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Sir In 1997 Esquire Magazine A Magazine About

men for men needed a cover model for their special edition New American Heroes. They chose Mr. . Rogers Do you remember Mr. .

Rogers.

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood Beautiful day for a neighbor Mr. . Rogers was a beautiful man who told profound truths in a simple way to everyone. Four years old or 50.

He Had A Real Neighborhood By

the way he lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I lived. This cover of Esquire had a picture of Mr. . Rogers and his smile and it said, Can you say hero and then it said Mr. .

Rogers Especially Now Wow The Beginning Of

every television show Mr.. Rogers did the same thing. He sang a song he put on his sweater. He changed his shoes.

It Kind Of Could Seem Silly

if you were too grown-up to really understand but that. He took a trip to California and he met a grown-up not too grown-up to understand Coco the gorilla, an amazing animal famous for being totally eloquent with American Sign Language and she liked to watch television. She watched the neighbor and on this day in her neighborhood Mr. . Rogers showed up and she recognized that instantly she wrapped him in a deep gorilla embrace and then Mr.

.

Rogers told the magazine writer the amazing thing that happened she took off my shoes Tom. He said a few days after that Mr. . Rogers went to the California home of a 14-year-old boy who had a bad case of cerebral palsy.

He Watched Mr.

. Rogers on television every day he needed a computer to speak and sometimes in moments of despair. He would tell his mom maybe God didn’t like his body, but he heard differently for Mr. .

• neighborhood mr rogers showed recognized
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Rogers.

Every day and on this day Mr. . Rogers was coming to his house and he was incredibly nervous, but Mr. .

Rogers Was Not Coming To Help

this boy in the way that you might think he said to the young man. I would like you to do something for me Would you do something for me the boy through the computer said Yes nobody ever asked this boy to do something for them Mr. . Rogers leaned in and he said would you pray for me the boy that could not speak really could not speak Thunder struck the magazine writer later said to Mr. .

Rogers You Were So Smart To Sense

that by asking him to pray for you he would feel better about himself Mr.. Rogers was very puzzled. He said no I didn’t ask him to pray for me for his benefit. I knew that a young man.

Like This Whos Been Through What He

has must be very close to God I wanted his intercession. Intercession is a powerful word so his intersection I’ve long taught that a major key of life is paying attention at the intersections. Usually I’m talking about that metaphorically right now I’m talking about it physically the early 90s I had just moved to Pittsburgh. I didn’t really know my way around I left a broadcast I had to get to the airport. I was lost.

It Took A Wrong Turn.

It was in downtown Pittsburgh. I I saw an intersection and I knew if I made the right hit. The ramp went across the bridge through the tunnel out to the highway. I might make it and then the light turn yellow.

There Are Moments Of Decision In

all of our lives. I gunned the engine and went for it at. the same time that the guy’s standing on the street corner decided to get a jump on his don’t walk sign and he stepped into the intersection. I slammed on my brakes and everything froze. It’s a miracle.

I Did Not Hit Him Inches

our eyes lock through my windshield his shock and my horror was Mr.. Rogers I almost killed Mr. . Rogers I would still be in jail but I’m here with you in Flint Michigan where 25 years ago.

I Was A Television News Anchor Here At

Channel 5. I did the evening news I’d I would a cure the news on the weekends and during the week I would tell stories around at Michigan. My oldest son was born at Saginaw General I. Five kids the youngest is five months old. I planned today to actually tell you about some of those stories from mid Michigan I.

Was Gonna Tell You About One

hundred and fourteen year-old Lady I interviewed not far from here in Flint Township. She was raised on a farm in Tennessee, where her grandparents have been slaves. Her family said ask her about politics Oh sorry are you a Republican or a Democrat? She whispered to me. I’m a Republican. I said why she said they set me free hard to argue with that I was gonna tell you about some heroes I’ve known like my grandfather who joined the hundred and first Airborne and on D-day as the troops were about to come ashore at Normandy Flu and a rickety glider to a rocky landing on the hillside behind enemy lines.

I Was Going To Tell You

about his father who came from Finland to this country and about this Finnish word Sisu what does it mean determination bravery resilience Wikipedia. There’s no actual translation proper translation into another language for the Finns. It means a steadfast kind of courage that does not waver in the face of onslaught. Flint needs this Finnish word. I was going to tell you about the Finnish UK star Miko sailor who inspired this shirt.

I Was Going To Tell You About The

UK workouts that we do we call them workouts of the day wads and the hardest ones are called hero lies where we take a crossfitter who has died in the line of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan or a firefighter, a police officer and we name the work out and we look at their picture. When we read their bio and we grieve for their families, and we take the exercises they did and we put our bodies through a hellish ordeal in physical solidarity to give meaning to their sacrifice. If you saw the movie lone survivor, you know the story of Michael Murphy. The first hero water UK is called Murph You run a mile. You do a hundred pull-ups you do 200 push-ups you do 300 squats.

You Run Another Mile.

If you’re serious about it you wear a 20-pound weight vest. This does not make you a hero. If you do this it gives you a tiny glimpse into the kind of character it takes to become one I was going to tell you more of those stories, but something you heard in here Yesterday made me change my speech so I brought my notebook in case I forget something I want to tell you about something that happened 20 years ago. This month in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania a plane crashed on a beautiful September night a flight from Chicago suddenly turned and Ov and everyone died 132.

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The Crash For Days Four Days Later,

I went and covered a live memorial in Market Square in downtown Pittsburgh. Everybody in Pittsburgh seemed to have a connection to somebody on the plane. I watched the people silently walk out of buildings and fill the square and the ceremony was very moving music and prayers and speeches. The Salvation Army commander was in charge did something not on the schedule in his jacket pocket. He had a cassette tape.

He Planned To Not Play It But

at the last minute changed his mind on the tape was a recording from a church service just a few days before the crash. A song sung by a young man who died when the plane went down. The name was Kirkland. He worked for a bank in Pittsburgh. He’d been on a business trip to Chicago.

He Was A Volunteer Choir Director At.

The first Evan Jellicle Free Church inNK] Pennsylvania, a town very much like flint. He had told his fiancee that he felt that God meant him to do more with his music and to reach more people. That was about to come true on the tape. You could hear him tell the congregation to close their eyes.

As If In Prayer You Can Imagine That

moment here right now and think of the stunningly beautiful tenor voice of this young man singing storms may rise on seas unknown while we journey to our home surely we’ll know what grace is for as we sail to heaven show. They play this tape for thousands and it hit like a tsunami wave of healing for a broken city I’ve never seen people sob like that as soon as was over I called the newsroom and I said we need to get. get a crew down to that church and that song could have been a footnote in a much larger story of loss and despair, but we fan those flames just journalists telling a story and pretty soon people were hearing about it across the country. I was proud of my role in helping to fan those flames, but the story was about to get bigger for me. A day later.

I Was Talking With An Official At

the college. I attended outside of Chicago Wheaton College and I told her about the ceremony and about the young man and the song and she said it wasn’t Kirk Linn was it and I said yes and she said well. He was a student here at Wheaton College. When you were did you know him. I was stunned.

I Stepped Back From My Phone.

My desk. I didn’t know him but I would soon feel like I did. I went to Wheaton Two months later and at homecoming told a crowd of 2000. The story of Kirkland and the song and the healing that it brought to that town.

A Year Later.

A good friend of Mine introduced me in UK that his soon-to-be fiance she was from Pittsburgh. She asked me about the plane crash and I told her about the service and the young man in the song. She said it wasn’t Kirkland was it I nodded. She grew up in the key sport sat next to Kirkland in elementary school and began to cry as I told her the story.

A Few Years Later.

I was asked to speak at a prayer breakfast. I thought you know what it’s been a couple years. I’m gonna go on. I’m gonna tell that Kirkland story.

I Was Reading The Newspaper And

there was a letter to the editor from Kirklands mother of course there was I tracked her down. I called the church, and they told me that in the months and years after the crash, they had gotten ten thousands thousands 20,000 30,000 requests they’d sent out cassette copies to every state in the country. A young man who was dying of a brain tumor was at peace with that planning his own funeral service said I would like them to play this song at my funeral. The woman whose sister was in a coma from a car crash wanted to play that song at her bedside.

I Could Tell You Many More

twists and Serendipity‘s in the Kirkland story, but I don’t have time but I have a hunch that I want to tell you about when I was at Wheaton Kirkland was. three years behind me one year behind him a transfer student in his sophomore year and I don’t know if this transfer student knew Kirkland, but I am really certain that he knew this story. The crash that killed Kirkland happened just a few years after these.

Summary

In 1997 Esquire magazine a magazine about men for men needed a cover model for their special edition New American Heroes . Mr.&.& Rogers was a beautiful man who told profound truths in a simple way to everyone . He took a trip to California and he met a grown-up not too grown up to understand Coco the gorilla, an amazing animal famous for being totally eloquent with American Sign Language and she liked to watch television . A few days after that Mr. Rogers went to the California home of a 14-year-old boy who had a bad case of cerebral palsy. He told the magazine writer the amazing thing that happened she took off my shoes Tom.&Rogers. He said a few days later Mr. &Rogers was not coming to help this boy in the way that you might think he said to the young man. He was not helping this boy, but Mr. . Rogers was not going to help him in the . way . Tom. Rogers ….. Click here to read more and watch the full video