"It's You I Like"

As a child, he walked into my living room each day and asked the simple question, “Won’t you be my neighbor?” With his cardigan sweaters, sneakers, and simple, quiet ways, he took us down many paths of discovery, and taught us wonderful lessons in his simple way. Each and every day, he reminded me, and millions of children, that I was special just the way I was, and this simple lesson is something I need to remember every single day.

It was a simple song. No complicated lyrics. No huge orchestra. Just a quiet voice and a simple piano melody that reminded us that each person was special. Mr. Rogers told us each day, in that beautiful song, “It’s you I like”:

“It’s you I like”, such a simple message, a quiet reminder, that I was special just as I was. As a child, I will be honest, I did not always understand the importance of this statement, and did not always realize the power and significance of this amazing gift. In one sentence, I was told that I was not a mistake, but that I was special, and significant, and that I had a purpose.

As I grew older, I carried this message with me, and was reminded often of these words, not just by Mr. Rogers, but by my parents who told me over and over that God had a unique purpose for my life. From the first days I began battling chronic illness in the form of crippling arthritis, I remembered these words, and knew that in spite of my challenges and differences, I was created special and I was loved.

When faced with this latest diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, though, this was something I began to doubt. Self-assurance gone, uncertainty in my future, the pain of daily living, and the doubt I faced because of the burden I perceived myself to be, crowded this vital message out of my mind. All of these things combined and overtook my thinking many days, and in those moments I would question how anyone could say this of me. Some days I did not see myself as special, but as someone who was trapped in a broken body – what was special about that?

Mr. Rogers has always been a hero of mine and someone I tried to pattern my life after. It is ironic that at a time when I was struggling so much, the love many had for this man was rekindled, and there was a revival of his simple lessons that he shared with us each day. This week, as the release of his new movie drew near, I was driving home, and heard a song I had not heard in a while. It was the song in the video above, and in that simple song I was reminded of those lessons I had learned so long ago.

In a time when I was battling self-doubt and uncertainty; when I was questioning how I could be loved, this man, in his simple way, reminded me that it was me he liked, and that there were many more that felt this way. Battling the daily pain, exhaustion, and struggle of chronic illness wears on a person in so many ways. It causes one to doubt themselves and doubt those around them because of the burden they perceive themselves to be. Even though this is not accurate or true, to the person in the struggle, nothing seems more real.

Each day is a battle to see the truth, and brings new reasons to doubt. As I sat and listened to this amazing song, I was whisked back to my childhood, and once again believed the message in these words. It was a message I had forgotten, and a truth I needed to hear more than I realized. As a person with Parkinson’s, it was something I once again needed to believe, and it is something each person battling chronic illness needs to see and believe again. You are special, and you are loved, just the way you are.

Sometimes, this is the greatest gift those surrounding a person with chronic illness can give. People in this daily struggle need to be reminded that even with their difficulties, they are special, and they are liked. This is a message that often is lost in the pain, and one that needs to be repeated often. Sometimes we think our gifts need to be big, but in reality, at times, the smallest kindness means the most, and touches a person in a way they never expected. I have been blessed to be surround by people who daily remind me of this, and give me this gift each day.

If each of us were truly honest, this is something we all need, and something we each need to believe about ourselves. It is something we need to share with those around us as often as we can. Do you struggle believing this? What in your life makes you feel unlovable and unacceptable? Remember, you were created special, and no matter what your struggles and challenges, you have a unique purpose, and there are many in your life that like you just the way you are. As Mr. Rogers once sang to little Jeffrey, and as he would sing to each of us if given the chance, “I hope that you’ll remember, even when you’re feeling blue, that it’s you I like, it’s you yourself, it’s you…It’s you… I… like.”