Mr. Rogers

I just watched a great video of Mr. Rogers on my friend, Tracy Massey's Facebook page.  It reminded me of a story.  :-)

When Travis was young, he LOVED Mr. Roger's Neighborhood and watched it every day.

My mother was still living then and she dearly loved Travis - even though she struggled to pronounce his name properly.  She so wanted to connect with him that she started watching Mr. Rogers every day too, so that she could talk with Travis about things on the show when he came to visit.

In time, she developed heart problems and had to have open-heart surgery for a valve replacement.  In 1980, this was a critical, new procedure that required a long, step-down process of recovery in the hospital.

One day while she was in a regular, two-patient room, my Dad was there to spend the day with her.  As they sat talking, she could see into the hall and noticed Mr. Rogers walking by her room.

For those who don't know, Fred Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister who often visited in the Pittsburgh hospitals.

Mom quickly told my dad to run him down and ask him if he would visit her! My dad obediently ran down the hall in pursuit of this famous man.  He readily returned to mom's room and spent twenty minutes with her - even praying with her!

Before he left, she told him, "Mr. Rogers, I watch your show every day! Would you give me an autograph for my grandson, Travis?"  He signed her lunch menu before he left.  I wonder what ever happened to that?