Hi all,

Here in the U.S., tomorrow is Labor Day.  And so I am resting.  Thus, it's a short newsletter this time around.  I hope, whether you celebrate or not, you can find some time to be peaceful and restful.

God bless,
Jenni
Work-Related Tropes in Honor of Labor Day

Captain Smooth and Sergeant Rough- There are hints of this to Steve's and Ed's dynamic with the men in the house in "The Lost Sheep."  Steve is very kind and gentle to the point of sometimes being a pushover and taking on too much rather than delegating house and business-related tasks.  Once Ed comes into the house, he introduces practices so everyone does their fair share of the work and stuff isn't just dumped on Steve.  But rather than causing resentment, the men come to trust Ed in part because of how protective he is of their beloved leader.  I think on some level they all knew they could do with some growing up.

Nepotism- Catherine and Vincent have both hired JenniAnn/Psyche at different points.  Technically, she's still teaching a religion class once a week in the Tunnels so Vincent, her godfather/cousin, is her boss.  I just haven't had a reason to write about that lately.  Nepotism is probably going to get more common once the younger Friends start reaching the age where they'll get jobs.  It just makes sense that when your group is sitting on so many secrets, you just might want to hire from within that group.  I don't, however, think they would ever hire within the family if that person just couldn't do the job.  Like I don't think Vincent would have hired JenniAnn if not for the fact that she does have a theology degree and took classes on teaching. 

Caring Gardener- While he can initially come off as a bit gruff, Karl, Steve's groundskeeper, is this.  He especially cares about the birds that frequent Steve's yard.  He's distraught when the wicked neighbors scare the birds away.  But he also cares deeply about the humans he lives with as evidenced by him being the first to feel Ed out.  Also, I've not had a chance to delve into this too much yet but Karl long ago rejected Christianity.  And yet he cares about Joshua and recognizes who he is.  So he dubbed him "Old Man" as a way of acknowledging his identity without using a charged Christian term.  I think Crowley is this, too.  He treats his plants as if they were children and has now taken on caring for the plants in Willowveil's conservatory.  In his case, his deep love led to the unfortunate decision to fall and become a demon.  But now he has a better handle on his emotions and doesn't let his love for others lead to rash decisions... mostly.

Following in Their Rescuer's Footsteps- Cira and Crystal, who were initially helped by Catherine and Co. at the Phoenix Inn, now run it since she's retired.  And while it's still years down the road, Catherine's and Vincent's son, Jacob, will eventually be juggling his life as a renowned artist with being the leader of the Tunnel community.  I imagine, even with his own dreams, it'll be important to him to carry on the legacy of his parents who took him in after he was abandoned.  He'll want to keep that same sanctuary going for others. 

Friendly Shopkeeper- Basil and Azalea own a gift shop and are very friendly.  They even help out with stuff at St. G's despite the hectic schedules they must have.  Additionally, several of the Friends frequent Adrian's Coffeehouse where Adrian herself is on friendly terms with them. 

Meaningful Job or Cushy Job- I merely inherited this one but in Beauty and the Beast, Catherine left her cushy job at her father's law firm in order to be an assistant district attorney so she could help people in need of justice.  While I didn't stress it a whole lot, Peter had a really nice office job before leaving it in order to run St. G's with Emma. 

Burnout by Traumatic Job- That's basically the plot of "Shooting Star" for Andrew.  After almost two centuries as an angel of death, Andrew has reached a crisis point.  As a result, Joshua has him start focusing more on caseworking gigs again, with JenniAnn and Violeta at his side.  The isolation may have been as much of an issue as the actual work itself.

Found Family Via Work- That's St. G's in a nutshell.  While some of the people working there were already family, other families have been formed there.  Emma and Peter got married and had kids.  Clay and Kylie did the same.  Andrew and JenniAnn were already coupled up but it was while they were working at St. G's that JenniAnn decided Andrew was Belle's Daddy, not just her uncle.  But really the whole group functions as one giant family.

Hired on the Spot- Mason's boss, Doug, really, really wants to do this with Joshua.  When Mason shows up to work during a mental health crisis with Joshua as his "emotional support human," Doug is immediately taken with Joshua.  He offers him an HR position without so much as an interview but, of course, Joshua has to turn it down. 

And here are the other two laptop backgrounds I made from photos from my recent trip.  Enjoy!




This newsletter is dedicated to John Dye and all those who use their work to inspire and comfort others.


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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.)