Fred Rogers used to say,
“From the time you were very little, you’ve had people who have smiled you into smiling, people who have talked you into talking, sung you into singing, loved you into loving.”
Sometimes these acts of formation have come from people we expect. And throughout rour lives, these gifts also come from people who surprise us.. We continue to carry these influences.
Who still makes us smile, whether they’re with us physically or not?
Whose speech patterns, stories, and forms of expression have stayed with us?
Whose love still finds us, believes in us, encourages us, and holds us accountable?
Sometimes these influences are so internalized that we don’t even think about them. But when we do, they are worth all our gratitude.
—Renee Roederer
