Thank you, Mr. R.

As a result of Mother's Day, I found myself remembering what it was like "in the beginning."

My oldest daughter was probably less than a year old, but I had already bumped into enough inadequacies that I was feeling pretty fragile.

This particular morning, we had turned the television on to watch Mr. Rogers. I was only half listening as I tried to get some work done. But all of a sudden, my attention was fully riveted to the screen as he looked earnestly into the camera and said, "I like you just the way you are." That seemed like such an unlikelihood right then that I promptly burst into tears.

After the kids got a little older (and a lot more "sophisticated"), they would laugh about Mr. Rogers and make fun of him. I always remembered that moment and felt more to thank him for a moment or two of comfort in a difficult time.