A Devotion for Cardigans and Kindness

Today was the day. I just knew it.

The first sweater day of the season!

With the temps in the 50s this morning, I slipped on my favorite cardigan, sipping my coffee on our patio and enjoying the glorious feeling of not sweating.

There are few things I love more than a crisp morning and a snuggly sweater.

And it turns out, the first true sweater day of autumn couldn’t have fallen on a more appropriate day.

You see, today, November 13th is also National Cardigan Day. Ok, ok, those “national whatever day” can be cheesy, but this is a good one, I promise.

National Cardigan Day coincides with World Kindness Day. The day honors Fred Rogers, who was known for his iconic cardigans and for his teaching of goodness and kindness on his children’s television program “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.”

Fred Rogers (and the legacy he left) has been a popular focus in recent years. Next month, a feature film about Mr. Rogers starring Tom Hanks hits theaters. This follows several documentaries, books, articles and TV series, all telling the story behind the man who so many children loved and learned from.

What is it about the message of Mr. Rogers that our world is so desperate for? Why are we drawn to the simple kindness of this cardigan clad man?

I think the answer lies in what Mr. Rogers was responding to, a world and a culture that is strangely reminiscent of the world we face today.

In 1968, when our country found itself in the crosshairs of civil rights violence, blatant racism, and discrimination of people of color in public spaces. Several incidents of horrific violence broke out at public pools when black men, women, and children tried to swim in “white only” pools.

Against this landscape of civil rights turmoil, Fred Rogers wrote and filmed one of his most memorable episodes ever. Instead of donning his usual comfortable blue sneakers, Mr. Rogers went barefoot. The scene was a hot summer day, and he ventured to his TV backyard with a hose and baby pool to cool off.

Soon, along comes Officer Clemmons, the police officer played by a black man named François Clemmons. Mr. Rogers in his kind way invites Officer Clemmons to join him in soaking his feet in this little pool, and he does. Bare foot to bare foot, the two men share a One boot and one sock at a time, he bares his feet and joins Mr. Rogers in the cool of the pool.

While the news was raging over racism and violence at public pools, Mr. Rogers and Officer Clemmons were offering an alternative vision to our nation, a vision of peace, of unity and of inclusivity.

Mr. Rogers didn’t assume that his small acts of kindness, even televised ones, could make up for brutal violence or racism. He knew it would take much more than that. But what Mr. Rogers did do was to take his platform to tell a different story.

Though most kids who watched his show never realized it, Fred Rogers was a Presbyterian Minister. He never proselytized or condemned, but rather embodied the spirit of Jesus speaking to the little children.

Fred Rogers, like Jesus, cared for children and spoke boldly to adults about relevant issues and tough topics.

In Matthew, Chapter 18, we read:

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”

— Matthew 18:1-5

What Jesus understood, and Mr. Rogers modeled, is that kids, just like adults, need compassion and nurturing, not a set of rules to follow. Mr. Rogers didn’t sugar-coat things, but rather spoke clearly and directly to kids, providing a safe space to feel their emotions, ask questions, and learn about the world.

Mr. Rogers wasn’t perfect. Even on our best, most kind days, neither are we.

But we all have a unique opportunity to tell a story of kindness. Each day presents us with a chance to love the person in front of us, to value their presence, their pain and their joy. We may never get a nationally broadcast television show or an iconic cardigan; but what we do have is privilege and responsibility to love our neighbor as our self, to model the compassion of Christ in all we do and say.

At the end of each show, Mr. Rogers would speak directly to the camera and say: “You make every day a special day just by being you, and I like you just the way you are.” In our recovery work, we meet people that are easy to love and some that are more difficult. But each day our task remains: to love and care for people, just the way they are.

With you on the journey,

Amy