From: Marni Centor <marni@panix.com>

GUIDING LIGHT UPDATE - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1997

                         GOODBYE, H.B.

...with special appearances by Trish Lewis (Rebecca Hollen), Dylan 
Lewis (Morgan Englund), Mindy Lewis (Kimberly Simms), Peter Lewis 
Reardon (Joseph Phillips), Rusty Shayne (Terrell Anthony) and Hawk 
Shayne (Gil Rogers)

HIGHLIGHTS:
* The Lewis family & their friends celebrate HB's life with a memorial
* Vanessa & Matt renew their wedding vows
* Alan warns Cassie to do as he says

REARDON LAKE HOUSE: Vanessa thinks about HB & her dad. She knows Henry 
will be waiting for HB in heaven. Matt asks if she's sure she wants to 
go to the memorial. Of course Van is sure. Matt says she is his first 
priority. Van asks if he's afraid of losing her. "You never will, I 
promise," she vows. Matt tells her not to promise something like that, 
because she doesn't know. He wants her to stay with him.

JOSH & REVA'S: Josh tries to write his eulogy for Reva, and tries out 
an opening line on her. She tells him that he shouldn't struggle over 
the words; he should just speak from his heart. "What if my heart's 
too full?" he asks. She says he has to let some of it out & let other 
people say what's in their hearts. 

Josh recalls that he & HB had a lot of tough years, but HB never 
washed his hands of his youngest son. He flashes back on HB's last 
visit, when he told Josh how much he loved him. Josh returned the 
sentiment & asked HB to stick around for awhile. HB said he had places 
to go & things to do before his time ran out. But wherever he is, in 
this world or the next, Josh will be in his heart.

Reva reminds Josh that HB loved him, and hugs him. Billy arrives with 
Wanda & Cassie. Wanda hugs Reva & Josh. She says she loved HB better 
than she loves Lowell. He was the finest, most decent man to walk the 
earth. Cassie watches on with a smile. Billy mentions that they closed 
up Lewis Oil until after they all get back from Cross Creek. He also 
introduces Reva to Cassie & Wanda as the newest member of the 
company's major stockholders, since HB left Reva all his stock. Reva 
suggests that they head over to the church. Billy calls the kids to 
come downstairs, but Reva says they're already at the church. Josh 
says a few people from out of town took them over, but he's not giving 
away any more information. They all head out the door. On his way out, 
Josh looks at a photo of HB that is sitting on a ledge near the door.

CHURCH: A woman in black enters the empty church & places a single red 
rose on the easel holding a large color photo of HB.

A short time later, Reva hugs Rusty while Hawk talks to Billy, who 
wants to hear about the train ride to Montana. Hawk won't discuss it. 
He gives Reva a big hug & greets Rusty. Reva introduces Cassie to 
Rusty, mentioning that Cassie is single. Josh pulls Reva away from 
them & asks what she's doing. Reva says they make a perfect couple; 
they look like an ad for beautiful blonde people. And look how well 
they're getting along. Josh doesn't know what to do with Reva. "The 
same thing you always have, I hope," she smiles. Marah & Shayne join 
them.

Billy sees Bill & gives him a hug, commenting that it will just be the 
two of them from their side of the family. No, says Bill, hasn't Billy 
seen who's here? It's Mindy (Kimberly Simms) & Dylan. Billy gives them 
a group hug. Mindy is the woman who put the rose on HB's picture 
earlier. She's carrying another one. Dylan looks like he's still not 
seeing really well. He mentions that Bridget couldn't come because 
she's starting classes at the university, but Peter is here. 

Vanessa spots Peter & lifts him up for a huge hug. She hugs Mindy, 
too. 

Phillip arrives & talks to HB's picture. He's carrying a white rose & 
is paying his respects for Alex, too. He recalls a story she told him 
about going bowling with HB. He's still trying to imagine it. "Anyone 
who could get Aunt Alex into a bowling alley must have been one hell 
of a man. And you were that." He places his rose by the photo as a 
gift from Alex, for the memories.

Mindy comes up to Phillip & he lifts her off the ground in a hug. She 
asks where his other half is. Phillip says it's a long story, but 
Mindy says she knows about Beth. She was talking about his real other 
half, Rick. Phillip laughs & admits that it's truly pathetic. He says 
Rick had to work. Together, Phillip & Mindy look at HB's picture. 
Mindy sniffs & says she thought he would live forever. Phillip agrees 
that he seemed indestructible. Mindy always felt safe knowing she was 
his Princess. Phillip says she'll always be his Princess. She kisses 
her hand & touches it to the picture, telling HB she loves him. As she 
& Phillip walk away, she asks Phillip to catch her up on everything 
that's been happening.

Josh gives Reva a quick kiss, then spots Alan walking into the church. 
He hurries over & asks Alan what the hell he's doing there. Alan says 
he wants to pay his respects. He reminds Josh that Brandon Spaulding & 
HB were good friends. Josh is not moved. Alan says sometimes it takes 
a death to remind us where we're from & what's important in life. Josh 
could almost buy that except for all the time Alan is spending with 
Annie. Alan says this has nothing to do with Annie & he's surprised 
Josh brought her up.

Alan sits in a pew in front of Cassie, who asks what he's doing there. 
Alan reminds her who's in charge & asks why she's not sticking to 
Billy like glue. Cassie protests that Billy's father just died. She 
thinks Alan has no heart. Alan wants to know what's new at Lewis Oil. 
She says she hasn't heard anything. Alan tells her to start listening. 
"Go to hell," she replies, getting up from her seat.

As Cassie walks toward the back of the church, Hart & Dinah enter. 
Hart is delighted to see Peter & hurries over to him, leaving Dinah 
behind. Cassie smiles as Hart lifts Peter into a hug, then turns to 
find herself face-to-face with Dinah.

Josh hugs a large black woman named Barbara Conrad & thanks her for 
coming. He introduces her to Ross & Blake & says Barbara will be 
singing.

Hart sits with Peter at the back of the church & looks at a drawing 
Peter is holding, as Peter wipes his nose on his sleeve. Hart asks if 
the picture is himself & Peter. "That's Dylan," says Peter. Hart takes 
a breath, then replies that Dylan is a lucky man. Dylan comes over & 
says he thought Hart would like to see Peter before he started school. 
Hart shakes Dylan's hand & says he appreciates it. Hart takes Peter's 
hand & they walk outside with Dylan.

Cassie asks Dinah if that was Peter. Dinah confirms & asks how Cassie 
guessed. Cassie says she saw Hart's eyes get all soft. (Ew! Next thing 
you know, they'll be sliding out of their sockets!) Dinah says that's 
the way Hart looks at people he loves. Cassie guesses that Hart & 
Dinah made up. Dinah guesses Cassie is referring to "that silly 
incident" the other morning. Cassie says it didn't seem so silly at 
the time. Dinah says she & Hart be through too much to be bothered by 
something as insignificant as Cassie. Cassie finds it weird that 
someone who looks like Dinah could be so insecure. Cassie walks away. 
Hart returns to Dinah & they take their seat.

Nola tells Josh she was thinking of sending flowers. Josh says she 
could make a contribution to the church instead, since this was a 
favorite church of HB's. Ross asks when HB started going to church & 
everyone laughs a bit. Billy explains that HB liked this church 
because they sang all the hymns they used to sing in Oklahoma. Reva 
has the bright idea that she could use some of the money from the 
stock HB left her to make a big donation to the church. Alan hears 
this little tidbit.

Billy suggests that they all sit down now. He walks past HB's picture 
& says there are a lot of people who love him there today. Billy steps 
up to the podium & says HB loved his family & his friends, & it's 
great to see so many of them today. He was hoping his sister Trish 
would be there, but he doesn't see her & guesses she couldn't get a 
plane in time. "I'm here, Billy," says Trish, from the back of the 
church. Billy steps down to give Trish a hug. Ross notes Trish's 
arrival wistfully. Trish hugs Josh & Reva welcomes her. Then Trish 
walks over to Ross & takes his hand as they kiss cheeks. Blake asks 
Ross if there's something she should know. Ross promises to tell her 
someday when they have some time. "You're not the only one with a past 
history, you know." 

Billy speaks to the crowd & explains that they are having the memorial 
in Springfield because HB spent a lot of years there & loved it so 
much. Tomorrow, they will be taking him to Cross Creek, where they 
will bury him under an oak tree next to Miss Martha. Billy wants to 
tell a story about HB, but most of them are too off-color to tell in 
church. But he remembers one time when he had gotten really off 
track...

Flashback to the country club bar, where HB tells Billy that he loves 
him as much as he loves Trish & Josh, maybe more. Billy asks why. 
"Because I'm an old fool," replies HB. Josh & Trish grew up by the 
book, but Billy had to do everything the hard way. Maybe that's why 
Billy's wins mean more to him. Billy says he's not winning now. HB 
knows it. Billy screwed up big time with the company. But his daddy 
always said that any man who was worth anything was bigger than his 
checkbook. "That's you, Billy, and don't you forget it." HB is still 
madder than hell at Billy, because Billy is one of the best men he's 
ever known. "And don't you forget that." 

Billy thanks his dad for sticking around long enough to let Billy win 
his trust back. HB was right, you can't love yourself if you can't 
face yourself in the mirror. He remembers HB telling him about looking 
at Billy in his crib, and promising that Billy would never be alone 
because now HB would never be alone. "The person that I think I'm 
going to miss the most was the person that I called my friend. I love 
you, HB. Sail on, old friend." Billy steps down & sits beside Bill, 
who gives him a hug.

Bill shares his favorite memory of HB, which is also his favorite 
memory of his other grandfather, Henry. Flashback to a much younger 
Bill & Ben on the porch with HB & Henry, talking about what they want 
to be when they grow up. Little Billy asks how you know what the right 
thing for you is. HB says there's still plenty of time for that. Bill 
thinks it's too bad that Henry never became a fireman & HB never 
became a pirate. But he's glad he got to be their grandson. Billy 
stands to hug his son as he steps down. Reva hugs him too & tells him 
she's proud of him.

Reva's turn: She says she's known HB about as long as she's known 
anyone. She thinks he recognized her as a fellow sinner. He always 
respected her & he taught her how to respect herself. Even when she 
hit rock bottom, he taught her to keep her head high. She promises him 
to love & cherish his son & grandkids. Josh hugs her & tells her he 
loves her when she steps down.

Vanessa takes the podium. For as long as she can remember, HB was her 
father's closest friend. He became her father-in-law, her mentor, her 
confidante & her friend. She loved him & will miss him greatly. When 
she looks around the room, she smiles to see his dear friends & 
family. She realizes he'll always be with them, because he's in Billy 
& Trish & Josh & all his grandchildren. She thanks HB for all of them. 
As her father would say, "Thank you for having existed." She tells him 
to sleep well and rest in peace. As she returns to her seat, Matt 
tells her he wants to leave now & whisks her out of the church.

Billy tells Josh that it's his turn. Josh stands, but Marah tugs on 
his jacket & asks if she can say something. Josh sends her up to the 
podium.

Marah says that when her grandfather died, her parents asked her & 
Shayne what the most important thing was that they had learned from 
him. Shayne made a long list, but she couldn't do it. There were lots 
of things, but she wanted to think of the one, best, most special 
thing he ever taught her. "Here it is: he taught me how to jump the 
waves." She explains how every year they would go to the ocean. He 
would hold her hand & let her walk into the water, all the way up to 
her shoulders when she got brave enough. A few times, she got knocked 
down by the waves, but HB taught her how not to get knocked down. If 
the wave hasn't broken yet, no matter how high it is, you can just hop 
right over it. And after the wave breaks, you just hold your nose & 
duck way under the water until it passes over you. "And then you come 
up for air like nothing ever happened. That's the best thing he ever 
taught me. So I thought I'd tell you." Marah starts to leave the 
podium, but goes back when she remembers one more thing. "Ever since 
he taught me, I haven't gotten knocked down once. It's a great thing 
to learn. I haven't gotten down one time," she cries, & runs into her 
fathers arms.

Mindy reads a psalm, "The Lord is My Shepherd." As she reads, we see 
the reactions of family & friends. Peter digs in his ear while he sits 
on Dylan's lap. Alan comes up behind Cassie & tells her to let him in 
to Lewis Oil tomorrow when the Lewises are all at Cross Creek. She 
says she won't do it. "You will if you want to see your daughter 
again."

REARDON LAKE HOUSE: Van asks Matt why he wanted to rush home. Matt 
says he wants to marry her. Van reminds him that they're already 
married. Matt wants to marry her again, right now. Hearing everyone 
talk about how much they loved HB made him want to tell her the same 
thing. Van asks if it's because he's afraid she's going to die. "We're 
all going to die," replies Matt. When they made their vows, they 
thought nothing would make them break them. Van admits that she did 
break them, but it was because she was sick. Matt wants to fix what 
the illness did to them. He takes her out onto the porch & takes her 
hands. "Will you marry me?" he asks. Yes, she answers. Matt pledges to 
her all the love & life within him. He wants to give her the moon & 
stars & sun, but she's already given them to him. So he promises to 
keep the stars bright in her eyes, the sun warm in her smile, & the 
moonglow on her face. He promises to love, honor & cherish her, & take 
care of her, not only as long as they live, but for all eternity. He 
promises her a life filled with love, loyalty & laughter. Forever. 
Vanessa smiles brightly.

Trish finishes her eulogy with "I love you, Daddy," and steps down. 
Josh kisses her & takes his place at the podium. He relates Reva's 
advice to speak from the heart, so that's what he's going to do. 
They've all learned a lot from HB. Billy learned how to believe in 
himself. Trish & Mindy learned how to be beautiful, not just on the 
outside, but on the inside. He & Reva & their kids learned the true 
meaning of real love. As he looks around the room, he thinks everyone 
there learned something from HB about how to live life, how to find 
joy, even at times when it seemed like looking for a needle in a 
haystack. He thinks Marah was right on when she told her story of what 
she learned from HB. He taught them all how to jump the waves.

The last time Josh saw HB was when he was sick. He & Billy went to 
Europe & were very scared. He remembers HB sitting in a big chair, 
with a blanket covering his skinny legs. He still can't figure out how 
a man of such great stature got by on such skinny legs. :-) HB had a 
bourbon & branch in one hand & a cracker with cheese in the other. He 
had crumbs on his lips & his voice was just a frail whisper. People 
might have thought he was just a shadow of his former self, but Josh & 
Billy could hear that HB still spoke with great wisdom & honesty. He 
was a man who knew he was getting near the end, and accepted it. He 
was a gentle father who knew when to listen & when to speak. He was an 
honest man with no reason to speak anything but the truth. He had 
truly become everything Josh ever wanted him to be. He was not a 
fragile old man. "He was my father. He was my daddy." And Josh can 
remember screaming at him that he hated him. But now he could kiss 
HB's pale cheek, which had once been so full of the color of life, and 
whisper to him, "I love you, Daddy. I love you. And I thank God for 
that." Josh steps down & Reva hugs him.

A piano plays & Barbara Conrad sings a frightening version of "Amazing 
Grace." Josh sits with his children and Reva & Trish. Mindy sniffs 
into a tissue. Marah leans on Josh's shoulder. Hart looks totally 
clueless. Trish rocks in time to the music. The song ends and we close 
in on HB's photo, and hear his voice: "Love the good Lord & love this 
life he's given you. Cherish every damn minute of it! And everything 
will take care of itself." And the screen fades to black.



--Marni (marni@panix.com)



