"Every day we get a fresh chance to live the way we want.
We get a chance to do one amazing thing, one scary thing, one difficult thing, one beautiful thing. 
We get a chance to make a difference." ~~John Kenney


Hi all,

Welcome to the first JABB newsletter of 2016!  I hope you had fun ringing in the new year!

I thought we'd check in with some of the Dyelanders and Friends to see what their resolutions and wishes for 2016 are.  Then we have a big anniversary to mark!  On January 6th, it will have been twenty years since "The One That Got Away" first aired and the world was introduced to Andrew.  So pour some orange juice and ginger ale and celebrate!

God bless,
Jenni

Resolutions and Hopes from Dyelanders and Friends

From Behnam: I hope that Isra has an easy pregnancy and that our little one arrives healthy and happy.  I also hope that I can do as much as possible to help Stanley and whomever comes to our library.

From JenniAnn: I hope that our group grows stronger and closer in the months ahead and that the love we share for each other pours forth onto all those who come to the safe house.

From Caleb: I resolve to stop moping around about being single. I am a cowboy.  Cowboys don't mope.  Okay, except when they're singing those lonesome country songs.

From Joccy: I resolve to be more open about how I'm feeling and to ask for help when I need it.  I also resolve to have as much fun as possible and to learn as much as possible from Vincent, JenniAnn, Owen, Kemara, Isra, and all the other Tunnel teachers.

From Reuel: My hope is that the community Joshua will build here at the safe house will be a strong and compassionate one, welcoming to all who come to us.  I resolve to arrange for a vote on naming this place because "the safe house" is very, very boring as Eleora constantly reminds me.

From Vincent: I resolve to find the right balance for all my roles: husband, son, father, grandpa, friend, leader, and teacher even if it means cutting back on some things I'm used to doing.  My days on the building crew, for example, are likely behind me...

From Liam: I promise to keep taking really good care of Conan because if I don't brush him then all our clothes end up covered in dog hair.

From Emma: I hope for really beautiful and friend-filled and stress-free weddings for Peter and me and Rose and Max!

From Sy: I hope to end my high school career without regrets and feeling confident that I've made choices that, by God's grace, will lead to a good life for Ivy and me.


From Shelby: I resolve to write for at least one hour every single day! 

From Mick: I resolve to be the best husband and friend that I can be and to enjoy every moment that we have with Joshua.  Still can't believe that... but I do.

From Adam: I hope Clay and Kylie get the baby they've been hoping for since their wedding.  And I certainly wouldn't mind having another little niece or nephew myself...

From Hailey: I promise to study really hard in 2016 and take every opportunity for extra involvement in my department so I can be a really great teacher some day... like my Mom.

From Fr. Mike: I resolve to speak boldly and confidently, without fear, during every Mass and to always honor Joshua's desires even if they come in conflict with my higher ups.

From Violeta: I hope that, even though I'm busy with school, I'll have chances to work with Andrew on assignments.  I miss seeing him light up and be so awesome with our assignments! 

From Andrew: I resolve to follow Joshua's and the Father's will during this assignment to come and remember that while I'm their angel, I'm also a friend, father, and soul mate.  I won't hold everything in, leaving my loved ones to feel cast out.  I will do everything in my power to help my friends and family as we, together, help those who come to us.

Andrew's Top Ten Most Shocking Changes Since TOTGA

So I think it's pretty safe to say that the Andrew who reunited with Tess and met Monica during a destination wedding involving a train, murderess, and really old school computers would be pretty shocked to find himself with the life we read about in the Dyeland stories.  I thought it would be fun to try to narrow down the top ten things that would be the most unbelievable to the Andrew of 1996.  Here goes.

10.  Current Andrew goes through "magical" portals on a daily basis.

9.  He has a last name that doesn't change every week or so.

8.  Three of his friends are vampires.  Thankfully, not any of the friends he had in 1996.  I imagine that woulda been pretty traumatic!

7.  He ran a couple people through with a sword.  Okay, they were demons and the sword didn't do any physical damage.  But that's still pretty out there!

6.  Those lovelorn characters from the TV show Beauty and the Beast were based off a real couple who are now kinda like his in-laws.

5.  After an apparent century without, Andrew's actually gone on several vacations since 1996... although still not to Paris.

4.  He has a protege named Violeta who is adorable and spunky and sweet and has a crush on Hugh Jackman... and is also the mother of two sheep and will likely soon be a sheep-grandmother due to her strong opposition to ovine birth control.

3.  Monica has a kid named Liam.  And lives with some guy named Arthur.

2.  He has four kids (Max, Violeta, Shelby, and Belle) and shares a bedroom with a woman who was a whoppping thirteen years old during the events of "The One That Got Away."  Thankfully, she's thirty three now... but still really doesn't like those tasseled shoes of his. 


1.  Joshua sometimes sleeps over in the bedroom above theirs... and it all started after Andrew directed him in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar that resulted in Yehuda seeing the light.  Only took him nearly 2,000 years but, still... yay!




This newsletter is dedicated to John Dye in thanks for inspiring the start of another year of JABB!  We've come along way since 1998... and I've certainly found bits of JABB's history shocking!  But it's been quite a ride and I look forward to it continuing.

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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.)