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Fences

Album: 20: A Journey of Choices

Episode: 269

Lesson/Theme: Communication; dealing with disappointment.

Bible Verse: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Characters: Connie, Eugene, Whit

Writer: Marshal Younger

Sound Designer: Mark Drury

Original Air Date: May 21, 1994

Last Air Date: February 4, 2009

Description:
'Connie is ecstatic, her dad is coming for a visit! She's so happy, she even compliments Eugene on his shirt. But when she gets home that afternoon, her father calls, delivering bad news. He won't be able to make it. Connie is bitterly disappointed, so much so, she delivers a blistering talk about the evils of men to the girls at her Tuesday night Bible study. Her talk is so scathing that the girls nearly attack Eugene the next day, and they actually hang Charles up in a tree by his belt loop. Whit wants to know what in the world is wrong with her. But Connie refuses to tell him. She says she can work out her problem by herself. She is still stewing at home that evening when a delivery person comes to the door. The delivery person is wondering if Connie or her mother will sign for a package their elderly next-door neighbor, Mr. Mitchell, has been sent. Apparently he's not there. Connie thinks that's strange since Mr. Mitchell rarely goes anywhere. Connie goes to look over the new fence Mr. Mitchell has had built around his backyard. She discovers that Mr. Mitchell is lying unconscious on his back porch! Connie rushes to him, and her mother, June, calls for an ambulance. The next day, Connie tells Whit that Mr. Mitchell had tripped and hit his head. He knocked himself out. Unfortunately, the fence around his property prevented anyone from seeing him. Whit points out that Mr. Mitchell isn't the only one who has put up a fence. Connie has built a wall of resentment against her dad that is keeping everyone away from her as well. Connie sees the point and apologizes. And just in time, too. The girls in her Tuesday night Bible study are now threatening to lock all men into closets!'

Questions:
What was wrong with what happened at Connie's Bible study? Why was it bad for Connie to not talk about what was bothering her? Are you keeping anything pent up that you need to talk about with someone?