Touched by an Angel

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Episode 420: “How Do You Spell Faith?”

Episode 420: “How Do You Spell Faith?”
Original Air Date: March 29, 1998
Written by: Michael Glassberg
Directed by: Bethany Rooney
Produced by:

Martha Williamson
Jon Andersen
R.J. Visciglia, Jr.

Guest Cast:
Aaron  Noah Fleiss 
Mary Bess Armstrong
Michael  Jesse Raynes 
Coach Higby  Gregg Daniel

Monica and Tess arrive in the life of a single mother, Mary, to help her reconcile her relationship with her son, Aaron.  Herself a former athlete, Mary relates to her eldest son, Michael, who is the star wrestler of Olympus High School.  Aaron, on the contrary, is more cerebral and spends the majority of his time spelling out words to hide the pain he feels for not having a father and not being closer to his mother.  While the entire school supports Michael’s wresting efforts, Aaron is ignored by virtually everyone except his brother, who has become something of a father to him.

When Tess encourages Aaron to take the test to qualify for the Midwest Regional Spelling Bee, Aaron reluctantly agrees and Michael is quick to support him.  When Michael is killed on route to a wrestling competition, Mary is less able to relate to Aaron and her distance causes him to leave home in search of his father.  Following the address on letters from his father that were given to him by Michael, Aaron goes to Minnesota.  Once there, Aaron meets Andrew who is acting as a cab driver.  When Andrew and Aaron arrive at his father’s address, they find only an empty parking lot.

Looking closely at the postmarks on the letters Michael had given him, Aaron realizes that his brother had been sending him the letters and that his father doesn’t really care about him.  Andrew convinces Aaron to return to his mother but they are still separated by their different personalities.  Tess tells Mary that although she and Aaron have differing abilities, what he needs is her love.  Mary tries to tell Aaron how proud she is of him but Aaron is still unwilling to open up to his mother.  Andrew reveals himself to Aaron and tries to make him understand how much his mother loves him.  Andrew encourages Aaron to turn to God who will never desert him like his father did.  Finally understanding how much he is loved, Aaron reconciles with his mother and showcases his spelling talent by winning the Midwest Regional Spelling Bee. (JU)

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