Kids, humans—we’re curious by nature and bound to stare but Mister Rogers introduced us to a young man who was in a wheelchair and showed us that people with disabilities

aren’t any different from those who don’t have them.

How many of us totally forget people in our lives on a regular basis? Not Mister Rogers. Years upon years after a little boy appeared on his show to talk

about being in a wheelchair, Mister Rogers was inducted into the TV Hall of Fame...and it was that now grown-up boy who presented him with the honor. Mister Rogers didn’t

just sit and clap. He jumped up, so excited to see an old friend.

Divorce was starting to become the norm by the time this episode aired in the early ‘80s. Mister Rogers spilled the tea about the reality of children and

target="_blank">divorce in the most soothing way one could.

When he made his stance on war crystal clear: "Peace means far more than the opposite of war."

So, if you would have told me as a kid that Mister Rogers went to Dartmouth, I would’ve worked even harder and went there just to have him make my

commencement speech. Granted, I graduated college way after he passed. Nevertheless, we can all be there thanks to the internet to hear these wise words he told the class of

2002: “Our world hangs like a magnificent jewel in the vastness of space. Every one of us is a part of that jewel. A facet of that jewel. And in

the perspective of infinity, our differences are infinitesimal. We are intimately related. May we never even pretend that we are not.”

His lessons were not just contained to his neighborhood. When he left, he brought them along with them. He gifted Rosie O’Donnell a seashell when he appeared on her

show. It was something he found and thought she’d like. Lesson? Never show up as a guest without a little gift, no matter how small.

One of the only things we can be sure of in life is that it’ll end for all of us. That is a lot to handle for a kid.

href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDnDs1Rz4ZQ" target="_blank">Mister Rogers obviously knew that so he told the tale of his dog that’d passed and made the idea of death a little more bearable.

PBS has always had to fight for funding and Mister Rogers was not about public television getting the shaft. He went to the Senate to speak on behalf

of PBS for the people.

Like most kids, Fred Rogers came up believing the only heroes were superheroes. He realized this as he became an adult: "When I was very young, most of my childhood

heroes wore capes, flew through the air, or picked up buildings with one arm. They were spectacular and got a lot of attention. But as I grew, my heroes changed,

so that now I can honestly say that anyone who does anything to help a child is a hero to me."

The reason Mister Rogers eventually always announced when he fed his fish was because Fred got a letter from a blind viewer who watched and was worried about his pets.

So, he would say aloud that he was feeding the fish just for her.

Mister Rogers wasn’t just for the children. He dropped knowledge to his older viewers too. Just take his episode about discipline, for example. He talked to both children and parents

about the topic at hand.

When it came to TV appearances, everyone was a fan and everyone wanted him on. That includes Arsenio Hall. When he appeared on his show they talked about the hopelessness

that some kids in bad neighborhoods feel and asked for some words of wisdom. Mister Rogers wanted those kids to know that they are precious and they matter in this

world.

After Senator Robert F. Kennedy was murdered, Mister Rogers didn’t sugar coat it on his show. Imagine if he’d been able to live to see America today. What

would he have to say? We need to be better. Mister Rogers taught us better.

He gave us the gift of dance.

You didn't even have to be in America to feel the effects of September 11, 2001. It was a moment that instantly entered history books and the world had Mister

Rogers during the aftermath to try and help make sense of it all.

You have to do a world of good to get a Presidential Medal of Freedom from the President of the United States. Great human beings like Georgia O'Keeffe, Maya Angelou,

Bruce Springsteen and yes...Fred Rogers have been among the recipients.

Mister Rogers' show debuted just two months before the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. It wasn’t the greatest time in America, but this white man used his platform to

showcase that acceptance and friendship is what matters. He not only cast a Black man as Officer Clemmons but went above and beyond to showcase how race does

not matter. He and Officer Clemmons shared a little foot bath together. Remember, this was back when America was just getting used to doing away with segregation. That little foot

bath spoke volumes.

As a kid, you don’t really understand adoption until you’re older or it’s a part of your life. Thanks to “Mister Rogers' Neighborhood,” most got to learn a

little earlier.

He didn’t shy away from the trends of the times. Look how he brought the b-boy style to PBS.

This sounds like a straight-up pop-punk/emo lyric and we're living for it, "There is no normal life that is free of pain. It's the very wrestling with our problems that

can be the impetus for our growth."

When he appeared on David Letterman’s late-night show he was asked about things messing up on set. Mister Rogers calmly replied with a laugh, “Sometimes things don’t go right in

the neighborhood.” What a class act.

“He has a patience the likes of which I greatly admired but couldn’t emulate.” So Joanne was basically the luckiest wife in the world.

How many people were taught to tie their shoes thanks to this man?

Like many shows on PBS, sharing had to be on the agenda. It’s something every person on earth needs to learn. Mister Rogers was quite aware of that

fact and did it in his own unique way.

Um, sorry Marvel but this was the best crossover in pop culture history. Big Bird with Mister Rogers? What did we do to deserve this?

Even if you are not the least bit religious, this line from his commencement speech at Middlebury in 2001 will hit you in the feels, "I believe that appreciation is

a holy thing, that when we look for what’s best in the person we happen to be with at the moment, we’re doing what God does; so in appreciating our

neighbor, we’re participating in something truly sacred."

Joan Rivers was a firecracker, but even she proved that sitting down with Mister Rogers would make you feel like you were a child all over again.

That one time our minds were blown when Bill Nye walked through his door.

With a quote like this, "Discovering the truth about ourselves is a lifetime’s work, but it’s worth the effort," he would've made the most wonderful and sweetest guest judge on

"Drag Race."

Mister Rogers wasn’t just a great neighbor on the show but in real life. “Mister Rogers' Neighborhood” wasn’t the only hit PBS series, so he invited “Reading Rainbow’s”

target="_blank">Levar Burton to come hang out with him and talk about his career (including “Roots!”) and acting.

When he was given the Emmy's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997, he walked up on that stage and didn’t make that moment about him. He reminded us that you have

to take a moment to remember the “special ones” who’ve led you to where you are.

Once upon a time Mister Rogers took fans behind the scenes of “The Incredible Hulk” and taught many about Lou Ferrigno learning to read lips after an ear

infection left him hard of hearing.

Even when we fall, it’s important to shake it off. Sorry, Taylor, we learned it here first.

There are a lot of people in the world today who missed out on Mister Rogers' lesson about being kind. Here is a reminder for those who need it: "There

are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind."

Fred Rogers had an office that was unlike anyone else's in his position. His office was void of a desk. He believed they created "barriers" he did not want. Instead,

his office was adorned with a seating area similar to one you'd find in any home; sofa and armchairs for comfort.

Koko basically only rolled with the best of them; Mister Rogers and Robin Williams. That says a lot.

When he appeared on Oprah Winfrey, she asked him about the biggest lesson he learned from children. He said, “That it’s alright to be yourself and that there are those

in this life that will accept you exactly as you are.” See y’all, he wasn’t just sweet on his show. He was amazing everywhere.

It was reassuring to many kids to see a grown-up using their imagination to go to the Land of Make Believe. It taught us to never let go of our

imagination.

Almost a decade after he passed away, Mister Roger was brought to life once more thanks to the animated series “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.” Remember Daniel the tiger in the Land

of Make Believe? This is his show and they even have him paying homage to the great one that came before him. Look at that little sweater! Mister Rogers’ lessons

and memories will surely live forever.

His final words on the show were full of admiration towards the many viewers he had over the years. Okay, I’m going to have to retire from life

right now because I’ve done cried all I could ever cry.