BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE             Listen to Sample

Theme: Trust; friendship.
Episode Number: 349
Writer: April Dammann and Marshal Younger
Scripture: Proverbs 12:19
Album: # 27: The Search For Whit
Last Air Date: 08/11/2004
Original Air Date: 3/23/96
Summary:

Brenda is busy writing a letter to her pen pal, Thor-Douglas. Only, it’s no ordinary letter. This note is filled with all sorts of colorful things like how busy Brenda is, how brilliant and accomplished she is, and what a bright and rosy future she has. In other words, it’s a big exaggeration. Her friend Sean points this out to her. Brenda explains that Thor-Douglas is so accomplished, handsome, and athletic that she pales by comparison. She has to stretch the truth a little to keep him interested in her. Sean notices that stretching the truth includes Brenda inserting an air-brushed and doctored photo of herself in with the letter. Sean tells Brenda she is foolish and remarks that the amazing Thor-Douglas is probably just a regular guy.

Brenda soon decides that her letters shouldn’t be an exaggeration, so she decides to become the person she writes about in her letters. Unfortunately, she discovers this is a lot easier said than done. After nearly killing herself on the tennis court, she decides enough is enough. Why keep up all the lies? She reasons that, after all, Thor-Douglas is just a pen pal. It’s not like she’ll ever meet him face to face.

Brenda heads over to Whit’s End for a cool drink, and Sean meets her at the door. He tells her Thor-Douglas is inside! Brenda decides to rush to the nearest beauty parlor to have herself made up like the glamour photo. But before she can, the door to the beauty parlor opens. Thor-Douglas walks inside. He is putting up posters to publicize a tennis tournament he’s playing in.

Brenda is humiliated. Thor-Douglas has seen her looking so plain! But as they talk, Thor-Douglas says he likes Brenda the way she is. He asks where he can put up more posters. Brenda tells him to go back to Whit’s End, where he just was. But Thor-Douglas says he hasn’t been to Whit’s End. Something strange is going on, and a little while later at Whit’s End, Brenda discovers what it is. Thor-Douglas is really, twins! One is named Thor, and the other is named Douglas. In their letters, they combined themselves to impress Brenda, the same way Brenda stretched the truth about herself to impress them. Everyone apologizes and finds that it’s much better to be who you are.