"Remember God's bounty in the year.  String the pearls of His favor.
Hide the dark parts, except so far as they are breaking out in light!
Give this one day to thanks, to joy, to gratitude!"
~ Henry Ward Beecher

Hi all,

I hope those of you in and from the U.S. had a great Thanksgiving and had plenty of yummy turkey!  (We won't tell Adam...)

Even though Thanksgiving Day has passed, it seems like a good idea to keep considering what we're thankful for.  So you'll find a bit of that below.  It's short.  I promised ya it would be after that behemoth two weeks ago.  :-)

God bless,
Jenni
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So I asked the members of the YG to consider writing something about why they're thankful for TBAA and JABB and JD's work and related.  Here's what Rebecca and I came up with.  Big thanks to her for participating!

Giving Thanks



From Rebecca:

I would love to add something to the effect of how grateful I am for JD because he brought life to two of my favorite characters: Andrew and Doc Hoc.  I think he brought a really unique quality to both of these characters and really added to the success of both shows.
 
I know TBAA was quite a collaborative effort but I am so thankful for it.  The show was so full of love and inspiration and definitely has had a positive effect on my life.  I found Doc to be so real and I absolutely fell in love with him.  Thank you, JD.
 
I am also quite grateful, Jenni, for you and all of the work you put into JABB.  This has been a great deal of fun for me.  I have really enjoyed all of our discussions and it has also been quite a learning experience for me.  And finally this has helped push me a little into the world of computers.
 
Thanks a bunch,
Rebecca

From Jenni:

Okay, first the not-so-serious stuff: I am grateful that the Hallmark Channel aired the Season 6 and 7 episodes I was missing before they morphed into the Martha Stewart Channel.  I am grateful for Andrew's quirkiness.  Sometimes his penchant for sacreligious music and misappropriation of Tessisms can really make a scene... both on the show and in stories.  I am grateful that my computer hasn't died.  I am grateful for the fact that apparently I hallucinated Adam wearing a beige sweater.  Hey, when a beloved show's over, making up scenes and unconsciously convincing yourself they are real is a boon!

Now the serious stuff: I'm grateful that JABB is still in existence.  This has been a pretty rough year for me emotionally.  And it was wonderful to know I had people to vent to or this expansive made-up world to temporarily run away to.  So thank you to all of you whether you're YG members who I've enjoyed talking about myriad things with and/or a Dyeland creator who has contributed to my favorite playground.  I'm thankful to JD without whom all of the above wouldn't be so much as a thought to me let alone all out blessings.  I hope wherever he is, he is happy and has some idea of just how many lives he has blessed.

Finally, I'm thankful to God and whichever of His angels had any part in that fateful day when I first turned TBAA on and the later day when I first logged onto a puter and found the TBAA fandom.  It's been an amazing, surprising, and inspiring experience!

Love,
Jenni
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And now I'm switching to Dyeland mode with...

Top Ten Things Dyelanders are Grateful for This Thanksgiving

10.  Andrew will not be in a cast this Christmas.  Yay!!!  Two armed hugs will be available!

9.  Andrew was on a ship with them and Monica and Tess and Adam!  And it was a literal ship.  Not some sorta crazed shipper fiasco...

8.  Andrew wearing long coats and fedoras again.  Lovely!

7.  Photos of Andrew wearing a red sequined jacket on last Valentine's Day.  Blackmail material is always handy!

6.  Andrew's flannel shirts.  They're *always* grateful for Andrew's flannel shirts!

5.  Andrew acting all big-brothery/ knight-like.  Super adorable and super sweet.  What's not to be thankful for!?

4.  Adam's turkey-like substance Thanksgiving dinner.  They can stuff themselves and then go play with Alexander and Co. without feeling any guilt at all!

3.  Andrew, Monica, and Tess are all spending nice, quality time together again.  Aww!!!  It warms the Dyelanders' swoony hearts to hear Tess call for her Angel Boy or see Monica look proudly at her awesome friend.

2.  While it was sad when Andrew had to chop his lovely, long locks off in order to act as a cop; they're thankful that at least he went 1999 short and not late 1998 super-short..

1.  That God allowed them to come to know someone as special and compassionate and, yes, lovely as Andrew.  Sigh...
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Finally, I noticed that in "An Unexpected Snow" Monica got to offer a Thanksgiving blessing and in "The Homecoming" Tess did likewise.  And I got to wondering what Andrew's Thanksgiving blessing woulda been like had he been able to make one.  So here's my attempt...
Andrew's Thanksgiving Blessing



Dear Father,

We thank You for all this great food before us.  But we thank You even more for the chance to enjoy it together.  Thank You for the friendship and love we share.  Thank You for all the gifts You have given us.  You know, whether we bring truth or music or eternity to others, we're just grateful for the opportunity to share Your love.  Thank You for loving us.  Amen.
Have a blessed December, everyone!

JABB TOC

JABB 315

(Photo Credits: The photographs used on this page are from "Touched by an Angel" and owned by CBS Productions, Caroline Productions, and Moon Water Productions. They are not being used to seek profit.)