Season 3: Episode 1

Rain - Refreshing. Cleansing. Starting over.

That is the theme of this season's premiere of Desperate Housewives. I for one am glad for a fresh start this fall. Having begun the complete overhaul/remodel of a much persecuted house we bought cheap at the end of last season, my life has been thrown into chaos since March. But, in less than one week, I get the privilege of moving all my things from the last nine years (heck, from the last 32 years) into a brand new, clean, beautiful home. It makes me want to throw out the old and buy some new things.

Each of the housewives gets a fresh start this season. At least a semblance of freshness. Gabby gets a nice divorce and soon, a new baby. Susan gets a chance to finally show her true love for Mike as he lies helpless in a coma. Bree gets a new beau, one that finally seems to suit her personality (despite the fact that he killed his first wife). Lynette gets a new family member - well, maybe two. And Edie gets a chance to profit off the first sucker who will buy into Wysteria Lane, if she can hook one.

So, why doesn't any of that sound particularly fresh, clean and new? Like Mary Alice says at the close of the episode, some stains remain. A good rain doesn't always wash them away. Likewise, a new situation doesn't guarantee happiness. Gabby clearly expresses her disappointment to Carlos, saying her dream has been ruined. Susan tells an unresponsive Mike how heavy the loneliness is becoming. Bree discovers once again that her ideal life will be unattainable. Lynette knows that though a small battle has been won agains Nora, the war continues to wage. I will soon discover that moving nine years worth of stuff into a fresh new house doesn't result in a model home. A good friend once told me, "New levels, new devils." So, how does one ever move out of a place of desperation?

A month ago, I was prompted to think realistically about what exactly I loved and cherished about my faith. It wasn't a fancy ladies' retreat or inspirational conference that challenged me to get in touch with my "good feelings about God", but the question was borne out of an overwhelming conflict. The questions sounded more like, "Why am I a Christian again? Why did I choose Christianity as my faith and not something a little less difficult?" As I thought about it, I knew it wasn't for the persecution or the moral requirement to act kindly when others offend me. It wasn't for the tradition, the social benefits of belonging to a church family, or the security of having a belief system that makes sense to me intellectually. In the end, I could only boil it down to the beauty of freedom.

Freedom from guilt. Freedom from my past. Freedom to talk to God when my faith is weak and struggling. Freedom to just be human and have seasons of desperation without truly believing I'm totally defeated. Despite building a new life of good works and happy memories after trusting God, the foundation of forgiveness turned out to be the thing I cherish most. It's the beautiful rain of Christ that washes me clean. Refreshing. Cleansing. Starting over... It's the knowledge that no matter how miserably I fail today, the rain of forgiveness hangs heavy in the clouds, waiting to pour over me and give me a new start. I wouldn't trade that for anything else about my faith.

Of course, I'll always have some baggage. We all will. We'll throw some out and we'll move some into our new homes, whatever that may mean for us. But the key that our poor ladies on Wysteria Lane will never discover is Christ. Their lives are fictitious and destined to a never-ending sequence of trials and tribulations. That's what makes the series interesting. But, that's no good for real life. I prefer walking with Christ - living a life littered by desperate moments, but not buried in total desperation.
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Psalm 65:3 - "When we were overwhelmed by sins, you atoned for our transgressions"

1 John 1:9 - "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Ephesians 5:25-26 - "...Christ loved the church [you and me] and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless."

Episode 20: "It Wasn't Meant to Happen"

The dialogue at the end of this episode is fantastic! Let's take a look at Mary Alice's comments and the actions that follow (transcript compliments of Ultimate Desperate Housewives at http://desperatehousewives.ahaava.com/ )
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Mary Alice: "There is a prayer intended to give strength to people faced with circumstances they don’t want to accept. The power of the prayer comes from it's insight into human nature."

Bree: "We ask God to grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change."

Outside Edie's house, the yard is covered with Karl’s clothes. Edie comes out the door and throws more clothes.

Mary Alice: "Because so many of us rage against the hand that life has dealt us."

Bree: "The courage to change the things we can."

Parcher and Murphy Advertising Agency, Ed is walking out of his office. He looks over at Lynette and he gets into the elevator.

Mary Alice: "Because so many of us are cowardly. And afraid to stand up for what is right."

Bree: "And the wisdom to know the difference."

Betty's House, Betty is standing at the counter, staring at the prescription bottle in her hand, crying.

Mary Alice: "Because so many of us give into despair..."

Betty puts the bottle in the kitchen drawer.

Mary Alice: "...when faced with an impossible choice."

A.A Meeting, Peter, sitting next to Bree, takes her hand. Bree smiles at him.

Mary Alice: "The good news for those who utter these words is that God will hear you and answer your prayer."

Gabrielle's House, Carlos is helping a crying Gabrielle back into the house.

Mary Alice: "The bad news is that sometimes..."

They go inside and close the door.

"...the answer is no."
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For those who don't know, that prayer is called the Serenity Prayer. It reads in it's entirety: "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." It is usually the closing statement for any kind of AA or other addicts group, but it has a powerful message to everyone. That prayer assigns responsibility to humans, with the underlying statement that we are ultimately in God's hands. The prize is when we find the wisdom to know if a situation is God-given.

Most situations in this episode clearly fall into one of the categories above: something they can change, or something they can't change. Edie rages against the hand life has dealt her. Karl's departure isn't something she can change. Is that bad for her or good for her? Considering his actions with Susan the previous week, I'd say that's good for her. Both Lynette and Ed face consequences they can change. Lynette could quit her job and stand up for what's right, and Ed could suck it up and admit his fault. Here is where God gives people a chance to make life better for themselves without his intervention. Betty, clearly tortured by the thought that she has no other recourse than to poison her son, cannot decide which category her situation falls under. Can she change things or can she not? What is truly inevitable for Caleb - confinement or death? Since death is unnecessary, perhaps her letting go would do them all the greatest good. Bree is setting herself up for failure. Although she feels her courage will help change Peter, she may find that he is something that cannot be altogether changed by her alone.

The truly difficult situation is that of Carlos and Gabrielle (which by the way, I think Eva Longoria did a fabulous job in the final scene). We readily accept the other situations in the story as the way life goes. But when things like babies being taken away happen, we quickly begin to question God's goodness. If he hears our prayers and the answer is no, what then is left for us to believe? God must not love us. We must have done something to deserve it. God must be inherently evil. Or as Mary Alice said at the beginning of the episode, "God was in the mood to be entertained." The important thing to remember about God is that he is timeless, and he knows all things. Take Edie for instance, she's devastated. She might ask how God could let this happen to her just before she's getting married? Yet, we (the all-knowing, all-seeing omnipotent viewers) understand that it's in her best interest. I'll bet God sometimes wishes he could just whisper in our ears exactly why he lets things happen to us and why they are good for us. I'm happy that someday I will be able to aks him and he'll tell me everything. But in the meantime, I must accept that his ways are mysterious to me.

So why all the mystery? Why are there things that are still not revealed and understood by the time we're 85 years old? I recently heard a speaker say something phenomenal. He said, "We all want to be smart enough, healthy enough, have balanced enough families, and be rich enough to not need God anymore." That really struck me, as I am often saying things like, "If I just had...(fill in the blank)...then life would be easier." It occurs to me that all of us have a cross to bear in life. It's just that we all carry different kinds. Perhaps God withholds his understanding from us in order to keep us close. He wants to know us and he wants us to know him. It is through adversity that he reveals his character, his gentleness and love for us. And it is during pain that we are most willing to open our eyes to see him.

Episode 19: "Don't Look at Me"

Dear DH fans,

I have to apologize for my absence lately. We have been moving and it has been NUTS!! Anyway, enough excuses. Thank you for checking back in! Now to the review for tonight's show:


"Yes, Louisa Pate knew about the power of shame. She also knew that when people have it, it's a shame not to use it."

Lynette battles whether or not to use shame to quiet Parker's curiosity about the female body. The neighbor recommends that she make Parker believe sex is dirty so that he will stop asking girls to show him their female parts. Battling the thought as she should, Lynette chooses a more creative approach. Instead, she uses his obsessive nature to distract him with something new, a puppy.
Though shame may have produced immediate results, it would ultimately be a lie that might have negative consequences later.

Inadvertently, Susan tries to shame Carl into changing his ways. She finally confronts his immaturity and cowardice after receiving advice from a man at the movies. Though she believes what she is saying to Carl, her heart is elsewhere. Wanting him to change his ways, she believes his lie and quickly falls into his snare. Tricked again. In Susan's case, the negative consequences are immediate.

Bree uses shame to keep Andrew from moving in with his grandparents. By putting gay porn videos and magazines into Andrew's moving boxes, she exposes his homosexuality in a way that brings shame to her conservative parents. Horrified, they not only leave Andrew at home, they also remove his trust fund. Though she gets what she wants now, we have yet to see the effects that her actions will have later.

Lastly, Gabrielle experiences shame, though it isn't used against her by someone else. Accidentally leaving the baby alone in the house, she experiences all of the devastating feelings that a mother feels after making a huge mistake. No words are necessary to cause a change in her behavior. This is the purest experience of shame throughout the entire show.

Shame can be good if it brings about change. However, most people don't realize that it only works if it comes from within. When one person uses it on another, it becomes a useless manipulation. Lies, trickery, and broken relationships are just a few of the devastating effects of misplaced shame.

So what is the purpose of shame? Adam and Eve experienced it firsts in the Garden of Eden. After they disobeyed God, they received the knowledge of good and evil. Shame is inherently the knowledge of evil, the understanding that one has made a mistake. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Bible clearly states that the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin, bringing us all to an understanding of our wrongs. Each person has an opportunity to respond to that conviction.

In the final scenes, Mary Alice says, "Yes, we've all made mistakes. But there is redemption if we grow and try to learn from those mistakes." Gabrielle experiences the textbook version of what God intends for our lives. To understand one's mistake and to turn away from it is what the Bible calls repentance. Instead of going off to her Yoga class, she straps the baby to her body and does her Yoga exercises at home. That is repentance brought about by conviction. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, God made provisions for people who were willing to turn from their sin. In the Garden of Eden, an animal was killed to provide clothing for Adam and Eve. In the Old Testament, sacrifices were made to remove the guilt of wrongdoing. In the New Testament, Christ died to bring about the true and final redemption of all mankind.

Just growing and learning from one's mistakes isn't enough. As in the case with Carl, a mere change in behavior is fleeting and false. Gabrielle experienced the real change. True redemption carries a hidden requirement: a change of heart that leads to repentance.

Episode 13: "There's Something About War"

"Everyone understands the nature of war. We also understand that victory depends on the cards that we have been dealt. Some, when faced with a bloody battle, simply give in."

In the poker game at the end of the show, Susan folds, Gabrielle folds, Lynette folds, and finally Edie folds. These actions describe the way they behaved in the battles before the game.

Susan folds - Keeping up the appearance of being Dr. Ron's "patient" has finally backfired enough on poor Susan. Facing surgery, Susan drops the facade. Rather than continuing to fight for him, she decides that it's better to lose him than to keep jumping through hoops to keep him.

Gabrielle folds - This is a truly wonderful episode for Carlos and Gabrielle. I absolutely loved it. The two go head to head on the issue of child-bearing. Gabby asks Carlos to choose between her and a child. Carlos asks Gabby to choose between a child and an annulment. To my sweet surprise, BOTH fold. He choses her and she admits that she has already chosen him (by way of choosing to have kids instead of get an annulment). Beautiful.

Lynette folds - Another truly fantastic episode for Lynette and Tom, Lynette gives in to her husband's desire to work again. He gets a job at her firm on his own merits, despite her attempts to thwart him. Ultimately, Tom leaves it up to her to decide his fate. She folds. Instead of fighting until she gets her way (which seems to be her style), she gives him back his freedom, his manhood, and his feeling of productivity in the family. The best part about this whole episode is her request for forgiveness at the end. It's amazing to me how badly people need to be forgiven sometimes. It just is so healing and so beautiful. After they talk, she looks down to her plate, crying, and says, "This is really good." Maybe it's the food, but I think it's the conversation.

Edie folds - In the beginning, we are told by Mary Alice that Edie knows the secret to surviving the carnage of war is total surrender. Although she manipulates Carl for a moment to herself, it's pretty clear that the moment is brief. She has won a battle, but surrendered the war.

"But for some, surrender is unacceptable. Even though they know it will be a fight to the death."

Bree and Betty go head to head over their secrets. For now they are safe. But in the very near future, this battle will take them where they don't want to go. Their son and daughter are about to start dating, and each has a wayward son with a past that is itching to be exposed. So, whose death will it be?

Life is war. We are continually waging war over something - things we want, things we need; people we love, those we despise; jobs we have, jobs we want; thoughts we think, things we forget; goals we want to achieve, failures we regret; habits we want to break, habits we want to start; physical ailments, physical fitness; social strivings, financial gain...

In the never-ending battle we call life, there is only one war we can win once and for all. It is the war for our souls. Of all the things that we fight for, it amazes me that we don't have to worry about the most important thing. Unlike the poker game in this episode, our victory depends less on the cards we've been dealt than the cards we have chosen. Isn't spending eternity with God the victory of all victories? Regardless of what cards we've been dealt (and some have been dealt some harsh ones), once we have chosen Christ, we never have to worry about our soul's fate again.

Rom. 8:35,38-39 - "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?...I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present or the future, nor any powers, neither heighth nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. "

Episode 12: "We're Gonna Be Alright"

"Illnesses can take on many forms. Those of the body are easy to treat. Those of the heart are maladies more difficult to control. We need to find that special someone who can heal us..."

I love this show! They give me so much stuff to work with! Maladies of the heart...

I come from an alcoholic background and I can attest to the fact that diseases of the body are easier to cure than those of the mind. It seems that most of the trouble is in my head anyway. In this episode, we see many variations of "illnesses" in our culture:

1. Lynette has irrational fears about Tom wanting to keep his options open if she dies.

2. Tom feels emasculated because of he isn't happy in his new job (home).

3. Gabrielle is a slave to her old ways, loving the way things have always been. She beams with excitement when Carlos punches the guy through the window.

4. Carlos battles with his attempt at a new life, and ultimately gives in to pride and weakness.

5. The Applewhites have hidden secrets, which become harder and harder to hide.

6. Susan resorts to desperate and pathetic (though quite funny) measures to secure a date. As if her life could suddenly have meaning because a man is in it.

7. Detective Barton uses his power and position to get back at Bree for his embarrassment.

8. Bree self medicates without even realizing it.

9. Dierdre's father realizes that he has spent his life for absolutely nothing meaningful. In the end, he will die alone, unhappy adn unfulfilled.

10. Zach consistently wanders around discovering new details about his life that have been hidden from him, thanks to Paul.

But really, these don't even touch on a portion of the ways we allow ourselves to become sick. It is our sinful nature that carries us to these dark places of illness, where we find our hearts much in need of someone to heal us. And the amazing thing is that we usually seem to go to God last. Shouldn't we visit the soul doctor FIRST? He created us. He knows our bodies, our minds, our weaknesses, our failings, our hopes, our dreams, and everything in between.

If we think about the items above, most of them are spiritual issues. They don't look like it at first glance, but when our greatest struggles can be cured by something eternal, it is worth a second look. What do we really need in our lives today? A feeling of importance? Joy in our work? Acceptance of change? Strength to change ourselves? Confession and cleansing, freedom from the past? Courage to stand alone? Forgiveness or to forgive others? Honesty with ourselves? Meaningful lives? Truth? All of these things are spiritually gained.

Isaiah 55:1-3a - "Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters, and you who have no money, come buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me, hear me, that your soul may live."

There's something really tempting about the offer, "that your soul may live." We spend so much time living dead lives, wallowing in sickness and grief, in maladies of the heart. Isn't it time we go try going to God FIRST? After all, that's what Christ died for...that we might have access to the Father, and be encouraged by the Holy Spirit (Counselor). He took on the sickness of the body to gain for us a cure for our hearts.

Episode 11: "One More Kiss"

"Kisses mean different things to different people. Ultimately the meaning depends on the one who does the kissing and the one who sees it happen." In this episode, three kisses are significant.

First, when Gabrielle kisses Tom, she means only to kid around and playfully repair all the insults of his youth, claiming the kiss is for all the cheerleaders that didn't kiss him when he was in high school. Tom understands it the same way and doesn't think twice about it. However, Lynette becomes extremely uncomfortable. We already know from previous episodes that Lynette is sensitive about the possibility of Tom cheating on her. So the meaning for her is steeped in fear. What if he liked it? What if he took it as an interest in her? What if...what if? After he eases her mind about Gabrielle's intentions, she realizes she has overreacted. Or has she?

The second kiss is from Lynette. Despite making up with Gabrielle, Lynette realizes that Gabrielle finds absolutely no fault in her actions. Lynette then lays a fat, juicy one on Carlos. The meaning for Lynette is to prove a point - that any kiss by another woman for any reason can have a serious impact on a man. For Gabrielle, the viewer, the meaning of the kiss brings her to compassion. She understands now how her kisses might impact both men and women in her life.

Third, the kiss between Andrew and Justin means different things to both the kisser and the viewer.
Andrew's intentions are highly questionable throughout this episode, and I keep wondering when Justin is going to figure out that he's partly being used. Andrew MAY intend the kiss for intimacy, but the way he uses it in front of his mother suggests that perhaps he intends it for something darker. Andrew's plight is for control, to get the upper hand on his mom. And his tactics prove effective. Bree flips. For her, the meaning of the kiss is a total disrespect for her values and for her kindness. She tells him that she can't control what he does outside, but that he won't be allowed to mock her values under her own roof.

So, how could this possibly relate to Christ? Actually Christ suffered at the hands of a kiss as well. He had been praying all night in the Garden of Gethsemane, knowing his crucifixion was to take place the next day. His closest disciples were near him. But one of his disciples, Judas, was on his way to betray him. Judas had agreed with the religious leaders of the day to identifyJesus by giving him a kiss. When he kissed Jesus, the meaning for Judas was ultimate betrayal. It was a condemnation to torture and death. To those watching, it was power. Power to destroy a heretic. They had previously been unable to capture Jesus, but now using someone on the inside, they would finally snare the one who called himself God. I have always wondered why Judas chose to kiss him instead of just pointing him out from behind the bushes. Why such a personal gesture, when the intent was betrayal? I wonder what it must have been like for Judas to kiss the face of God, knowing it would mean the ultimate torture and crucifixion of someone he had walked with for so long. Amazing, really...

I guess I'll never know why it happened that way, but it is a good reminder that kisses aren't always given from a place of love. Perhaps most kisses are given as Mary Alice said, out of a basic human need to connect to another human being. But there are other kisses whose meaning is much darker, even if it's not apparent to the one being kissed.

Episode 10: "Coming Home"

"The story is as old as time itself, the prodigal son returns home..."

Now this is an interesting thought: The story is as old a time itself. As I heard the words of Mary Alice, I thought to myself, "No it's not. It's as old as Jesus. After all, he was the one who told the story." But after some thought, I realized it IS as old as time itself, because it's a parable of the human condition. And really, if the parable was meant to be about the relationship of God and man, then it is most certainly a story that began with the creation of time.

So, here's a summary of the Prodigal Son parable (see full text below): The younger of two sons asks his father for his inheritance. He goes and squanders it on wild living just before a famine sets in. He begins to starve and goes to work feeding pigs (a low and disgraceful job for a Jew). He is so hungry and humiliated that he decides to go home to ask forgiveness and to work for his dad. As he approaches, the father sees him coming down the road. Instead of being angry or taking revenge, the father runs to him, embracing him before the son can even speak. The son apologizes, saying he isn't worthy to be called a son anymore. The father interrupts him before he can ask for a job and restores him to his previous position. He then throws a big party in his honor. The older son catches wind of all this and is very angry. When he confronts his father, the father says, "...We had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."

On Wysteria Lane, Zack and Paul are reunited. Though this story line isn't developed much along the prodigal son strain, we know that Mike isn't willing to give up on Zack. Like the father in the parable, Mike will wait.

Susan and her dad try to reconcile their relationship - or at least form one. He resists at first and tries to scare her off. She persists. His wife warns Susan, "He'll break your heart," and she finally lets him go. But in the end, he comes back to Susan and let's her know he's willing to try to have a relationship. In this story line, Susan's dad is the prodigal. His actions line up directly with those of the prodigal son - he wants his own way, he likes his indulgences, he breaks his father's (Susan's) heart, and after he is set free, he thinks twice about the value of the relationship. And she...accepts him back.

The story of Bree and Andrew is a little darker. Andrew is more like the prodigal son because he has malice in his heart. We know that somewhere down the road he will use the information his mother disclosed to destroy her. Since most of us don't come from a Middle Eastern background, we can't comprehend the level of insult implied in the prodigal son's request. It's not equivalent to a modern-day youth asking for his college fund money to go party. The inheritance was only given at DEATH, which means that the son was saying his father as worth as much alive as dead. The focus was on the money, not the relationship. This level of hatred brought severe shame upon his father, and the fact that the father granted his request would have been shocking to the Jewish hearers of the day. The son should have been disowned for his disrespect.

The only thing more appalling to the Jewish folks captivated by Jesus' parable would be the ending to the story. Rather than taking revenge on the hateful son, the father sees his repentant heart and restores him to sonship. Would you be disappointed if Bree reacted to Andrew's malevolence like the father in the parable? Or would you be happy for Andrew if after obliterating Bree's heart, he is restored? The Father understands the value of relationship over the spiteful hatred of a wayward youth and prideful arrogance.

In it's own way, Lynette's storyline mirrors the prodigal son parable because the she fights for her estranged child. Although the baby committed no wrong, they are still separated and Lynette will do anything in her power to reunite that relationship. This kind of desperation is shown in the parable by the father running to his son. Again, we can't appreciate this. What's so dramatic about running? According to Jewish custom at the time, running was completely indignified. To raise up one's clothing, to show one's legs, to run...humiliating. Absolutely humiliating - but the father was more concerned about the relationship.

At the end of the episode, Mary Alice comments something to the effect of "It's all about family." I don't have a transcript yet. But, it is, isn't it? How much more valuable is our relationship with God than our rebellious hearts? How much more important are we to God than all of our mistakes combined? It seems that God understands this concept, but we tend to miss it. We want to say that we aren't good enough to be forgiven. We want to earn our keep, like the prodigal son. We value the temporal blessings God gives over the eternal relationship that fills our souls. How do we miss the messages of this story?

I challenge you to read the text below. It's from the Bible, NIV version. The passage is Luke 15:11-32, the story of the Prodigal Son. Even if you think you know it, reread it with new eyes. Try to find something you missed. Think about your own heart and the heart of God toward you. Here it is...

There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, "Father, give me my share of the estate." So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.
After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. When he came to his senses, he said, "How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men."

So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son." But the father said to his servants, "Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." So they began to celebrate.

Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. "Your brother has come," he replied, "and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound." The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, "Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!" "My son," the father said, "you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." (Luke 15:11-32)

At the end, Mary Alice's comments: "The story always ends the same - in the tender embrace of a loving father."