to listen and hear them in a new way. Help me to let you shine through me. Help me to communicate to them how much you love and want them. Mr. Rogers was your ambassador to the world, whether the world knew it or not. Help me to be that ambassador as well.
In Jesus’s name I pray,
Amen
Emails to God 