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"Joy is the
serious business of Heaven."
~~ C.S. Lewis
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"Joy is the
serious business of Heaven."
~~ C.S. Lewis
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I
may have said something very similar last year but I would like
to comment on how much I have always enjoyed Charles Rocket's
work especially as Adam. I loved his dry sense of humor and I
think he brought a special style to Adam. Adam was a very
different interpretation of an angel of death from Andrew,
however, I really loved them both.
Charles Rocket's interpretation of Adam was
both humorous and sophisticated mixed with an appropriate
sense of seriousness. I loved both angels of death dearly and was especially happy
when they both were included in some of the later episodes.
est:
Andrew is kinda a jerk in this episode! He shoots Adam
with a "Whatever..." (Is he thirteen!?) and then insinuates that
Adam can't treat Ben as
well as he could. Class
act, Andrew! But he's upset and grieving. The Masons
meant a lot to him and then suddenly it seems as if he's going
to lose the last of them. Like many of us, he doesn't
exactly grieve in the most beautiful and angelic of
fashions! But Adam takes it all in stride. While I
woulda been tempted to let lose with a "Boy, I was hanging
around gallows while you were still practicing your
'Hallelujahs' with the choir!" before storming out, Adam sticks
with his buddy. Sure, he tries to put Andrew and his ego
in their places a bit. But he doesn't bail just cause
Andrew's suddenly not very fun or sweet. In fact, he looks
so tenderly upon his friend when
Andrew goes upstairs for what he believes will be his final
conversation on this side with Ben that it melts my heart.
Sure, Andrew may be the epitome of who I most want to be with
but in that silent
moment, Adam is the epitome of who I'd most like to be.
He's someone who can see beyond a cranky facade to the broken
heart beneath and do his best to bring peace and love to a
troubled friend.
By: Yvette Jessen
The rain was falling as young Chloe
Williams walked towards the edge of town, her rubber rain boots
sploshing against the concrete as she walked. Passing a newstand she
could see the headlines for the various papers. These were conveniently
covered with plastic to keep the rain water from smearing the ink.
As her eyes blinked back the
persistent tears, Chloe had no way of knowing that she was being
observed. It was not
by anyone who meant her harm, quite the contrary. The one observing her
was a tall blue eyed angel. His
name was Adam and he had been watching over her for several days. It was like this
whenever a human was dealing with unspeakable sorrow.
Chloe's boyfriend had ended his life
the week before, and the teenage girl's mind was now filled with
questions about what had been wrong and why he had done it. These were, of course,
inquiries that only the boy could have answered, but he was not
here to do so.
Adam knew that she was very sad and
more than anything he wondered if there was anything that he could
do to help her. He
had been an angel of death long enough to know the thoughts that
were drifting about in the young girl's mind. They paralleled anyone
who was affected by this sudden loss.
Further down from where he stood, the
street ended and extended into a small wooded cemetery. The angel followed but
watched as she approached the gate and entered. She turned back around,
but only for a moment in order to close the gate.
Keeping a small distance from her, he
watched as he approached what looked to be a fresh grave. The name Brian
Hutchinson was etched on the stone and fresh daisies covered the
mound of earth in front of it.
Adam stopped walking as he watched the teenager sit down on
the ground. The rain
continued to fall on her and instead of waiting, he approached.
As he came closer, an umbrella
appeared in his hand and he walked over to where she was seated. When she felt the rain
suddenly stopp falling on her, she raised her head to see him
standing over her, his blue eyes staring at the gravestone. Instead of speaking, she
started to get to her feet and back away from him.
“I'm sorry,” he spoke. “I didn't mean to
interrupt you.”
Chloe nodded. “I didn't expect anyone
to come out today. I
just wanted to spend some time with Brian.”
Adam nodded. “I understand, Chloe.”
“You know me?”
“Yes, Brian told me a great deal
about you,” he said. “His
description of you was quite accurate.”
Chloe took a deep breath. “It doesn't matter. He's gone.”
“Perhaps physically, but in his
heart, he will always be with you,” Adam said. “Even when he is in
Heaven and watching over you.”
“How do you know?” She asked. “What makes you so sure
of that?”
“Faith,” Adam said softly. “The belief that God is
here and knows the pain you are in.”
“God?”
She whispered sadly. “If
that's what you think, all that I can believe is that God
abandoned us when we needed Him.
Brian's family believed in God, and Brian attended church
every Sunday. He was
a good student too and wasn't sick or anything. Everyone thought he was
destined for something great.”
As she spoke, tears streamed down her cheeks. “But, not this.”
Adam leaned towards her and rested
his hands on her shoulders. “I
know,” he said softly. “No
one expects this to happen. They
want to believe that the people they love will always be with
them.”
Chloe took a deep breath and nodded
as they started to walk away from the grave. “I guess that's what I
needed to hear. I
know they mean well, but the preachers are always trying to tell
us the things about God that I don't really want to hear. They say it was God's
will or how we should feel or what we should think, but no one
really knows what to think or feel.
I just want to understand why this happened. I thought he loved me.”
“His passing does not mean that he
didn't love you,” he affirmed.
“I think he cared very deeply for you. He simply wanted the
pain to stop.”
“The pain?” She whispered.
“Yes, Brian suffered depression, and
untreated, depression can cause people to often do things that
they otherwise might not do.
The key to it is getting the help one needs when it
happens. Perhaps that
is the legacy that Brian is leaving behind.”
Chloe looked at him, but instead of
speaking, she lowered her head and stared down at the boots she
was wearing. After
some moments, she looked at him.
“Why didn't you tell him those things when he was alive?”
“I couldn't, Chloe,” Adam said as he
began to glow, the light of God's love surrounding him. Around them the rain had
stopped.
“You're an angel,” she whispered.
“Yes, my name is Adam,” he began. When she nodded numbly,
he continued speaking. “
Brian wanted you to know that he did not want to hurt you when he
went Home. He wanted
only for the pain to stop. He
told me that you were always so strong and he admired your
strength. It was a
trait that he wished he possessed.”
“He was strong,” she whispered.
“He did not view himself in that
way,” Adam said softly. “He
knew that this would be hard for you to accept, but it was his
wish that you would move on, and find healing in the sadness, and
courage in overcoming this pain.
One day, you will meet again and all the things that made
you sad and filled with sorrow will be gone. When that day comes, you
will see me again, Chloe.”
With that the angel was gone and the
teenager was left holding a small daisy in her hand. As she stared down at
the small blossom, she could feel the light of the sun resting
against her arm. Raising
her head, she could see that the sun had come out and the clouds
that had danced across the sky only moments ago were gone.
Adam was right, she thought to
herself as she cradled the flower.
Maybe all we can do is heal, and try to understand the
sorrow that Brian was in. Maybe
one day we can use this experience to help prevent others from
believing that this is our only option.
With a
new sense of determination, Chloe crossed the street and made
her way back in the direction of home.
JABB 335
(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.)