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A Lesson From Mike

Album: 31: Days to Remember

Episode: 412

Lesson/Theme: Loving the Lonely

Bible Verse: 1 John 4:7-12

Characters: Whit

Writer: Marshal Younger

Sound Designer:

Original Air Date: October 24, 1998

Last Air Date: August 19, 2009

Description:
On a typical day in the hallways of Odyssey Middle School, Heather tells her friend Julie that Mike Fulton, a kid in the grade below them, died the day before. He fell off the train trestle at Miller's Ravine. Julie is aghast, but realizes that she didn't really know Mike. The girls talk to Whit the next day at Whit's End and Whit mentions how quiet Mike was. In a box of keepsakes, Julie finds a letter written to her by Mike in the third grade. She starts to find how much they had in common as she asks his teachers about him and then stops by to visit his mother. They both even liked jazz music! Julie begins to wonder if Mike wouldn't have died if he had more friends...or even just one friend. Heather is worried about Julie because she seems to be missing out on her "real life" to learn about someone who is dead. Julie goes to Mike's funeral with Whit and Mike's mother. They talk about how Mike loved the same things that Julie loved at Camp What-A-Nut and Mike's mother mentions how she wishes that Mike could have gotten to know Julie better. Finally, on the next day at school, Julie sits in Mike's lonely spot at the cafeteria. Heather comes over to talk to her, apologizing for the way she was acting and the two of them see another girl sitting all by herself. Julie invites the girl to sit with them.

Questions:
What ways did Julie find that Mike was similar to her? Why did you think Julie was so interested in finding out about Mike? When Heather said that Mike was probably a nice guy, Julie said, "He didn't deserve better because he was nice. He deserved it because he was a person." What did she mean by that? Are there any Mike Fulton's in your life? What do you think Julie's advice would be to you?