Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood

Fred W Batten Jr
Sep 3, 2018 · 2 min read

My doorbell rang. I went to answer. Upon opening the door, the person began singing these words;

It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood,

A beautiful day for a neighbor,

Would you be mine?

Could you be mine?

It was a good friend who, like me, grew up watching Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood on the Public Broadcasting Station. We laughed and joked about his singing. We also recounted some episodes from the show, the different sweaters that Mr. Rogers wore. I received my first and last singing telegram on that day.

Words plus music equals a song. Music touches or reaches the “heart”, our emotions, while words reach the “head”, our minds. Music alone has the ability to adjust or change the mood of the human species. In a 1982 report consumer psychologist R. E. Milliman concluded that shoppers spent more time and money when the background music is of a slow tempo. Educators use catchy tunes to assist children in learning things like the alphabet and multiplication tables.

The harmonic blend of our words and actions can go a long way in determining the mood of our neighbors. Nice words and kind deeds shared over time helps to deepen the trust and confidence our neighbor will have in us (1 John 3:18). The unfortunate reality, according to a 2010 Pew Research Center, “nearly one third” of the people surveyed didn’t know their neighbors’ names.

My Granddaddy could name each of his neighbors within a mile on either side of the road. He believed in good community relations. Maybe it’s time, for safety and spiritual reasons that Christians in Jesus’ name make beautiful music out of these words;

It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood,

A beautiful day for a neighbor,

Would you be mine?

Could you be mine?

Won’t you be my neighbor?

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:9–10 ESV).

Do you know your neighbor? When is the last time you talked with your neighbor?

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