"Love is a force more formidable than any other. It is invisible -- it cannot be seen or measured,
yet it is powerful enough to transform you in a moment, and offer you more joy than any material possession could." ~~Barbara De Angelis

Hi all,
Back on schedule!  Yay!  I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend and that, for those of you experiencing a looong winter, it moves on into Spring very soon!
God bless,
 Jenni
The State of the JABBers Address
by Jenni

Well, this has been a very different sort of year for JABB!  As I mentioned last year, I always reread the previous address and, boy, was that an experience this year!  It's hard to believe that the last time I wrote one of these, "The Carpenter" wasn't finished and I don't think I'd even started "The King."  On one hand, I'm pretty amazed at all that's passed this year with JABB and, on the other, I wish there'd been a bit more.  But I guess that's been something I've had to recognize this year: not everything can get done so prioritizing is good!  Which brings me to...

The web site got remodeled this year.  I believe it's the first time that's happened since we moved to 1and1 after the old Talkcity/Geocities days.  Part of my reason for redesigning the site is that I've really come to realize that JABB is visited by basically two different populations: the people who just want to see stuff about Touched and John Dye and the people who like to read the stories.  Granted, there's some crossover but it really does seem like most visitors definitely lean more towards one or the other.  So it just made sense to sort out which pages were more likely to appeal to the two different groups and give them their own landing pages: TBAA & More likely is the place to go for the first group while Dyeland Stories is handier for the second group.  JABB Info is more generic and hopefully useful to any visitor to the site while Fun & Games is more of an archive and Best of the Rest is simply what it sounds like: random stuff that doesn't really fit elsewhere!  The Dyeland section has been getting most of my attention lately but I really do hope to soon resume updates to the TBAA Photo Gallery and Episode Guide.  It's still my intention to finish Season 9 on both pages and then go back to Seasons 1-4 for the Photo Gallery since I inexplicably made the photos so small the first time.  However, when I do that, I think I'll go out of order.  Anyway, if you're a regular visitor to the site and can think of any way I can make it more accessible, please let me know!

As I said above, the majority of my time with JABB this year has been spent on writing.  And, happily, I've not been alone in that!  Kim has now authored four Dyeland stories ("Shelter from the Storm," "To Love Another Person," "May the Road Rise to Meet You" [which was wrapped into "The Carpenter"], and "New Beginnings."  We can also expect a couple new stories from her in the coming weeks!  In addition, Heather contributed a story ("Someone who Urgently Needs a Shelf") which means for the first time in, well, possibly ever, three people wrote Dyeland stories in the same year!  And this also means that 12 stories were added since this time last year.  Pretty cool if I do say so myself!  As for me, definitely the most memorable part of this past year writing-wise was "The Carpenter"/"The King."  I can remember when I first had the thought "Huh, wouldn't it be cool to write something in which Jesus was cast as Himself for a movie or play?"  I did not foresee that turning into a 1,000 page plus story...  But I'm so glad it did!  On a personal level, that's been the most spiritual experience I've had in a long while and it enabled me to reconnect to things I'd learned but forgotten or just lost focus on.  While bringing Joshua to the forefront was something I sort of struggled with (TBAA having done such a nice job of remaining pretty ecumenical), now I can't imagine not having him around.  This was a year of unexpected losses and unimaginable current events and that writing really helped me to focus on God and His story.  I hope the same was true for others, too. 

As for what I hope for JABB in these coming months: I hope those of us who contribute to it continue to feel creatively stimulated.  I hope the visitors and readers find what they're looking for.  And I hope we can continue to honor John Dye, without whom we wouldn't have JABB, and, even more importantly, honor God whose love Mr. Dye and Co. repeatedly told us of.

In closing, this has been a year full of uncertainties and even fear.  I can't speak for the other authors but I think it's a lot why I spent so much time writing about Dyeland.  Even if only a handful of people read my stories, it feels good to put something positive and affirming out there into the world.  It seems I imparted that desire onto a number of characters this year.  I hope, wherever you are and whatever you do, you can find peace in knowing that, while we can't control whether or not some people decide to unleash cruelty and hatred into the world, we can control what we put out there.  So whether you can act and sing like Emma and Peter and Co. or paint like Owen and Jacob or make fleece blankets like, probably, ever single character by now or dance like Kemara and Sean or carve like Andrew and Joshua or simply listen and lend counsel like Fr. Mike, Rabbi Yakov, Maryam, Yosef, and a slew of others; know that what you do to bring love and light to the world matters even if you don't always see it.

God bless and love,
Jenni
The State of the Dyelanders Address
by Andrew

Before I get into this speech, consider these two things: the last time I wrote probably 80% of you were either strangers or recent acquaintances AND I was hurrying off to go meet the carpenter who was going to fix the stage at St. Genesius'.  Wow.  That Carpenter sure changed a lot, didn't He?  0:-)

Last year, I wrote a short thank you (aka "snaps") to everyone individually but I think we all realize that if I did that now, we'd be late for work tomorrow.  There are so many of us!  That's great!  So great!  We've all had a number of important milestones during this past year so I thought I'd take this opportunity to highlight just a few.

First, what a year for romance and love!  Ivy... Ivy, you told me I could mention you and Sy without either of you getting too embarrassed but I guess I didn't realize how choked up I'd get!  It seems like just yesterday that you first came into my class.  You and Violeta have grown up so much.  In no time at all, Belle will be grown up, too, and...  Thanks, Laja.  And thank you to Maryam for keeping us well supplied with handkerchiefs.  Clearly I need one!  Well, Ivy and Sy, I'm very, very happy for you both and I know we're all looking forward to those prom photos!  Might want to keep your dress and suit, you two, because they'll come in handy again with all the weddings coming!  Which brings me to...  Congratulations to our newlyweds, Eric and Neela.  It's been a pleasure to get to know you both and little Zany, too.  And congrats to our many engaged couples: Kemara and Sean, Max and Rose, Emma and Peter, and Clay and Kylie!  I know I speak for all of us when I say we are looking forward to being with you all as you embark on this important stage of your lives.  Your love inspires us all and reminds us of God's love.  On a personal note, I want to say how much it means to JenniAnn and me, as well as Arthur and Monica, to have received a blessing from Joshua.  To our engaged friends, I pray that all of you experience that mixture of serenity, acceptance, and utter love on your wedding days.  It's an awesome feeling.

Second, we've all been so blessed by the introductions of a few very special and much-loved kids: Liam, Manny, Edison, and Eleanor.  I hope you kids always remember how happy you've made your parents, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and friends!  Most of all, remember that God created you and loves you just as you are.  Hailey and Ivy, we're all wishing you both much success when you head off to college.  You kids... all of you... Shelby, Jacob, Belle, Kendra, Hailey, Ivy, Sy, Violeta, Liam, Zane, Persephone, Lily, Ryder, Noah, Matilda, Milo, Piper, Joccy, Zoe, and the little ones... you make us all so proud.  God, too.  I can just see Joshua smiling on you all.

Wow...  We have so much ahead of us!  I know we're all praying that Superstar goes off smoothly and continues to touch the hearts and spirits of our audiences.  Congratulations to Emma and Peter on assuming responsibility of St. Genesius' Community Theatre!  Doug's told me how much it means to him to know the place is in good hands.  To Clay, Edward, and Caleb: I'm hearing great things about your work at the Romano Family Farm.  Everyone can see the pride you bring to Dot and Randall!  Monica and Liam, amazing work with the food truck!  Adam, buddy, you''re already doing a great job with your new responsibilities and we're all looking forward to meeting more of your charges.  Kylie, thank you for organizing our Bible Study schedule and creating a forum for us to use when we can't get together to discuss matters.  Zeke, Arthur tells me you're doing a wonderful job as True Light's chaplain.  Tyson, Tim, and Jeff echo his praise and you three... those boxed cradles are really taking off!  Whether through new jobs, new responsibilities, or renewed dedication to longstanding roles; everyone is doing such a great job of making their communities even better places.

Finally, I know I'm speaking for all of us when I say that this past year has been one we'll never forget and that's owing completely to Joshua.  Unlike most of you, I had some advance knowledge of Joshua's coming.  However, I could never have imagined all the blessings, solace, and good times he'd bring to us.  Whether helping us see where we needed to go in our lives (and with who by our sides), encouraging us in our talents, listening as we bore our souls, teaching us new skills (like carpentry), or simply being who he is and always will be; Joshua brought peace and joy to each and every one of us.  We love him and he loves us and that love united us all and will keep us united.  When I do this again next year, I know I'll be talking about yet more miracles He's worked in our lives.

Thank you.

Thank You.


This newsletter is dedicated to John Dye for providing me (and many others) with hours of wintertime entertainment.  While I certainly have nothing to complain about in comparison to the folks on the East Coast, I'm seriously wishing Spring would come!  But at least there's TBAA to watch, stories to write, a web site to fix up, and more to keep me occupied while inside, hiding from the snow and cold.

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(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.)