I was intrigued by the life of Fred Rogers after reading about him in the Tribune Magazine section. Here’s a man who drank hot cranberry juice in the morning instead of coffee, he swam, played the piano and was an ordained minister using his talents to inspire children.
I invited our neighbors to see the movie with us on Thanksgiving Friday, 2019. I expected to be somewhat bored with a children’s movie. But I was so wrong. Fred Rogers, played brilliantly by Tom Hanks, opened the door to his studio and hung up his jacket, put on his tennis shoes and sweater. Then he proceeded to open a box with a picture of a man who had been punched in the face. The topic was forgiveness.
The movie then takes us to the life of hard-nosed Equire journalist, Lloyd Vogel, who was assigned the task of writing about Fred Rogers. He’s hoping to find some dirt on his life. But Fred notices the wound on his nose and eventually finds out it was the result of a fight he had with his father at his sister’s wedding. Fred Rogers skillfully gets to the heart wound that has plagued Lloyd since his mother’s death. The movie shows us how to live life. I highly recommend seeing it. Here are a few tips..

1. Focus on the moment and the immediate person you are talking to. Show love and respect for that person. 2. Take time to just be silent. In the movie, we were silent for a minute.3. Remember what it was like to be a child. He asked Lloyd what his favorite animal was as a child. 4.Find creative ways to defuse anger. 5. Practice forgiveness.