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The Very Best of Friends

Album: Gold Audio 07: On Thin Ice

Episode: 95

Lesson/Theme: Anger; dealing with death.

Bible Verse: 1 Corinthians 15:51-57

Characters: Donna, Jimmy, Whit

Writer: Phil Lollar

Sound Designer: Dave Arnold

Original Air Date: December 2, 1989

Last Air Date: May 14, 2008

Description:
Jessie and the other kids at Odyssey Elementary have come up with a special surprise for Donna Barclay: They've chosen her to be the host of the annual Fall Festival. Everyone is excited about the choice . . . except Donna. She thanks her friends but says she doesn't ever want to have anything to do with the Festival again. Jessie is confused and takes the dilemma to Whit. Donna is so talented and outgoing, Jessie wonders why Donna doesn't jump at this honor. But Whit believes he knows why Donna is acting so strangely. He takes Jessie over to the Barclay house to talk with Donna about it. Unfortunately, Donna refuses to admit anything is wrong and demands to be left alone. Jessie thinks it's all her fault, but Whit tells her that Donna is feeling bad about a different friend-someone who was around before Jessie came on the scene-Karen. It's been a year since Karen died, and one of the last things she did was the Fall Festival. Whit knows Donna has to release her anger-anger toward Karen for dying, toward God for letting Karen die, and toward herself for having those feelings in the first place. Whit arranges to take Donna to the one place where she can let go of her bitterness-Karen's grave. At the cemetery, Whit makes Donna confront her anger by turning it over to God. The healing begins, and Donna is finally able to tell Karen "good-bye."

Questions:
Have you ever lost a friend or loved one? How do you cope with it? How can you cherish the memory of a loved one but also be able to tell them goodbye? How could you encourage a friend who is grieving?