Reminiscent of Mitch Albom and his phenomenal bestseller "Tuesdays with Morrie": A journalist recalls how an encounter with the icon of kindness led to a wondrous, life-changing friendship.
It was 1995 when the "Fort Worth Star-Telegram" assigned Tim Madigan to write a profile of childrenas television icon Fred Rogers. This fortuitous interview sparked a magnificent friendship between the two, one that would see both men through periods of grief as well as the hope of new beginnings. "Iam Proud of You" is the story of this friendship and of the enduring legacy left to us all by Fred Rogers.
Tim’s career as a journalist was flourishing when he met Fred Rogers, but his personal life was a shambles. As Rogers welcomed Tim into his family, his church, and his life, Tim found an advisor who imparted a gentle but powerful perspective on spirituality, marriage, depression, and the nature of true friendship. With his friend’s loving and patient guidance, Tim eventually came to understand that his emotional troubles were rooted in a deep fear that his father had never truly been proud of him. Hence the mantra of the friendship between the two, the phrase Rogers used to conclude dozens of letters and e-mail messages to Tim: I’m Proud of You. Tim’s friendship with Rogers helped him to mend his relationship with his father and become a better husband and father himself, all the while marveling at how many simple pleasures he had overlooked throughout his life.