IN THE GARDEN
I spied beside the garden bed
A tiny lass of ours,
Who stopped and bent her sunny head
Above the red June flowers.
Pushing the leaves and thorns apart,
She singled out a rose,
And in its inmost crimson heart,
Enraptured, plunged her nose.
“O dear, dear rose, come, tell me true -
Come, tell me true,” said she,
“If I smell just as sweet to you
As you smell sweet to me!”
Ernest Crosby
The following speech was made by Fred Rogers' upon receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1997 Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony.
Oh, it’s a
beautiful night in this neighborhood.
So many people have helped me to come to this night. Some of you are here.
Some are far away. Some are even in Heaven.
All of us have special ones who have loved us into being. Would you just
take — along with me — 10 seconds to think of the people who have helped
you become who you are, those who have cared about you and wanted what was
best for you in life. 10 seconds of silence. I’ll watch the time.
(10 seconds)
Whomever you’ve been thinking about, how pleased they must be to know the
difference you feel they’ve made. You know they’re the kind of people
television does well to offer our world.
Special thanks to my family and friends and to my co-workers in Public
Broadcasting, Family Communications, and this Academy for encouraging
me…allowing me…all these years to be your neighbor.
May God be with you.
