We raised our children in Mr Rogers’ neighborhood.
For three sweet years, when they were very young, we spent time each day with Mr Rogers and all his friends and neighbors. We were living in a wonderful old farmhouse in western New York, down the road from Tom’s parents, raising two little boys and working from home. We loved how the gentle Mr Rogers and the strong values on the show supported what we were teaching our boys at home.
And we loved how the show fostered imagination and creativity in the lives of all four of us.
We seldom missed a day of Mr Rogers, and soon knew all his puppets and human friends, who seemed as much a part of our lives as our own neighbors. We loved the factory tours too. We saw how graham crackers were made, and crayons, fortune cookies, and even TV shows for Russian kids.
We loved the factory tours…
…so much so, in fact, that we took a few of our own. One day we packed up the boys and went to a factory that dyed wool and produced yarn. We spent a day with the spinners’ guild, tending the vats of wool being dyed amazingly vibrant colors and watching people spin and weave. One day we drove to a university’s extension program at Finger Lakes to check out the apples that were being propagated. We took the boys to a goat farm. And we spent time on several occasions at Mumford, a 19th century country village, complete with costumed interpreters in restored historic buildings, filling our minds with history first-hand.
But it wasn’t just Mr Rogers’ Neighborhood that got our creative juices flowing. It was also Reading Rainbow. Each day LeVar Burton introduced children (and at least two parents) to books that stirred their minds to encourage creativity. One such book was Barn Dance, a delightful story of animals sharing a joyous evening together in the barn. The show included some lively clogging and a visit to a man who made violins. In just five minutes we saw Jean Horner of Rockwood, TN building a violin, from “an ordinary hunk of wood,” as LeVar said.
The segment captivated Tom.
He began to think about building a violin. He read about it; he watched videos about it; he studied violins in music shops. And one day, several years later, he selected an ordinary hunk of his dad’s wood and began to craft a violin.
Part-way through his project we found a violin kit at the close-out sale of the music store in Stanwood. Tom put aside his original violin and made me a gorgeous, sweet sounding violin from the kit.
The original violin is not yet finished, but he is working on it again. I’ll be sure to let you know when it is finished.
Our friend Brian Haight, who played with professional orchestras for several years, came over not long after Tom had completed the violin. He played it and complimented Tom on its nice sound, offering to play it at church for us!
The day Brian shared his music on Tom’s violin was amazing!
It was those sweet memories that were stirred when I saw the video below, produced by PBS. It’s been around for a while and has over ten million views, so maybe you’ve seen it. But I hadn’t seen it till yesterday. “There are so many things to learn about in this world,” sings Mr Rogers. “It’s good to be curious about many things…”
Mister Rogers Remixed, The Garden of Your Mind
Those three years on the farm impacted our lives a lot. The seeds that Mr Rogers and LeVar Burton helped us plant in the garden of our minds — our curiosity and desire to learn — equipped us for much of what we have experienced through our marriage and parenting. Thank you, Mr Rogers, thank you LeVar. Thank you.
Ginger
Thanks for this Ginger, I love Mr. Rogers, and often refer to him in conversation. Also, we are mailing your book in the next few days. You should receive it over the next few weeks. Thanks Ginger Be blessed Iris
Hi, Iris. did you watch M Rogers with your kids when they were growing up, too? He is still very much a part of our lives.
I’m looking forward to receiving your book in the mail. What I surprise it was when my name was called out at the drawing during our Northwest Christian Writers meeting!
Ginger
I watched him with my siblings growing up. Then I had my son watching him. I pray all the time, God would raise up another one like him for this next generation. But he was quite uniique.. Loved him. And yes, I was quite surprised that you won the drawing as well. I pray the devotional blesses you Ginger. Thanks for all you do. Your writings bless me too. Talk soon. Iris
Iris, I was 18 the year Mr Rogers’ Neighborhood first aired, so I missed him as a kid. I’m grateful for his presence on TV for so many years.
I’m looking forward to getting your devotional and expect I’ll have many blessings through reading it! And I’m glad the Lord is using my writing to bless you.
Ginger
Our children always loved watching Mr. Rogers, and we are watching his shows again with our grandchildren on DVDs from PBS. His work and shows are as good for adults as they are for children!
I can attest to that, Nancy! I’ll post a couple of photos of Tom’s new work-in-progress on the Salt & Pepper Blog Facebook page. He’s got a long way to go, but he’s doing a great job!
Ginger
Was happy to read your uplifting sharing today! Recalling all the LORD has walked us through & His followers using their lives to make it more enriched and joyful, is so helpful!
Hi Sharon, yes, the Lord is faithful and uses his Word, his followers, and many other people to encourage and stretch us! You are a friend he’s used you to bless me over the years. <3
Ginger
Hi ginger, thank you for the memories! We’ve gotten the Daniel Tiger dvds & helped our grandson understand having a baby sister. He loved it & always wanted to watch it, even now & he absolutely loves his baby sister!
Mr Rogers was the best 🥰
Sarah, I’ve been getting glimpses of those two sweet grandkids and am so happy for you all. How fun that you could introduce the big brother to Mr Rogers through Daniel Tiger dvds! And that helped him get ready for being a big brother. I hope the kids will grow up on Mr Rogers’ legacy like your kids and mine did!
Ginger