To my salute to the cast and crew of
"Touched by an Angel"

Every week, the cast and crew bring us an hour of hope, love, and the message that "God Loves Us". They don't mention any religion in particular, but they show us that God and his love transcend all religions. When this show first started, I don't think that anyone at CBS knew what an impact this show would have.

Each week they show us that despite some enormous obstacles that we put in our ways, we can over come them. They show us that even when people die, life does go on and that when bad things happen; it is not God who is to blame.

Della Reese, who portrays Tess, always reminds us that God does not make bad things happen. It is us humans who have freedom of choice, that cause things to happen. She is stern but she shows compassion. In real life, she is a Rev and comes from a singing background. Her voice and personality do so much to get the message across that we can change things and learn from our mistakes.

Roma Downey, who portrays Monica, is the caseworker Angel. She is assigned to people who are troubled and need help. Some of her assignments didn't even realize they needed help. They may have been wealthy people who placed importance on the wrong things and not enough importance on the small things. But her message was always the same despite who they were, and what they had done. "God Loves You". Her message was very important because she brought the message of unconditional love; love that had no strings attached to it.

John  Dye, who portrays Andrew, is the Angel of Death. His appearance is most powerful and I imagine the hardest to play. We all use to think of the Angel of Death somewhat like the Grim Reaper and someone to fear. I've watched many of the shows where Andrew escorted someone to Heaven and I found it very uplifting, emotional, and peaceful. He showed us that we are never truly alone even when death is near. The shows where little children died and he was there for them, brought me to tears but also made me feel good. Who can forget the Xmas show with Randy Travis where the little girl died but showed no fear? Or how about the show with Celine and Wynnona Judd where the boy died after he completed everything he wanted to do? John Dye brought compassion and peacefulness to the "Angel of Death".

I salute the cast and crew of TBAA because they have given us family entertainment (when it's hard to find it), and most of all they have brought us hope and the message of love for all. They address many issues without really taking a stand on any of it except to say that "God loves Us". Through their shows on slavery, the episode on China, drugs, etc.; they have shown that God does not cause these bad things; people do. But God is there to help us through and he is there when we need him the most. In today's world it is so easy to blame God when things go wrong, but we never take the time to thank him when things go right. I find this show inspirational and I think the writers have done a fantastic job of writing without being affiliated by any religion. They have shown that God and his Angels belong to everyone and not any particular religion.

Because they touch many of us and remind us that God does love us, is why I think of the cast and crew as "Earth Angels".