Touched by an Angel

Tess:
You don't hit bottom... you hit God.

Tess:
Jogging is just walking fast enough to be uncomfortable.

Tess:
[Adam is attempting to play the piano, but isn't doing well] Where did you learn to play?

Adam:
Funerals.

Tess:
Adam, I got a job for you.

[Stands up and shows Adam a turkey wandering nearby]

Tess:
See that turkey over there?

Adam:
Alexander?

Tess:
What did I tell you; don't go getting sentimental on me. That's Thanksgiving dinner walking away right there.

Adam:
[realizes Tess wants him to kill the bird since he's the Angel of Death] Oh, nooo...

Tess:
Send him to his Reward and do it quickly.

Adam:
Come on, Tess, not me...

Tess:
Who else? If anyone should know when his time is up, it's you.

Adam:
A friend dropped me off. But, uh, tell you what; I have had experience with, uh, things that cease to function, so, I could take a look at your cars for you.

Adam:
Behold, the noble turkey. You do realize that Benjamin Franklin actually proposed the turkey as the national bird.

Tess:
Ben was a nosy motormouth who didn't have sense enough to come out of the rain.

Monica:
We thank you, Lord, for this Thanksgiving meal. And we thank You for all the gifts that we take for grated every day. For pumpkins, and llamas. For stars, and for snow.

Adam:
What is in the stuffing?

Tess:
Oh, that's an old recipe that I got a little while back.

Susana:
Adam, I still don't know what you do for a living.

Adam:
Oh. Um, well, I'm in, um... uh, transportation.

Susana:
[a survey question from a lotto machine] If you had to spend the rest of your life on a desert island, who would you spend it with?

Adam:
A boat-builder.

Tess:
Adam - do you take requests?

Adam:
Absolutely.

Tess:
Stop Playing.

Monica:
Tess... would you sing somethin' for me?

Tess:
I'm tired.

Monica:
Oh, please. My soul misses it so.

Megan:
He wasn't supposed to be married; he's supposed to be with me. God's made a mistake.

Monica:
No. When things become this ugly and this painful, God has nothing to do with them.

Monica:
Megan, when you cry, God cries with you. But He can't wipe away your tears unless you let Him.

Monica:
The only thing I know is that the kind of love worth waiting for you won't have to lie for, or steal, or keep it - hidden in a box to visit on weekends.

Tess:
I am an angel. Sent by God. Now you can accept that or not. But what you will accept when I'm finished, is the concept of fidelity, lock, stock, and barrel. Do I make myself clear? [he's too shocked to speak] I'll take that as a yes.

Megan:
Will I ever see you again?

Monica:
[Shakes her head] But I promise ya this. I'll dance at your wedding, my girl.

Tess:
[to Adam of Jack] Get him to tell you his theory on the Male Syndrome Death thing. Might be an education for you.

[last lines]

Monica:
I'm really thankful for you, ya know, Tess.

Tess:
[putting an arm around her shoulders] Well, thankful is as thankful does, Miss Wings; I simply adore you. I adore you so much.

Tess:
Stay away from a thing called junk food. And stay away from coffee. I've got enough trouble with another angel already. She's on vacation picking coffee beans. Miss Wings cannot get enough of that double mocha latte.

Tess:
O blessed Lord, give me patience and give this child some rhythm.

Celeste:
Is it true if one breaks off another one'll just grow right back?

Tess:
The fingernails, yes. The fingers, no.

Celeste:
Why do people care about magic, when God creates miracles?

Tess:
Eric loves illusions. It keeps him from having to face the truth.

Eric Weiss:
Well, Celeste, do you mind if we decompose your subatomic particles and rearrange them in the time-and-space continuum?

Celeste:
You mean make me disappear? I think I might like that... [the audience, including Tess, laughs]

Andrew:
I'm "Andy". Andy, the Agent of Death. Listen, one week with that guy and I wish he'd fire *me*.

Andrew:
And now I've got five minutes to find someone... to find someone who looks good in tights.

Tess:
Well, don't look at me. But I think I know someone. [he laughs]

Monica:
Aush, you know that nothing's ever really lost.

Tess:
God knows where he is but, He isn't tellin' me.

Monica:
I didn't even think you liked that wee mutt.

Tess:
He's not a mutt. He's a special blend like this coffee you drink.

Eric Weiss:
[to Monica] Never change the act without my permission.

Celeste:
[of people] Monica, how long does it take to understand them?

Monica:
Maybe an eternity.

Monica:
You know, Heaven can be very heavenly, but helping people - can be just as wonderful in a different way.

Tess:
That's what happens when people have secrets. They end up being haunted by the truth. And it won't go away until they face it.

Eric Weiss:
I've waited my whole life for this moment. Or maybe it's been waiting for me. The moment of truth.

Celeste:
I wanna help Eric. What should I do?

Monica:
Pray.

Tess:
God wants Eric to choose life, and no one can do that for him, not even God Himself.

Celeste:
[lights up] Hey, would ya look at that. I must've said somethin' good.

Monica:
Not only good, but truthful.

Monica:
You cover your eyes and you think that no one will see you - no one will find you. But God has never lost you.

Monica:
You see, that's the thing, with secrets and lies. They're illusions that grow bigger and bigger until you can't see the truth anymore.

Monica:
You have spent your whole life trying to cheat death, and instead you have cheated life because you were too afraid to really live it.

Monica:
You started hiding a long time ago. Isn't it time you started to seek?

Tess:
[exasperated after a run-in with an irate customer] Lord, just give me 5 minutes with that man. That's all I need, just 5 minutes!

Monica:
Oh, a field trip? That's lovely. I've seen lots of really beautiful fields.

Monica:
God doesn't need science to explain Himself.

Sandy Latham:
I don't believe in God.

Tess:
Well, that's too bad because He believes in you.

Tess:
It's quite a world out there. Disposable careers, disposable wives... Disposable faith.

Tess:
Sometimes the things that you think will never happen do.

Audrey:
Scott, when you look at all of the wonderful things in this life, your beautiful son, and all of the love and miracles in your life, don't you ever find yourself wanting to thank Someone for it?

Scott:
I'm sorry Audrey, I don't.

Corneilia:
This is for you. It's a letter from Petey. He wrote it before he died. He said to give it to you if you ever got married.

Audrey:
[reading] Dear Mom, If you're reading this you must be getting married. I knew you would someday, at least I hoped you would. I know the angels are coming for me soon so I'd better say this now. I hope he's great, I hope you are the most important thing in his life, and he makes you feel like singing. But you'll always be my sunshine. I hope we can all be together someday, and tell him I'll be up in Heaven waiting. Love Petey.

Corneilia:
How can Petey ever meet Scott up in Heaven if Scott doesn't even believe there IS one?

Audrey:
Oh God!

Corneilia:
I'm sorry, Mrs. Carmichael!

Alex Wilson:
Shut up, lady! You don't know what you're talking about!

Monica:
Yes, I do! I absolutely do!

Monica:
[starts glowing]

Alex Wilson:
What's going on here?

Monica:
God has sent me as an answer to a prayer.

Alex Wilson:
What? I didn't say no prayer or nothing!

Monica:
It's not your prayer. It's Henry's prayer.

Alex Wilson:
What?

Monica:
I am an angel, Alex. A messenger sent by God, and an answer to Henry's prayer.

[first lines]

Sam:
Well, this may not be the most famous building in Washington, D.C. But it might just be the most important.

Tess:
I dunno, Sam. There's a whole lot o'them and just one of me.

Sam:
And here I thought you loved children.

Tess:
I do love children; I'm an angel, that's what I do, but actually talking to them and things... Gettin' 'em to listen and stop 'em from runnin' around and fidgeting and, asking question after question after question...

Sam:
Tess. Tess.

Tess:
What?

Sam:
When children stop asking questions, that's when you've got a problem.

Principal:
Anyone not in their seat in five seconds is gonna spend the day with me in the principal's office.

Tess:
[the kids scramble to their desks] How'd she do that? [Sam chuckles]

John Wilkes Booth:
What state are you from?

Andrew:
I like to think that I am from the State of Grace.

Andrew:
God never made anyone a slave. People made people slaves. And slavery, sir, is an abomination.

John Wilkes Booth:
I'm a gentlemen; we can agree to disagree, right?

Andrew:
Yes.

John Wilkes Booth:
You can go your way, I can go mine, right?

Andrew:
Yes.

John Wilkes Booth:
So why can't the states do the same; if the South can't agree with the North, why can't we all just be gentlemen, and call it a day?

Andrew:
Because if every disagreement dissolved the union there would be no marriage. There would be no friendship. There would be, no contracts... no country. There would be nothing but anarchy. And that is where tyrants come from, sir.

Sam:
Well, sooner or later the hatred in a man's heart, finds its way into his words, then to his hands. Until he finally becomes a creator of evil itself.

Monica:
The dream didn't begin in your mind, sir. It comes from the mind of God.

Abraham Lincoln:
And what are you, another one of, uh, Mary's spiritualists?

Monica:
No. Spiritualists seek messages from a - mysterious beyond. I deliver messages from God, Who is neither mysterious nor beyond but with us here, now, in this room.

Abraham Lincoln:
[of his dream] There seemed to be a, deathlike stillness all about me. And then I - I heard sobs, very subdued sobbing. So I... got up out of bed and I wandered downstairs. Until I arrived at the East Room. And there I met a... rather unpleasant surprise. Before me rested a corpse, in funeral vestments. And around it were soldiers and a throng of people were weeping, bitterly. "Who is dead in the White House?" I demanded of one of the soldiers. "The President," was his answer. "He was killed by an assassin."

Monica:
I believe your faith in God a long time ago prepared you to leave this world and meet your Creator. But until that day comes, God wants to reward your faithfulness by giving you some new measure of peace, now.

John Wilkes Booth:
[to Andrew] I believe that you are an interloper. What we refer to in the theatre as "the mysterious stranger" who enters to complicate the plot.

Sam:
Hello, Mr. President. God is with you. And He's sent His angel to be with you, until He calls ya home.

Monica:
I-I cannot see into the future. Only God, Who loves you very much, and do that. But He wants you to know this about your dream. That no matter what happens, what matters most is that in your dream, you were walkin' the halls off the White House. And that for generations to come, children and presidents, citizens and legislators, average Amerians and world leaders will - walk these same hals, and listen for the echo of your footsteps, hoping to hear one distant reassuring sound of honesty, and goodness, and genuine sacrifice. For the people of this country, and the centuries to come, will not simply honor your memory, sir. They will need it. They will cling to it in the days when the real heroes are hard to find. When the little boys and little girls wonder if there was a time when principles mattered more than politics. When parents need an example of courage to point to. They will need you - the men and women of every race and religion who continue the struggle that you began. Who will fight for freedom and fairness, who will even sacrifice their own lives: the fighters, and the dreamers, who will follow you to the mountaintop.

John Wilkes Booth:
A hundred years from now when the schoolchildren are reading about the heroes of the South, right next to Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee will be the names John Wilkes Booth and David Harold!

Calvin:
[quoting Booth] What was the bitter end like?

Tess:
Are you sure you wanna know? It might change your career plans.

Tess:
One man pulled the trigger, and broke every heart in America.

Sam:
All the lives that were lost during the Civil War, the hundreds of thousands, on both sides, broke God's heart. And if Abraham Lincoln dies tonight, then God will weep again. Now you know He's perfectly capable of sending an angel to remove the gun from the hand of a murderer. He could lift the weapon from the hands of every soldier. He could take the - angry words out of the mouths of every hateful person on Earth. He could do this. But He doesn't. God could change the course of history every day. But that wouldd mean, that there'd be no freedom left in this world. And the last thing Mr. Lincoln would ever want would be to live at the cost of freedom.

John Wilkes Booth:
It's amazing. The light from the fire. It, *illuminates* you. You like some sort of - *avenging angel*. It's quite theatrical, actually.

Andrew:
I am an angel, John. Sent by God.

John Wilkes Booth:
No doubt God wishes to congratulate me.

Andrew:
What you have done was not ordained by God; what you have done, is murder a human being in cold blood. And yet by the grace of that same God there is still time for you to trade that - shame, for mercy.

Mary Todd Lincoln:
The only man who uses his hat as a writin' desk.

John Wilkes Booth:
You have avenged nothing. You have achieved nothing, except for the wrath of God. And even now God offers you a choice. You can choose - forgiveness, and peace. Or separation from Him, forever.

Andrew:
There's still time, John. You don't have to die alone.

John Wilkes Booth:
...I can't.

Soldier:
Can't what?

John Wilkes Booth:
My hands.

Soldier:
What?

John Wilkes Booth:
Put them in front of my face.

Soldier:
Why?

John Wilkes Booth:
...Please.

Soldier:
Get his hands over them.

John Wilkes Booth:
[the soldiers move his arms so he is now in a position to pray]... Useless. Useless.

Soldier:
What's useless?

Andrew:
No. John - it's never useless to pray but the time is now, before... [Booth is dead] Before it's too late.

Sam:
A heart can change in an instant. And each heart must be given that chance, but... some hearts, well - sometimes a heart is already dead long before the man dies.

Andrew:
It's over?

Sam:
For him, yes. But there's still something left to be done. But that requires a different *kind* of angel. [glances aside; Andrew follows his gaze to Lincoln] I know it usually happens right away, but - the Father had a purpose. And he has new work for *you*, Andrew.

Andrew:
An Angel of Death? [Sam pats his shoulder and smiles] I'd be honored... Hello, Abraham. My name's Andrew.

Calvin:
So did John Wilkes Booth go to Hell?

Tess:
Well, he had to make a decision. And he decided to separate himself from God. And that's about the worst Hell you can imagine. Lot of angry people do that.

Tess:
Where would this country be if the children stopped thinking of how to make it a better place to live?

Tess:
God can make a hero out of you, if you let Him.

[last lines]

Calvin:
My name is Calvin. I'm the fiftieth president of the United States.

Monica:
You went over the fence, did ya, Leonard? [He barks] Well, I know there are rabbits, but - you'll just have to invite them over here next time, OK?

Monica:
Actually, I came to apply for the dog-training job.

Penny Russell:
Oh, uh... I-I just put up the sign.

Monica:
Oh, great, so the job's still open, is it?

Whit Russell:
I'm always around.

Tess:
Funny - so am I.

Tess:
Not much firm in this life.

Whit Russell:
Toasted bun, lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, ketchup.

Tess:
Hamburger with the works, just the way God intended.

Monica:
[trying to train a stubborn dog] Leonard, could you help me out here? [he barks; the other dog sits]

Tess:
We've probably got some good old days in common.

Andrew:
I'm, uh, lookin' forward to getting to know you.

Michael Russell:
You better hurry.

Andrew:
Oh, I bet we have more time together than you think.

Tess:
Never say never, baby.

Whit Russell:
My kiln takes hours to heat up.

Monica:
Oh. Well, mine doesn't.

Whit Russell:
Why are you always so cheerful?

Andrew:
I, guess it's the line of work I'm in.

Michael Russell:
[Monica and Andrew reveal themselves] Did I just die?

Whit Russell:
What kinda angels are you?

Monica:
The old-fashioned kind.

Andrew:
Angels don't tell you what you should have done. We're here to tell you that God loves you. And that He wants you to deal with what you can, right now. Because now... is all you can change.

Monica:
Isn't it odd how people every day pray over the tiniest things - the weather, a green light, a baseball game? Things you can't even change. But how come no one remembers to pray when faced with a decision? When you have to make a difficult choice, don't you think God would like to help you make it?

Whit Russell:
I think I knew which angel you are. What's it like? You know... there?

Andrew:
It is more beautiful than you could ever imagine.

Whit Russell:
Maybe that's why it's been so hard... to believe in.

Tess:
You remember that man who lived around here about two, three-hundred years ag, got lost in a blizzardo

Monica:
Yes. Yes, I do. I led 'im to a cave.

Tess:
He spent that winter ice-fishing and concocting stories to tell to his tribe when he got back home.

Monica:
I remember. He told them later that it was the most wonderful season of his life. He said that he had met himself that year.

Tess:
Hm... People too busy to meet themselves anymore. Everybody's faxing and modeming and onlining and imputing and downloading and overnighting... You don't like it? Change the channel. Push the button. Escape. Delete. You know, you can say anything to anybody, anywhere in the world, in seconds. But it still takes as much time as it ever took to know a soul... mend a broken heart, or... give birth to a child. In this world of change, some things just don't. And children like her - they get lost in the in-between.

Monica:
I've never seen it from this side before. Oh, isn't it somethin'.

Doctor:
How long you been workin' on OB? I've never seen *you* around before.

Monica:
I've been workin' upstairs.

Cassie Peters:
She's really into music.

Craig:
Yeah?

Monica:
Well, I used to be in a choir.

Tess:
I'll transfer. Back to, Revelations and Annunciations. At least there what I said was taken seriously.

Cassie Peters:
[of the car seat that appeared in the trunk the second time] Where did that come from?

Monica:
Oh, my friend. She likes to be prepared.

Tess:
Well, taking people home to their reward can wear a soul down. Especially if you feel misunderstood.

Cassie Peters:
How do you know that?

Monica:
Because I'm an angel.

Cassie Peters:
you mean... like a psychic or something?

Tess:
I wasn't created yesterday, you know.

[last lines]

Monica:
I made the pawnbroker an offer he couldn't refuse.

Tess:
O, Lord, here it comes.

Monica:
I took care of his siattica. Is that wrong, Tess?

Monica:
Father, why will you not help me with this child? [Monica laughs]

Monica:
I wish I could say it was nice to see you.

Kathleen:
[laughing] But you cannot tell a lie. I remember the rules.

Kathleen:
We're not that different, you and I.

Monica:
Yes, we are, Kathleen. I love God. You turned your back on Him.

Kathleen:
Awww... So you're still mad about that?

Monica:
Maybe they're gonna give me a new human form, or transfer me to Acts of God, hm?

Monica:
[of her jobs] My favorite one was delivering the baby.

Tess:
You know you're buckin' for the Angel of Annoyance award.

Tess:
Ruth had her own special kind of pet angel. Like I have with Monica. [Andrew raises his eyebrows] A-and you too, baby.

Monica:
When I get nervous I drink coffee and when I drink coffee I get nervous.

Monica:
I must say, sometimes I don't know how I get through the day without a cup.

Monica:
I take everything quite seriously. It's my best and worst quality, I suppose.

Jodi:
It's a long story.

Monica:
Those are my favorite kind.

Tess:
I get caught up sometimes. Maybe I've been too hard on her.

Andrew:
[wryly amused] That's right; she has been.

Tess:
[nudging] Please, don't help.

Monica:
I do this all the time. I mean, helping people with their problems, that's what I do.

Monica:
Helping people through their dark times is my favorite thing. If I do say so myself. I'm pretty good at it. It's my greatest joy.

Tess:
Frightened people often hide behind anger.

Tess:
Nothing is ever over and God is never finished. Humans see to that.

Tess:
People cannot always see the ripples before they cast the stone into the universe.

Tess:
[to the dog] I guess now I have time for you. The hobby that's supposed to relax me.

Tess:
[to the dog] And don't go gettin' in that pound again; I'm not bailin' you out anymore.

Luke Brewer:
[of Daniel's confirmation day letter to him] It said that life can be hard. And when it gets hard you're gonna forget everything about it that's beautiful. But if you believe in yourself, and you believe in your family, and you believe in God, everything will be all right.

Tess:
You know, the secrets of these casseroles is to eat 'em, honey.

Tess:
God has not left you alone in this. And He doesn't want you judging yourself or anybody else. He wants you to do what you've been doing. Be His child. Let Him comfort you. Nobody can comfort You better than He can right now.

Churchgoer:
That was quite a sermon for a non-preacher

Andrew:
Well, thank you. Thanks; I didn't have a lot of time to prepare, but - it came from the heart.

Tess:
[to Andrew then Monica] You better go tend the flock, while you go find the shepherd.

Monica:
[causes the basketball to stop just above the hoop to speak to Daniel] I believe this is what you'd call a time out.

Monica:
No one is blaming you for the choice that ya made. But you have to accept responsibility for making it because only then can you fully receive the forgiveness your heart needs to heal.

Monica:
You failed, and you're human. Just because you're a man of faith doesn't mean you won't make mistakes. It means that when no one will understand why you made them, you know that God will. And it means that when no one can forgive you, you know that God can.

Pastor Daniel Brewer:
He was doing his best to help a friend. Thank you for that, son. I promise you I'll... spend the rest of my life trying to live up to your example.

Tess:
Thirty-two cents to send a piece of paper from here to there. Ben told me this would happen but I didn't believe him.

Monica:
Ben?

Tess:
My good old friend Ben Franklin. I helped him start the post office a couple centuries ago.

Monica:
You told me he was a nosy motormouth.

Tess:
Well, most of my best friends are motormouths if you get my meaning.

Tess:
Nobody's communicating anymore. They're just wasting trees.

Monica:
[reading mail for her] I'm a winner already!

Tess:
Yes, you are, baby, and neither rain nor sleet nor snow will keep you from your appointed assignment.

Monica:
"Dead letters"? How can a letter die?

Miss Raphael:
They sent you down from Central?

Monica:
You could say that, yes.

Monica:
I'm afraid of the water.

Tess:
Say that again?

Monica:
I never had to work near lakes and oceans. I always asked to be excused from those and I was. Bad memories of the Flood, I guess.

Tess:
This is ridiculous! What is the first thing an angel says? "Fear not. Be not afraid. Except for large bodies of water." Is that it?

Monica:
I know there's nothing to be afraid of. I know it doesn't make any sense.

Tess:
Well, actually, it makes good sense now. The thing you're terrified of is something she loves.

Monica:
Who?

Tess:
Your next assignment, Angela Evans. She's fighting a terrible fear. The kind that comes in the night and whispers in your ear 'til dawn and then sends you running to the sea just to get the voices to quit for a little while. But Angela's voices won't quit. Not until her own voice drowns them out.

Tess:
People only carry on in the dark when they don't want you to see what they're doing.

Angela Evans:
You saved me. Are you...?

Monica:
I am an angel.

Angela Evans:
Like... Like a real angel? Sent by...?

Monica:
Sent by God.

Angela Evans:
I knew there was something about you. Something so strong. Something so fearless. Something... Something I wanted to be.

[Starts to cry]

Monica:
Shh... Look at me. Look at me, Angela. You are strong. You had the courage to make a sacrifice to save someone that you love. And you taught me a lesson today. That love erases fear. For when I saw you out there, I would've dived into the deepest ocean to bring you back.

Angela Evans:
It might not have been such a good idea.

Monica:
You made the choice, Angela. You want to live. You just don't want to live like this.

Angela Evans:
But I can't change the past... Can you?

Monica:
[Shakes her head] But all you need to know about the past is that no matter what has happened, it has all worked together to bring you to this very moment. And it is this moment, right now, that you can choose to make everything new.

Angela Evans:
You know something about... almost dying?

Monica:
No. actually, I don't.

Angela Evans:
All of a sudden, there's not a whole lot more to be afraid of.

Tess:
Well, we all have our little idiosyncrasies, don't we? You don't like water and I'm not much on patience.

Angela Evans:
Well, we need volunteers.

Monica:
And I need to be needed.

Angela Evans:
I love your accent. You must be from the old country, huh?

Monica:
[Chuckles] Yes. Very, very old.

Adam:
Hey, I think I'm a little out of my element here, don't you?

Monica:
I need an escort.

Adam:
What you need is straps, that's what you need.

Monica:
[laughing] Where's your faith, my friend?

Adam:
Just don't make any sudden moves, Monica.

Monica:
Ohh, the Angel of Death has approved. Why, I'm learnin' a lot in this new job.

Monica:
Whatever it is, you can trust me.

Angela Evans:
Funny, but... I think that I can.

Tess:
Sometimes we're afraid of what we can't control.

Monica:
I wish I could make that decision for her.

Tess:
That's not what love is.

Monica:
I've never had a friend before.

Tess:
Who am I, chopped liver?

Monica:
You know what I mean. The more I get to know about human beings, the more I get to know about myself.

Tess:
Well, while you're learning about human beings, I wish you'd learn to make a good cup of coffee.

Adam:
Damn, I hate suicides. Hardest part of my job.

Monica:
You know, Tess, sometimes you can be really pushy.

Tess:
That's what friends are for.

[first lines]

Monica:
[at a stained-glass window] Don't you just love the way the sun pours through?

Tess:
But they got the nose all wrong.

Tess:
People have been painting pictures and writing songs and making movies about Heaven and all, ever since they could breathe. And they never come close.

Monica:
Now Serena's music - that comes pretty close to the real thing.

Tess:
Yeah she and Johann Sebastian have a lot in common. You give them a little glimpse of Heaven and they're off and singin'. But some people, you coan put Heaven right smack dab in front of 'em...

Wayne:
[as they're watching him] Joey...

Tess:
And they still can't see anything to sing about.

Tess:
We're from the Seraphim Organ Service.

Edna:
We didn't call any service. You should talk with the pastor. Deacon Jamison, did Pastor Mike mention anything to you about organ service?

Deacon Jamison:
Mm-mm.

Tess:
But this is covered by a service agreement.

Edna:
[chuckling] But this organ's a hundred years old.

Tess:
Ah, but it was a lifetime guarantee.

Edna:
Shepherds, back to the field; wise men, places.

Tess:
Uh - the shepherds were over here and the wise men were over there.

Edna:
...Back - to the altar.

Tess:
No, they were to the west of the manger, and Balthazar was in the front.

Wiseman:
Say what?

Edna:
There was Balthazar, there was Melchia, and there was Gasper. And the shepherds were just sort of - cowering, right about here.

Edna:
Is this from your imagination or from memory?

Tess:
[Chuckles] Honey, you'd be surprised what I can remember.

Tess:
The only light in that little boy's life is his friend. But light is a powerful thing, baby. And the light from that little girl is gonna reach into all the dark corners of Joey's life. It's gonna strengthen his faith. It's going to illuminate his brother's soul. That light has got to shine brighter than it's ever shone before. Before it goes out.

Tess:
You see that big red boat over there? That's my car. And not everybody gets a chance to ride in that.

Monica:
It's hard sometimes, Tess. Knowing the what but not always knowing the why. Knowing, more than human beings, and less than God.

Joey:
[calling into the house] Wayne, I'm home; don't pick me up.

Monica:
I have it on very good authority that angels don't normally carry dolls.

Edna:
Are you sure you've done this before?

Tess:
Oh, it's gonna be just like bein' there.

Serena:
[of Mr. Beans] He's older than I am.

Serena:
An angel keeps her promises, doesn't she?

Monica:
Always.

Monica:
In the end, it will sound, uh... It'll sound better.

Joey:
I'm mad at my mind. [to it] You forgot to tell me to get glue.

Adam:
You know, I'm glad... you two are here.

Monica:
We thought she'd appreciate a familiar face or two.

Adam:
It's gonna be a beautiful trip, sweetheart. You won't feel any more pain. [Serena smiles] Yes, that's right. There's gonna be some tough times between now and then, but your angels are here with you, now. You will not be alone.

Joey:
Dear... God, This is Joey. M-my heart wants to tell you something. Please, please don't let Serena go into the dark. 'Cause if she goes to Heaven... who's gonna love me? Please help. Love, Joey.

Monica:
When I get angry, I ask God for patience.

Wayne:
What did God ever do for me? He gave me a brother like Joey, and then took my parents. So I'm stuck with him. Ask God for patience, huh? It was God Who did this to me.

Monica:
That's not how God works.

Tess:
When life keeps you in the dark, baby, that's when you start looking at the stars.

Monica:
Responsibility is a privilege.

Wayne:
Ya know, when I was a kid, I used to pray for a little brother. And when I finally got one... well. Every mornin', I'd wake up expectin' a miracle. Hopin' I'd walk through the door and he'd be at the breakfast table, all fixed, fine. But a miracle never happened. So I stopped believin' in 'em.

Monica:
He's losing Serena and he knows that. A-and when he loses her, he's gonna lose the faith that has kept him going.

Wayne:
You're talkin' to the wrong man. I've got no faith left.

Monica:
You help Joey find his and I promise you you'll find yours.

Monica:
You've already been through the darkest place you can imagine. Now it's time to - start lookin' for the stars.

Monica:
Two boys, four angels.

Andrew:
I've seen it take as many as six, seven angels.

Tess:
Yeah, but it only takes one God, 'cause He's the one that's got the plan.

Andrew:
I'm - doing some fix-up work around here for the, uh, landlord.

Mrs. Taggert:
Huh! *That* must've took an act of God.

Andrew:
I couldn't say.

Tess:
My name is Tess. This is my gym.

Tim:
Well, who's Gronsky?

Tess:
There is no Gronsky, but it sounds good, doesn't it?

Andrew:
Everything has a name. You just don't know what his is yet.

Andrew:
Hey, ya know, there's nothing wrong with wearing something that somebody else has worn before. Except for the underwear. If I were you, I'd stay away from the underwear.

Kenny:
You bein' disrespectful to my little brother?

Tim:
What do you care; you hate 'im anyway.

Tim:
Did you steal those?

Andrew:
No. I just haven't, uh... plugged in the refrigerator yet.

Tim:
Man, you are so weird.

Andrew:
Thank you.

Andrew:
Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest boxers of all time. No question about it. But when it came to the most important fight of his entire life, he never raised a hand to anybody.

Tim:
You mean he lost?

Andrew:
Nah. He won. Just not in the way you think. You see, Ali was asked to fight in a war. And he believed that God didn't want him to kill another man. So he fought for what he believed in. And he was even willing to go to jail for it, if he had to.

Tim:
Well, what happened?

Andrew:
They took away his heavyweight title.

Tim:
No.

Andrew:
Yeah. They took away the one thing he had fought all his life for, but they couldn't take away the thing that was most important to him. So if you wanna be like Muhammad Ali then maybe, you oughta start findin' out what's important to you.

Frank:
I'm just a guy, ya know... I did not ask for this. I just wanted to help out a little and look what I got.

Monica:
Yes. You got a chance to be a man.

Tim:
I hate everybody and everybody hates me!

Andrew:
That's not true. That's not true; somebody loves you.

Tim:
Yeah, who?

Andrew:
God loves you. He made you, Tim; he knows you. And he knows what it's gonna take to get you to believe in Him.

Tess:
Mr. Ali is a friend of ours, Tim. And I'm an angel. Just like Andrew, and Rafael.

Tim:
An angel? Like a dead person?

Tess:
Oh, no, like a live angel. Created for a purpose.

Tess:
[of Muhammad Ali] He says if you're not fighting out of love, it's just a fight, and you'll never win.

Tess:
Now you can float like a butterfly, and sting like a bee. But if you wanna be a winner like Muhammad Ali, you'll fight the good that love can give. Because love is the greatest, and the best way to live.

Tim:
I love my brother. And i love you. So things have gotta change.

Frank:
[stunned] Did you just say you love me?

Tim:
[Nods] Yeah. And maybe you dunno it yet, but you love us too. So you gotta start showin' it.

[first lines]

Monica:
I don't understand what people see in tea. How could they not prefer coffee? But, I suppose just as there are cat people and dog people there are tea people and coffee people.

Tess:
And listening people and talking people.

Monica:
She doesn't look like she needs an angel.

Tess:
She doesn't. Right now she needs a friend.

Tess:
[the reporters try to follow Kate and Monica through the door she closed] It's locked. Wonder how that happened.

Kate Prescott:
Reporters I tolerate. Strangers, I ignore, completely.

Mrs. Angeli:
How are you today, Mrs. Prescott?

Kate Prescott:
Can't complain. It wouldn't do me any good anyway.

Tess:
Father, there are a lot of fired-up people here who need to be cooled down. Whatever You do will be greatly appreciated. [Thunder crashes] That's a nice touch.

Tess:
The truth will set you free. The truth'll set everybody free. But that does not mean it's gonna drop in your lap; you've got to find it first.

Kate Prescott:
I didn't hear the door.

Monica:
I didn't use the door.

Kate Prescott:
You've been a real angel.

Monica:
[revealing herself] Just like one.

Kate Prescott:
God is real.

Monica:
Oh, yes. More than real.

Monica:
[static turns to music - rock - on the radio as they enter town] Finally.

[Tess shuts it off]

Monica:
Variety is the spice of life.

Tess:
Evil thrives when good men do nothing.

Tess:
The world is full of people who don't want to get involved. That's how trash like this can happen.

Sam:
I heard that you make a great cup of coffee.

Monica:
Well, i-it's one of the few perks of takin' human form.

Sam:
I sort of... specialize.

Monica:
Kind of like a cleanup man. [Sam chuckles]

Sam:
Any number of them would've done it and wanted to. So essentially they all set that bomb.

Monica:
I can't imagine hating anyone.

Jerry:
I'm Jerry from next door.

Sam:
Yes, you are.

Jerry:
Are you the handyman?

Sam:
Well, I get things done.

Sam:
There's nothing harmless about fear like that.

Dr. Joanne Glassberg:
You were here.

Monica:
Yes, I was.

Dr. Joanne Glassberg:
Like an angel.

Monica:
Just like one.

Monica:
God didn't bring you this far to leave you now. Will you give Him a chance to take this fear away?

Monica:
I think I've got you figured out.

Sam:
[Chuckling] Oh, don't bet on it.

Monica:
You're a member of a secret elite angel team. Celestial Force One, or somethin'.

Sam:
Now that's close.

Monica:
Just in case the wind changes, I hope the flames next door remember that you don't want to get involved.

Tess:
Going from love to hate, that's easy. But going from hate to love, that's hard.

Sam:
First lesson: don't wait for evil to come to you.

Sam:
Now if it turns into a battle we can save your life. But your soul is up to you.

Frank Littleton:
Well, well, well. See they brought in the heavy hitters. I am honored.

Sam:
No, you're finished here

Monica:
I thought that he'd be more... scary, you know? Fire and brimstone, horns?

Sam:
Ah, mostly it's a lot of bells and whistles and lights... He trades heavily on his reputation.

Tess:
[on where Satan gets his power] That darn free will.

Frank Littleton:
God screwed up; free will is a curse.

Tess:
Free will is a gift. And love is a choice. And hate leaves you no choice at all.

Tess:
He can't stay any longer than you let him. Don't let him hurt you anymore.

Tess:
Do you want power or do you want truth?

Tess:
If you got soul, you sing the blues.

Monica:
Anybody ever sing the yellows or the greens?

Tess:
Well, times change. Humans call is progress. Sometimes progress is progress. But mostly it's just an excuse to tear something down.

Monica:
[asked to tell a joke] Knock, knock.

Sam Brown:
Who's there?

Monica:
Oh, you heard it already. [Sam laughs]

Sam Brown:
You know anything about soul?

Monica:
A little.

Andrew:
[stuck on the phone] The Angel of Death is on hold.

Andrew:
[on the phone looking for a musician known only as The Countess] Well, actually, I don't have a last name either.

Andrew:
This three-dimensional living is very, very limited.

Monica:
[asked to name a time when she was seriously down] Oh, when I spilled the coffee on meself. It was Columbia Supremo.

Tess:
Now there're gonna be hard times - war, money problems, and something called disco - but you're gonna make it through.

Tess:
Well, I know a lot of people who don't believe in angels. But I've never met a soul that didn't *want* to believe in them.

Callie Martin:
Do you got any wings you carry around with you or something?

Monica:
I don't think you're ready for those.

Monica:
Faith is the evidence of things unseen.

Monica:
I mean, saving lives has its merits. But saving souls, and - and futures, and families... That's somethin' else altogether.

Monica:
Lesson number one: assume nothing.

Henry:
Just when things start getting predictable - voila.

Monica:
"Voila." That's all you learned after a century in France?

Henry:
Well, that, and, uh, "A red glass of wine a day keeps the Angel of Death away."

Dr. Gus Jacobs:
Have you ever... come across anything like this before?

Monica:
In... one form or another.

Henry:
You know, it's always harder in hospitals, making it something - special.

Monica:
Every day is a chance to start over, my friend.

Judge:
You have no last name?

Monica:
Not officially, Your Honor.

Sam:
God turns everything around, all the time.

Sam:
He'll never leave, or forsake you.

Monica:
Why is it when you talk to God you're prayin', but when God talks to you you're not?

Monica:
Anywhere we can get a cup of coffee?

Jake Stone:
I didn't think that angels drank coffee.

Monica:
Well, how would you know; you don't even believe in them.

Jake Stone:
Are you crazy?

Monica:
Maybe. Maybe I am.

Monica:
There's no greater love than to give your life for your friend.

Sue Cheney:
I never thought of you as the type to believe in God.

Jake Stone:
I never thought of Him as the type to believe in me.

Monica:
It's you who have forgotten Who God is; He would never turn His back on you. Nothing - not death or life or war, not the past, the present, or the future - no one, no creature on this Earth, can ever separate you from God's love. And nobody knows that better than an angel.

Claire:
Turn the past over to God. He's strong enough to take it. And give Him your future too.

Dr. H.C. Arnovitz:
Uh... I always knew they were - angels.

[last lines]

Jake Stone:
It's a miracle.

Monica:
They happen every day.

Monica:
I can't even imagine which one is my assignment; they - they all need an angel.

Tess:
And there's been an angel assigned to every case on the outside.

Monica:
Elevators are such a great place for meetin' people, Tess; why can't they see that?

Tess:
Well, people are suspicious; they don't know when you're gonna steal their money, or their car, or... or...

Monica:
[Monica turns to see what she can: Kathleen] Or their souls.

Tess:
Speaking of the Devil...

Monica:
So now you're moonlighting as a computer technician, huh? [he grins] Andrew...

Andrew:
Yes?

Monica:
What are you doin' here?

Andrew:
It's, my shift. Ah! Look at this, this - mm! I love computers!

Monica:
Your shift?

Andrew:
Yeah... You know, this is the toughest assignment that an Angel of Death can get - sitting around here, waiting to get the word. It's just, it's too hard.

Monica:
But I thought you liked being an Angel of Death.

Andrew:
I - oh, I do. I - I do. Sometimes, you know, the getting there... Meditating the murder of a child... So we take shifts.

Tess:
Computers. Give me a fine quill pen and hand-pressed parchment any day.

Kathleen:
Tell my man his angel's here.

Monica:
Kathleen. I wish I could say I was happy to see you.

Kathleen:
[Frank enters] *Somebody's* happy to see me!

Andrew:
[of Frank dating Kathleen] Talk about goin' to the Devil.

Tess:
Trying to make sense outta evil will only give you a headache, Miss Wings. Evil is for evil's sake, period. Its goal is - chaos and destruction.

Tess:
The miracle is there's no more evil in the world than there is.

Monica:
[of Satan] He exists. And he's workin' every day of every month of every year to destroy what is good in this world.

Frank Champness:
Look - Monica, I know you mean well. But I don't believe in evil. I believe in evil people but evil as an outside force, uh-uh.

Frank Champness:
If evil does exist it's not some outside force. It's inside me.

Little girl:
Are you an angel?

Andrew:
Yes. I am.

Little girl:
I prayed for you to come.

Andrew:
I know. God heard you. And, he sent me.

Little girl:
I miss my mommy and daddy.

Andrew:
I know you do honey. And they really miss you too. And someday, you'll all be together again, in a new home. But, you get to go there first.

[kisses and lifts her]

Andrew:
Here we go.

Monica:
You can't have him.

Kathleen:
And who's gonna stop me? You have rules to play by, Monica. "Angels must not interfere with a human's free will." Well, I don't play by the rules. His will is already mine. You've already lost.

Monica:
It's not me you're fighting, Kathleen. It's God. And I don't think I'd count Him out just yet.

Tess:
"If" is the saddest word in the history of language.

Tess:
You hang onto that "if" long enough, it can eat a hole right into your heart. But let it go. Tell people whatcha know, whether it sounds dumb or not. And then, that little word has no more power over ya. It's up to you.

Frank Champness:
I don't believe this is happening.

Kathleen:
It's not. You're losing your mind.

Monica:
No, you're fighting for your soul, Frank, right here.

Monica:
Kathleen has shown you a poor *imitation* of love. But if you look at her with the light of God then you will see her for what she truly is.

Monica:
She used to be an angel. But she traded the power of love for the love of power.

Monica:
Just never lose hope. There's always a battle going on that you can't see. We lose our children to something more terrible than bad luck. And it isn't luck that finds them.

[last lines]

Andrew:
Well... ya know - it's a team effort.

Tess:
Patience is a virtue. Virtue is a grace. Put them all together and they make a happy face.

Tess:
[trying to choose a name for Tess' convertible] Helen.

Monica:
Too mythological.

Tess:
When you choose a name it's got to show who are. It's got to represent the nature of the thing you're namin'; don't you know that?

Monica:
A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet, right?

Tess:
Yeah, but the problem is most people think more about the name than the rose.

Tess:
Snobs aren't born. They're created.

[John plans to blow up his high school]

Andrew:
[sternly] You have *no idea* what hell is!

John:
Yes I do. It's called HIGH SCHOOL!

Cory:
I've already been to hell.

Andrew:
You have no idea what hell is.

Cory:
[confidently] Sure I do, it's called high school.

Satan:
We don't have to be friends. We don't have to be enemies.

Monica:
You *are* the enemy.

Satan:
[shakes his head] I'm not the enemy... I'm the alternative.

Monica:
I'm workin' on a plan.

Tess:
Well, that's good.

Monica:
Can I borrow your car?

Tess:
[reluctantly handing over the keys]... I hate this plan already.

Tess:
[knocking] Ding-dong. Angel calling.

Tess:
Well, your problem is that you get too emotionally involved in your cases... Which is one of the things I love most about ya.

Tess:
You've had quite a nap.

Steve Bell:
Yeah, I guess so. Although, there haven't been any breakthroughs in hospital food while I've been gone.

Tess:
Uh, this is Monica; she's your physical therepist.

Steve Bell:
Look, everything seems to be workin' fine.

Tess:
Well, I'm sure it is. But you haven't walked or run or lifted, or moved at all, for five years. And so your muscles are gonna have to be retrained. That's where Monica comes in.

Monica:
Yes, I'll be, um... physically therepizing you.

Steve Bell:
So, what is it I've missed in the world?

Jesse Bell:
Let's see. Was the Berlin Wall still there?

Steve Bell:
There's no more Berlin Wall?

Jesse Bell:
Yeah, they tore it down, and, uh, now they're selling parts of it in Bloomingdale's.

Steve Bell:
They're selling the Berlin Wall in Bloomingdale's?

Jesse Bell:
Yeah. Oh, and remember the soldiers in Kuwait?

Steve Bell:
Yeah.

Jesse Bell:
They're gone.

Steve Bell:
Good.

Jesse Bell:
But they're in Bosnia now.

Steve Bell:
Oh... What's Bosnia?

Jesse Bell:
Oh, and, uh, Dad? I've got really bad news about O.J. Simpson.

Steve Bell:
Feelin' good, I'll be doin' the lambada in no time.

Monica:
[Chuckles] I don't think they do that anymore.

Steve Bell:
Where'd you come from?

Monica:
Well, I figured you'd come here and my cab was faster than your cab.

Monica:
I know this'll be hard for you to believe, but - I'm an angel.

Steve Bell:
Right, and I got the Easter Bunny in the back seat.

Monica:
It's true.

Steve Bell:
Prove it; make the, windshield wipers go on.

Monica:
We're not fairies; we don't grant wishes. But it's always good to check your wipers.

Tess:
Now you keep up with your walking; if I find out you that haven't Doctor Tess is gonna come and run you ragged. Don't make me put on my Air Jordans.

Tess:
[meeting Monica at the hospital] Baby, the doctor's in.

Tess:
I haven't seen you this down since the time the cappuccino machine broke... That was a joke, by the way.

Monica:
Send me back to the choir.

Al:
Is this a crisis?

Tess:
It is now.

Al:
I like to think of myself as an angel's angel.

Tess:
Yeah. She does, too.

Al:
Tess, darling, you don't mind if I use your office, do you?

Tess:
Yes, I do.

Al:
Always the kidder. [laughs]

Tess:
[leaving Monica with Al] Baby, this is outta my hands now. But I will be praying for you.

Al:
Something's not clear, my dear?

Monica:
Yes, everything's not clear.

Monica:
[of Al] How did she get this job?

Tess:
I think she knew somebody.

Al:
Oh, excuse me, if God can forgive you, who are you not to forgive yourself? You think you're greater than God?

Al:
God's got a plan. It's like the wind. Just because you can't see it mean it's not there.

Sarah Radcliff:
[Sarah, 13 years old, is in the home of an internet sex predator] Ok, I'd better go.

Dean:
[Grabs her arm] No, you need to finish your drink.

Sarah Radcliff:
Dan please! What are you doing? Stop!

Dean:
I'm not going to hurt you...

Charlie Radcliff:
[Andrew and Charlie, her father, break through the door] Get away from him Sarah!

Dean:
Hey I'm not doing nothing!

Andrew:
You got that right!

Andrew:
[Dean grabs a bat and swings at Andrew who ducks. He swings again and Andrew merely grabs it] Sit down.

Dean:
You can't just bust in here.

Andrew:
[Andrew take the bat by the handle and smashes the computer] Sit down.

[first lines]

Monica:
Makes you think, doesn't it?

Tess:
Yeah. Makes me think this man's in the wrong line o'work. [Monica chuckles]

Monica:
This looks like an interesting work. It's as if there's another painting underneath.

Tess:
Pentimento.

Monica:
The wee red thing in an olive?

Tess:
No, that's a pimento.

Tess:
Pentimento is when one painting is painted over another. It's like, the artist started painting a sunny day. And something changed, and she painted right over top of it.

Monica:
Well, why wouldn't she just start a new canvas?

Tess:
'Cause she thought she could hide it. People do that all the time, baby, whether they're artists or not.

Monica:
[seeing a child's drawing] Now that's the kind of art I'm good at.

Tess:
I know; you're gonna have to work on that.

Monica:
Well, how can I keep track of two assignments?

Tess:
Don't worry. You can always find them at each other's throats.

Andrew:
You know, it's a funny thing about being afraid. It kinda has this way of getting in your face so that's all that you can see. There's always another choice out there. As long as you're afraid, you'll never be able to see it.

Tess:
Three things to remember. I love you. Number two: you're not here for the art, you're here for the people. Number three... [removes Monica's beret] take off that hat.

Monica:
Andrew, was I too late?

Andrew:
No, you're just getting started.

Tess:
You think by dying you can protect somebody else. You die, you can't protect anybody.

Monica:
So you're the transplant coordinator.

Andrew:
[for Marion] That's right, it's a - it's a temporary assignment.

Tess:
Tess is a beautiful name for a girl.

Andrew:
[reading the test results] Yes!

Tess:
Thank you, Andrew.

Monica:
God has many names. Jehovah, Almighty, Everlasting Father, Alpha and Omega, but - do you know what He calls Himself? "I Am." If you ask God Who He is that's what He'll tell you. I Am. Not I Was or I'm Going To Be, but I Am. And He'll tell you, "I'm here, because you need Me to be."

Monica:
Patience is a virtue.

Marian Campbell:
He who hesitates...

Monica:
Haste makes waste.

April Campbell:
Are you sure you're an angel?

Monica:
We all have different gifts.

[last lines]

April Campbell:
Monica, how did you d-?

Monica:
I prayed.

Tess:
Imagine that.

Petey:
I might live until I'm thirty, if I'm lucky.

Celine:
Thirty! Who wants to live to be THAT old, anyway?

Monica:
Anyone care for a slice of mocha?

Tess, Andrew:
*No!*

[Monica had just written a poem and recites it in a public poetry reading]

Monica:
Roses are red, angels are gossamer, hold on to yourself and make sure you floss some more.

Monica:
Edsels are old, Packards Jurassic, but don't lose your faith 'cause a T-bird's a classic.

Howard:
When I saw that old clunker on the road, I couldn't believe it.

Monica:
Clunker? It drives beauty.

Howard:
Well, that's a miracle, that's all I've got to see. One I never thought I'd see.

Sam Mitchell:
[on the roof] When I was a little kid I used to come up here to mull things over.

Tess:
Well, did you ever mull over getting' another special place?

Tess:
And I'm not typically exciting on these revelation things. Monica lights up like a Christmas tree half the time. But I've always put stock in plain old-fashioned facts. Even if sometimes they do come out a little rough.

Sam Mitchell:
I guess you're only human, right?

Tess:
Well, that's my point.

Tess:
Well, there's nothing more dangerous than loving, unless it's not loving.

Tess:
He didn't say it was gonna be easy. But he says it's surely gonna be worthwhile.

Monica:
This isn't a punishment. God didn't do this to you. God didn't set this journey in motion. He's just as angry as you are that ya have to walk this road. But He promises you this, Megan: He will walk this road with you. And He will be there for you when ya reach the end of it. God loves you.

Monica:
The love has always been there for you. All any of you needed was the courage to hold onto it.

[last lines]

Monica:
Roses are red, napkins are handy...

Tess:
[revving up] That's my cue.

Monica:
Weddings are nifty, 'cause they give ya free candy!

Tess:
[causing her to laugh] O, God, why don't you help me? Please help me with this child.

[first lines]

Monica:
[reading gravestones] "Rest in peace"..."Rest in peace"..."Rest in peace."

Tess:
Well, most of the time that's the only rest that anybody ever gets.

Monica:
[of cemeteries] If people knew what was waiting for them, they wouldn't make these places so sad.

Tess:
Well, grieving is a very powerful thing, Miss Wings. It's a good thing. It's a healthy thing. It's a healing thing. And it helps you get rid of a lot of pain. But It's something you should go through, not something you should hold onto.

Monica:
I don't understand why human beings hold onto things that hurt.

Tess:
Well, it's like if you give up the pain, you give up the person you've lost. It's a hard lesson, but there's only one way to learn it.

Tess:
It's a music video, and I use the word music very loosely.

Tess:
[watching him dance] Andrew, what're you doin' to yourself?

Monica:
Lookin' good!

Tess:
Let me guess: rock'n'roll is dead and the Angel of Death has come to bring us the glad tidings.

Andrew:
I'm one of his biggest fans.

Tess:
Well, you're his silliest.

Tess:
[of rock] Music. [scoffs]

Dylan Mateos:
I'm sorry, if you're making a delivery go to the service entrance; no autographs or pictures, please; and if you haven't announced yourself at the gate I must ask you to leave.

Tess:
I am your new nanny.

Dylan Mateos:
I didn't have an old nanny.

Tess:
Well, you got a new one now. Let me talk to your mother.

Dylan Mateos:
I'm sorry, if you're making a delivery go to the service...

Tess:
Back off... and get your mama.

Dylan Mateos:
OK...

Tess:
...And what are you snickering at?

Monica:
You have such a wonderful way with children, Tess. They respond so well to you.

Tess:
You keep that up and watch how I respond to *you*, Miss Wings.

Dylan Mateos:
God is dead.

Tess:
Says who?

Dylan Mateos:
My dad.

Tess:
Is that so; well, I'd like to see his research.

Monica:
How can you be mad at someone if they're dead?

Dylan Mateos:
Your mom?

Monica:
God.

Dylan Mateos:
I happen to know that he's alive and kicking.

Monica:
You can't send a letter to Heaven.

Dylan Mateos:
Sure you can. You don't even need paper; you could write it with your heart.

Monica:
That's the dumbest thing I ever heard.

Dylan Mateos:
You want to believe it, though, don'cha?

Tess:
This is a beautiful letter. God loves good penmanship.

Dylan Mateos:
I figured.

Dylan Mateos:
Monica says when you're mad you should write a letter to God.

Samantha Mateos:
That is so lame.

Tess:
Well, lame or not, it would do you good; you'd be surprised at what He can write back.

Dylan Mateos:
Ya gotta have good handwriting, though.

Samantha Mateos:
Are - are you gonna save me?

Andrew:
In a way. I'm your Angel of Death.

Monica:
God is not dead. He doesn't die just because you say so in a song. But a part of you dies every time you tell yourself that.

Coach Earl Rowley:
You know, until last night, I was afraid of this. Dying.

Monica:
Until last night, you weren't really living

Monica:
[the day of the big game] Tess, any last-minute pointers?

Tess:
Well, same thing I told the Babe. Hit far and run fast.

Monica:
That's it?

Tess:
Well, I never got any complaints outta him.

Tess:
I told you he needed an umbrella but I didn't tell you to hit him on the head with it.

Monica:
I know. I got angry.

Tess:
Well, anger's not so bad. You just gotta be careful where you put it. So now you're sitting out here contemplating the infinite, huh?

Monica:
And what it takes to run it. I can't see the plan, Tess. I know I'm supposed to be doing something but I don't know what. He said so many awful things.

Tess:
You see, that anger's clouding your brain. Forget what he said. What did you hear?

Monica:
I heard fear. Fear that his life has been a waste. He knows that he's dying and he knows that he's dying by himself.

Tess:
Oh, honey, we all die by ourselves. It's living by ourselves that hurts. What is he leaving behind that will last?

Monica:
I don't know.

Tess:
Some of our best living is done by the people we leave behind.

Tess:
You're speaking to the angel who showed the Babe which way to point. And you know who kept Kirk Gibson in that locker room 'til he was ready to hit that home run?

Tess:
This week you'll be substituting for the history teacher. He's on jury duty.

Monica:
Perfect. I'll simply reminisce.

Tess:
A mighty storm is rising. And the rains are about to fall hard on that man. And he's gonna need an angel to hold the umbrella.

Laura Enloe:
Sometimes I lie awake at night and wonder, did I say the right thing to my son? Should I have let him do this? Should I have said no that? What would Frank have done?

Tess:
He would be doing the same things you're doing.

Laura Enloe:
You said you got a job, but a barkeeper!

Tess:
Well, she didn't need a stripper.

Monica:
May the road rise before you. May your swing be straight. May the ball fly high and far. And may God Himself take you home.

Monica:
You know, if they let down their guard for - for one minute, or are sloppy for an instant, there's the opening the enemy's waiting fo;r and bingo, they're dead.

Coach Earl Rowley:
But this is baseball. These are kids playin' against kids. Not the enemy.

Monica:
No difference. Today it's baseball.Someday it'll be something else. Kids gotta learn to fight to win in a job, or...

Coach Earl Rowley:
Or in a war?... So that's how it happened. In a war. You got sloppy and you got hurt. Are you really trying to save these kids from the same thing? Or do you just need to make someone pay for it?

Monica:
[teaching] Dumping the tea to protest the king's unfair tax was a brave risk. It started the Revolution... Not to mention the harbor smelled of Earl Gray for weeks.

Monica:
Sometimes we have to stand up and fight for what we believe in. And sometimes it takes even more courage to stay put. To hold your ground, and refuse to be bullied.

Peter Enloe:
It doesn't always stop it.

Monica:
No. It doesn't change the bullying. But it does change you.

Monica:
How you doing, Coach?

Coach Earl Rowley:
That's a stupid question.

Monica:
Well, technically it's meant to be kind of a - an ice-breaker.

Coach Earl Rowley:
You don't intimidate easily, do you? Could you cower just a little to humor me?

Monica:
You want to know why I saved your life? Because there was something you were supposed to do with it. You were supposed to *share* it. You could've let your guard down every day for the rest of your life and sent a hundred boys to collage. You could've let your guard down and put our arm around a hundred Dinks and told them they were okay. But what did you choose to do with your gift? You spent your life thinking about what you lost. Makin' sure that you never let your guard down again, makin' sure you never let anyone in. Now it's too late. You see, because now you're gonna die more alone than ya ever were before.

Coach Earl Rowley:
Ah, the Angel of Good Cheer. I can't die alone with you hangin' around, you know.

Monica:
[on helping someone] It doesn't take a lifetime. It can take just a day.

Adam:
It's not like this guy deserves another chance, you know.

Monica:
That's why he needs one.

Laura Enloe:
The other boy the scout's considering? That's him. [points to the pitcher batting for Peter]

Tess:
It's never simple, is it?

Coach Earl Rowley:
[of Adam] I'm just getting acquainted; he's a big baseball fan too.

Monica:
Ah, that doesn't surprise me.

Coach Earl Rowley:
And I'm stalling for time, huh?

Adam:
Batter up, Mr. Rowley.

Coach Earl Rowley:
[chuckling] Earl Rowley; rounding third, heading for home... What do I do?

Monica:
Just let your guard down.

Laura Enloe:
You have worked as a bartender, right?

Tess:
Honey, you know the martini? You know the olive? You know that little red thing in the middle? That was my idea - the little red thing.

Monica:
I can't change him.

Tess:
Of course not. That's not your job.

Tess:
And if you need me I'll be at the mixing board; I just love punchin' them buttons.

Monica:
Experience is my middle name. If I had one, I mean. That would be it.

Morgan Bell:
You understand she has very special needs?

Monica:
When it comes right down to it, who doesn't?

Andrew:
So how'd you like the show?

Monica:
OK. The best bit was seein' the Angel of Death runnin' around in a T-shirt and headphones. [he grins then frowns thoughtfully] What's the matter?

Andrew:
I was just tryin' to imagine what you would look like with a safety pin through your lower lip.

Monica:
Open a mind and ya open a door, I always say.

Tess:
God wants every person to be a whole person. A completely unique individual.

Andrew:
[recalling the details of a night so he knows how he knows Claudia] And the boyfriend... was in a really ugly blue tux...

Tess:
Where we'll going, it will be a study of the unnatural.

Kathleen:
[reading his palm] Let me see... Ahh. You're standing in front of something very, very big. Very scary. But you're Daniel the Brave, very courageous. And you destroy it.

Daniel Duncan:
What is it?

Kathleen:
Something that moves in the night. In the shadows.

Daniel Duncan:
Oh, *that*. My dad fixed that *years* ago. He put a nightlight by my bed. I don't even need it anymore. It's for babies. Maybe you should practice a little more.

Matt Duncan:
Texas... You came that far.

Kathleen:
Farther.

Kathleen:
Well, is it a small universe.

Kathleen:
Truth, I'm finding, that it's relative.

Monica:
Or you just make it look that way.

Monica:
Is this your dad?

Matt Duncan:
No. It's just my father.

Ty Duncan:
Hate is like water in a dry riverbed. The longer in runs, the deeper it digs in.

Monica:
Think of the possibilities.

Kathleen:
You better think about me gettin' in your way every step that you take. Because that's not a possibility. It's a fact.

Tess:
I like this new Monica. Tough. Aggressive, angel-with-an-attitude business.

Monica:
[of Kathleen] Do you think if I dressed like that I'd be more successful?

Tess:
Absolutely. I'm just afraid to think what you'd be successful at.

Matt Duncan:
It's hard to forget about a friend. But it's dangerous to forget about an enemy.

Monica:
Get off o'my horse!

Kathleen:
Possessive, aren't we?

Kathleen:
Well, we're winning, Monica. And I like being on the winning team.

Monica:
It only looks that way, Kathleen.

Monica:
You're not going to win.

Kathleen:
And who's gonna stop me?

Monica:
God is.

Kathleen:
I forgot how damned hopeful you get when you're about to get whupped.

Monica:
This is a fight you don't need to have. There's already a battle going on and I've been sent to fight for you, and for your father.

Monica:
She's not anybody's friend. She comes from a place so dark you can't even imagine it. And she comes with one goal: to destroy.

Monica:
Oh, don't worry. She can't come any closer. Love is here. She can't be.

Monica:
We don't always know when it's too late, until it's too late.

Monica:
There are so many people in the world who have never seen what you and I have seen but - they believe anyway. But you... you have seen Him, and still you walked away. I don't understand.

Monica:
I'll never forget who you were. Who I loved. But I can't say I'm sorry to see you go.

Tess:
[looking at Franklin's picture on the $100 bill] Benji never wore his hair like that.

Monica:
[in the bank of lost money] I thought I would put it in the lost-and-found.

Tess:
[of money] I don't know why they put so much faith in that little piece of paper.

Tess:
How much faith do you have?

Monica:
Well, that's a silly question. I'm an angel.

Tess:
Well, what would you do if I told you angels don't have any faith at all?

Monica:
What?

Tess:
Sooner or later every angel finds that out. Sooner or later.

Tess:
Lord, give me patience and give it to me right now. And satisfaction, and make it soon.

Jackson Spears:
You hate me, don't you?

Tess:
No, hate has caused a lot of problems in this world, but it's never solved one yet.

Jackson Spears:
An eye for an eye; that's what it says in the Bible, right?

Tess:
You will not use the Good Book for your dirty work. God decides on rewards and punishments, not you.

Jackson Spears:
I have the gun. That makes me God.

Tess:
You may have turned your back on God but He's still facing you. Welcoming you.

Jackson Spears:
Oh, here... A religious nut; here we go.

Tess:
You think you're God and *I'm* the religious nut?

Jackson Spears:
You know, you people crack me up, ya know that? I mean, you're afraid of the dark so you invent this thing and call it faith, and then - pretend to believe what you can't even see.

Tess:
But the reward of faith is that you *see* what you believe.

Monica:
How much faith does an angel have, Max?

Max Chamberlain:
I don't know. I-I guess more than anybody.

Monica:
No. No. We don't have any at all, absolutely none; you see, we don't need it. But you do. That's what makes yous strong. Believing today in the light that doesn't come until tomorrow.

Monica:
Oh, little one. Have I a message for you. God wants you to be born and the world that is waiting for you was created by Him. And it is nothing to fear. Yes, there will be rivers for you to cross, but when you walk through the water He will be with you. And, yes, there will be mountains for you to climb, but when you can't take another step, He will carry you. And there will be people to cherish, and hearts to change. But He will hold your hand every step of the way if you just will come out into the light, and have faith.

Tess:
You kept that faith. Or maybe you found it...

Monica:
It wasn't easy.

Tess:
Well, if it was easy, anybody could do it.

Andrew:
People can't control death so they make up these fantasies about it which they can control

Tess:
Blue angel, huh? I don't even want to think how she got that cold!

Gloria:
Tess, why do human beings always say 'God bless you' when they sneeze?

Tess:
It's from an old superstition from when people believed you might lose your soul when you sneeze.

Monica:
They invent clocks, and then they become slaves to them. They invent - little jobs and then become prisoners to them; they - they build all sort of roads going nowhere and then they spend all their time going up and down and back and forth and, ya know, sometimes I could just shake them... Well,, in a nice way, I mean.

Tess:
You been hittin' that coffee a little too hard lately, huh?

Tess:
Well, the problem with most driven people is that they make the mistake of thinking they're doing the driving. That's how accidents happen.

Leo:
Welcome to God's country.

Monica:
Well, I suppose it started out that way.

Henry:
You know, I don't place the orders. I'm just the delivery man.

Monica:
Henry, ya know, sometimes you c...

Monica:
I-I don't know that I can give blood.

Tess:
Oh, I bet you can. I bet your blood is purer than the driven soul.

Henry:
[of suicide] I hate this part.

Monica:
You can't force a human to choose life for herself. Otherwise what kind of life is it?

Debra Willis:
I think I'm losing my mind.

Monica:
No. You're just startin' to find it.

Debra Willis:
[of God] He's gonna kill me.

Monica:
No. but He's afraid you're going to kill yourself.

Monica:
You have the right to be less than perfect.

Monica:
[of God] How can He blame you for bein' human when He made you human, huh?

Debra Willis:
God... really loves me.

Monica:
Yes. And there's not a thing you can do about it.

[last lines]

Monica:
When are you finally going to relax when I'm in the driver's seat?

Tess:
The driver's seat? Who knows; I'm waitin' for a sign.

Monica:
There's one: BRAKE FOR SNAKES.

Tess:
That's not the kinda sign I'm talkin' about.

Wayne:
I'm no good at prayin', Ya know. Not real prayin'. I guess after what happened last night I should believe in You. But it's not gonna be that easy. 'Cause if You're really out there, then I'm in a lot of trouble. I appreciate the angels and all, but I'd just as soon pass right now. Thank You.

Tess:
The first day one believes can be the most beautiful and the most difficult.

Tess:
A miracle is a very fragile thing. And if you don't take care of it you can let the truth get twisted out of it. And that's when it becomes dangerous.

Tess:
Anything from God can become dangerous in the wrong hands.

Customer #2:
It was kind of, scary and - and beautiful all at once.

Tess:
The sad truth, baby, is that, wherever there's an opportunity, there's an opportunist. And nothing brings 'em out faster than a good old-fashioned miracle.

Tess:
He's at a crossroads, baby. And you've gotta get him out of the intersection

Joey:
[from downstairs] Wayne...

Wayne:
Be right there, Joey.

Tess:
Someone is speeding in is direction, and he's about to get hit head-on.

Tess:
They're eager to embrace the miracle. And eagerness is what a conman loves best of all.

Joey:
Hey. You came back.

Monica:
Hello, Joey.

Joey:
[calling out the door] HEY, EVERYBODY. THE ANGEL'S BACK.

Monica:
Ah, no, Joey. I'm just here for you today.

Joey:
Oh. Okay. NEVER MIND.

Joey:
You know, the other angel? The real, uh... the funny one?

Monica:
Tess.

Joey:
Yeah. She took Serena up to Heaven, didn't she?

Monica:
She helped, yes.

Joey:
[to the baby left in the nativity manger] Are you who I think you are? You're late. Everybody's gone.

Joey:
Hey. You're the angel. Are you a nurse now, too?

Wayne:
She's not an angel.

Monica:
You know I am.

Wayne:
I dunno what you are. Maybe a magician... Maybe a con artist like - [breaks off before giving away a connection to his secret]

Wayne:
So there really is a God... And He knows, what I used to do.

Monica:
Yes, he does.

Wayne:
So what if I choose not to believe in Him?

Monica:
Well, that's certainly your choice, but it's not going to make Him go away.

Monica:
God is real, Wayne. And the miracle is real. And God wants the people of this church to know the difference between the truth you all saw, and the myth that has replaced it.

Wayne:
Who're you talkin' to?

Joey:
[of the baby] A Christmas present.

Charlie:
There is no God; you know it and I know it. Now don't get me wrong, I wish there was a God. 'Cause, man, I could use one right now. But all I got is me. And that's what I believe in.

Monica:
God loves you. He came into that church on Christmas Eve to tell you so. He took away your disbelief. If you walk away from Him now you do so knowing exactly Who it is that you're turning your back on. And if a man walks away from God, where else is there to go?

Joey:
Excuse me... Do you know my phone number? I know it has - two 7s in it but I'm not sure about the other numbers. I think there's a 4...?

Wayne:
It was a Christmas present. It was a little glimpse of Heaven. A gift from God for the faithful people of this church, whose roof may be leaky and whose organ may be ancient but, whose doors have always been open to the sick, and the poor, the lost, and the simple.

[touches Joey's back where he holds the baby; referring to Charllie]

Wayne:
But you took the gift and you let someone ruin it. You worshiped a feather and an angel instead of God. You sought out fame instead of the needy, and you embraced the loud arrogance of pride, and became deaf tot he tiny voice of a small baby in a manger. But the rest of you turned your backs on the truest love of all, and you exchanged the miracle for a lie.

Monica:
I didn't know God was in the T-shirt business now.

Wayne:
He's not.

Monica:
Well, somebody is. And if that's what a miracle's all about then I'm not interested in God.

Wayne:
What you're not interested in is this religion created by Charles to take advantage of a lot of vulnerable people right now. It's been going on for centuries. People trying to explain the unexplainable, and give their soouls over to someone who claims to speak for God.

Parishioner #4:
Please, will you tell God - that we're sorry?

Monica:
You can tell Him that yourself. That's what He was trying to tell you on Christmas Eve. He is listening.

Monica:
God doesn't care about how smart you are. He cares about what's in your heart.

[last lines]

Tess:
That's what I call a miracle.

Monica:
How come people only notice them at Christmas?

Tess:
Well, we're working on that. We're working on that.

Monica:
You've been fakin' the miracles for a long time, Charlie. What's it like to finally see the real thing, hm?

Charlie:
I didn't know I was makin' up lies about somebody real. God help me.

Monica:
He will. Just ask Him.

Tess:
Now I'm still gonna be hung up here for a while with this TV anchorman. I'm having a devil of a time convincing him he's not the Second Coming.

Tess:
Now get going, baby, and remember: God loves lawyers too...

Monica:
Sometimes endings are opportunities.

Monica:
[of the pharaoh whose image is on the sarcophagus] Reminds me of an old friend of mine.

Tess:
When are you going to learn to stop hearing and start listening, Miss Wings?

Tess:
Don't you be worried about how much time he's got. That's all taken care of. You just worry about how he spends it.

Tess:
Whatever happened to the Coupot? And the minuet; you remember the minuet? 1-2-3, 1-2-3, bow, and curtsey. Kept the hormones in a perpetual state of perpetual anticipation.

Tess:
Nothing's really wrong with the man's heart, except he's terrified of lettin' it out again.

Charles Hibbard:
This isn't one of those near-death experiences, is it?

Monica:
In a way.

Charles Hibbard:
But where's the tunnel? Did I miss it?

Monica:
You weren't that close to dying.

Charles Hibbard:
And, you're...?

Monica:
An angel.

Charles Hibbard:
That would be consistent with my experience.

Monica:
All your life you've been afraid of life. And if you hadn't convinced yourself you were dying then you'd decide you were, too fat or too short, or - or too anything as long as it convinced you to hide. But God made you, Charles, and he knew what he was doing. You're not too anything. Except almost too late.

Charles Hibbard:
If you're an angel, why didn't you just give me the two-hundred-thousand back in the first place?

Monica:
That would've just saved your job. I'm here to save the rest of your life.

Monica:
Do you remember the Christmas that you ran away? And a nice lady came and helped show you the way back home?

Charles Hibbard:
...You?

Monica:
[Chuckles] No. My friend, Tess, but - can you remember where she found you?

Sister Mary Francis:
She came with an answer to our prayers.

Charles Hibbard:
...$20,000.

Sister Mary Francis:
Enough to remodel our kitchen, and keep our lunch program going, which we desperately needed.

Monica:
What a blessing that must've been.

Sister Mary Francis:
Oh, it was a miracle.

Sister Mary Francis:
[to Monica] Um... have we met somewhere before?

Charles Hibbard:
You were wrong. God was wrong. She's not the right kind of woman for me at all; what kind of woman gives away $20,000 like that?

Monica:
A great woman.

Charles Hibbard:
A really great woman. Too great for me.

Tess:
What if you ran away from home, and nobody noticed?

Monica:
What if you gave away your heart, and nobody cared?

Tess:
Any boy who studies that much is looking for answers that aren't in a book.

Monica:
Where I come from, people don't always have to be busy. Sometimes they just sit back and - enjoy the peace.

Tess:
Honey, there is nothing more dangerous than a man taking pride in the wrong thing.

Monica:
Well, his head is going to be all right; it's his heart I'm worried about.

Monica:
Secrets are dangerous things. The longer ya hold onto them, the farther away you push everyone else trying to keep them safe. But you know what, James? There are no such things as secrets.

[last lines]

Tess:
Now don't you go getting emotional on me. You can't go around crying over every job.

Monica:
[choking through tears] Oh, you're a fine one to talk.

Tess:
[watches her using a handkerchief] Save one for me.

Tess:
[as the wedding singer] This song is for my friend Andy.

Tess:
Love is like air. There's plenty of it to go around for everybody.

Monica:
God never created anything stronger than the power of real love. It lives forever. And you never know where it's gonna come from next.

Monica:
Human beings have the power to make choices. And some of the worst choices are made in darkness.

Monica:
If you want to be a judge, don't go 'round makin' up your own laws.

[last lines]

Monica:
If you really, really, *really* love somebody, always bring them back some meatballs from the weding.

Tess:
Ohh, Miss Wings, I have trained you right. Don't be shy, baby; come on, dig in. Ooh, yes.

[first lines]

Monica:
"To be, or not to be."

Tess:
I would definitely say: not to be.

Tess:
[of Shakespeare] He was a strange little man. He kept writin' down everything and sayin' "Alas." He really talked like that. Drove the local folks crazy.

Marshall Redding:
Yeah, well, what I'm used to is good New York pizza.

Sally Redding:
I can make that New York pizza.

[offering it to him; in an accent]

Sally Redding:
"Eat that and get outta here."

Tess:
If Shakespeare was alive, he'd drop dead.

Monica:
Do I know you?

Andrew:
[Lifts his fencing mask] The Angel of Death, at your service.

Monica:
[of the sword] Andrew. Put that away before you hurt someone.

Andrew:
Hey. You're supposed to tell me how dashing I look.

Marshall Redding:
He's teaching me how to sword-fight.

Andrew:
I've seen enough of 'em.

Monica:
Tess, is Andrew here on business?

Tess:
Well, he's certainly gonna do a death scene. We just don't know if it's on stage or off.

Tess:
God made us angels, not police. Now we can hope and pray that he makes the right decision, but the choice is his.

Andrew:
I guess you got more out of those fencing lessons than either of us thought. But, whatever the problem was out there, dueling is not the way people handle things these days.

Andrew:
You can start with the truth. It's always a good technique. Now it might now be pretty. But you've got a pressure cooker that's building up in you, and the truth? The truth is kind of like a safety valve, you know? Just let it out even and - and slow, and just maybe you won't blow up all at once.

Joel Redding:
What is this?

Tess:
A chapel. Some people think of it as a place for reflection and meditation.

Joel Redding:
Well, it doesn't look like he's in here.

Tess:
Well, I think you oughta sit down.

Joel Redding:
What?

Tess:
To reflect and meditate. Sit on down.

Joel Redding:
I beg your pardon?

Tess:
Well, we'll get to that pardon part later.

Tess:
Who you are and what you do matters to God. Now, how charming you are, and how many autographs you sign, and how many of those little gold statues you got sittin' on your copier table, will not impress the Creator of the Universe. Now you can play all the roles you wanna play. And it won't matter a bit. Because you're not playing the role God created especially for you.

Tess:
What do you care about being loved as a TV star when you're already loved as a father, a husband, and a child of God?

Tess:
God is your Helper, and He loves you, and He is listening.

Andrew:
Sometimes I'm just an observer.

Monica:
"The quality of mercy is not strained. It droppeth as the gentle rain from Heaven upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed. It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes."

Marshall Redding:
[as she reveals herself] You look like some kind of an angel.

Monica:
Before Shakespeare wrote it, God *was* it. Mercy is His gift. And you shine with His divine light every time you are merciful or show someone forgiveness.

Bebe Manero:
[to the angels] How did you do that with the lights?

Andrew:
I'm just gonna drop in on some friends.

Adam:
[reading the tavern sign] At the Sign of the Dove?

Andrew:
Yeah.

Adam:
How appropriate.

Andrew:
More than you know.

Adam:
Had this guy, the other day - six minutes left to live and he's lookin' right *at* me, and he's telling me there is, no God.

Andrew:
Been there.

Adam:
So I told the guy, "Look at me. I'm *glowing*, pal. I'm an angel. And you're dying. The time for debate is long since past. So get with the program before..."

Andrew:
I know. It happens a lot.

Adam:
[sighing] Yeah... Takes a lot outta ya, though.

Monica:
I don't have the authority to physically stand in your way. You have a free will and a mind of your own. But I will try to change your mind.

Andrew:
He was willing to risk death, so that he could enter life and you, are choosing death to *escape* your life.

Adam:
Tess. Little weenies in the, buns and everything that go with them.

Tess:
Where?

Adam:
Right over here.

Tess:
I've been looking for them.

Andrew:
You know, sometimes in, um... in the course of human events, one man's history actually is, another man's future.

[last lines]

Nick Freeman:
That's your angel. That's Andrew.

Monica:
[uf humans] How do they do it, Tess? They get up every morning and start all over again. Takes a lot of courage to do that. And they don't even know what we know.

Tess:
God help 'em.

Monica:
[getting off the bus, sees an angry Tess] Now, before you say anything...

Tess:
Don't tell me what to say or when, Miss Wings. I want to know what you're doin' here!

Monica:
Well, I just thought...

Tess:
That's where you made your first mistake. Did I tell you to think north? No, I distinctly remember telling you to get on the bus and go north. GO north. Now, you get your little angel butt back to the city, and take care of business.

Monica:
But I am. I'm helping David.

Tess:
You were told to stay close to David. That's what he needs

Monica:
What David needs is his mother, and all of a sudden my instincts were kicking in, and...

Tess:
Wait just a minute. Let me see if I understand you correctly. You want me to go back to the Creator of the Universe, the Alpha, the Omega, the Great I Am and explain that the words of the Almighty were disobeyed because Monica's instincts kicked in?

Monica:
What I want to know is why did You give me a heart if You didn't want me to follow it? Love doesn't hide, that's what You said. It hopes all things, it endures all things, it never fails, it stays and it fights. That's what I'm fighting with now. I love that little boy. Please, if I messed things up, please help me to put them back on track. Don't let that child spend one more minute without his mother and don't let his father spend one more lonely night. Please. Please help me. Please.

Monica:
It worked. Thank God it worked.

Tess:
What'd you do?

Monica:
I did something really radical, Tess. I prayed.

Tess:
Now you know that's dangerous. But if you think that gets you out of that little mess of yours, you got another thing coming.

Monica:
Oh, c'mon! Admit it. I pulled it off

Tess:
You and Who else?

Tess:
People are complicated things.

Monica:
I know. That's what I love about them.

Tess:
Don't start eatin' everything you see.

[Monica chuckles]

Tess:
Now I spent my first assignment as a food-tester for one of the Caesars. Look at me.

[Monica chuckles again]

Tess:
It takes a century to take it off.

Tess:
You must be little David.

David Morrow:
I'm not little.

Tess:
Well, I never saw adults with dinosaurs on their underwear before.

Monica:
I thought you were someone else.

Ruth Ann Russell:
Yeah. For a moment so did I.

Monica:
Love doesn't hide, right; that's what You said. It hopes all things, it endures all things, it never fails, it-it stays and it fights... That's what I'm fighting with now.

Monica:
I don't have any vices except I hate to wear shoes unless it's absolutely necessary.

Monica:
David, is there something you want to tell me before you go?

David Morrow:
Good-bye.

Monica:
If you change your mind, and you want help, just ask for it. It will be there. Believe it.

Monica:
That's why God made love so strong. So it can carry you all the way.

Tess:
He doesn't want to need you or anybody else. His self-esteem may be shot but he still has his pride.

Monica:
O, dear God.

Zack:
God can't hear you down hear.

Monica:
God can always hear you.

Zack:
Maybe He's ignoring us then.

Tess:
You don't even need to be an angel to give that man what he needs right now.

Tess:
Just because you feel like you're invisible doesn't mean you are. Never give up, baby.

Tess:
Shame just brings you down. True humility - that lifts ya high up.

Monica:
I'm an angel. [Pete grins and shakes his head in disbelief] I know that sounds crazy.

Pete Taylor:
Nah, not around here.

Monica:
I don't know why these things have happened to you. It's not because of anything you've done.

Monica:
He will walk with you all the way, but it's up to you to take the first step.

Sophie:
Now, uh-uh, where was it exactly we met again?

Tess:
You remember when we lived on Cherry Street?

Sophie:
Well, that's privileged information.

Tess:
I know, but I have a high-level security clearance.

Sophie:
[recognizing her] The cab-driver.

Tess:
I got my own rig now. You oughta see it. It's a nice big red thing.

[first lines]

Monica:
What do you suppose God had in mind when He created cows, Tess?

Tess:
Well, I wanna say hamburgers. But I don't think that's the right answer. [chuckles]

Tess:
The Father doesn't want you to say good-bye, yet.

Andrew:
What good could I possibly do here now?

Tess:
Well, let's just see what good *He* can do.

Monica:
Angels have free will too; you don't have to do this. But I know that you will. Because you're a servant of God before you're a servant of your own heart. That's how you were made. And that's the difference between humans and angels.

Andrew:
You know something, Molly, I've been an angel for a long... long time. And you know what amazes me about people; i-it's not that a few of you can't go on. It's that almost every one of you does... despite this - tough business of living. You get up, every morning, and you start over again, because there's this little voice inside you that says: "Hope." And most of you still listen to it. And the ones who don't, we have to release, and return, to the hands of the Father, where hope lives forever.

Molly Avery:
[chuckling awkwardly] Do angels ever, uhm... I mean, will I ever see you again?

Andrew:
I dunno.

Molly Avery:
What if I fry you up some chicken?

Andrew:
[laughs] Well, then, you know, I might just have to come by some Saturday.

[last lines]

Tess:
[to the cow nosing around her pockets] Go away, go away, I have nothin' for ya, nothing. Nothing.

Monica:
[Chuckles] They're just friendly creatures, Tess.

Tess:
Well, the flies certainly like 'em!

Andrew:
Oh, come on Tess, go and make yourself a new friend.

Tess:
I don't need a new friend but I might need some new shoes after this.

[the others chuckle]

Andrew:
Everyone struggles to survive at one point or another. And most do... as long as they don't give up hope.

Monica:
[of death] It's quite a miracle.

Monica:
Death... Oh, it's probably the most real thing that happens on Earth. It's awesome and profound. Like a birth. A soul passing from - from one realm to another. You can welcome death with wonder and respect, or you can fight it with fear and regret. Dying with regret, I've learned, is hardest of all. For everyone.

Monica:
My name is Monica, and I'll be goin' to be lookin' after you. Helpin' you down the road, so to speak.

Joe Carpenter:
[smiling] Angel.

Tess:
I will never get over how humans find ways to grieve.

Tess:
[of Monica and Andrew] It's gonna be a long night but you have got the best angels in the business working on this.

Andrew:
My naee's Andrew.

Joe Carpenter:
Death?

Andrew:
Yes. I'm an angel. And I guess you can say that this is my, uh... my specialty. Monica's an angel, too. And we've been sent here to help your family make this passing with you.

Joe Carpenter:
Afraid... afraid - death?

Andrew:
Oh, no. No, no. Never. Besides, do I look scary to you?

Monica:
I guess that's the thing about family secrets. Nobody talks but everybody knows.

Kim Carpenter:
Do you believe in God, Monica?

Monica:
Believe hardly begins to describe it.

Kim Carpenter:
All I ever wanted to just feel comfortable in this family. When I was a kid and I'd blow out my birthday candles every year that was my wish. Whenever we'd pray, that was my prayer.

Monica:
I would put my money on the prayers over the candles.

Andrew:
[invisible] You know, Chris, this is... This is it. These are gonna be your last hours with the man. I think you better say it now.

Chris Carpenter:
[starting to cry] I wanted to... thank you. You taught me so much. And I don't know if anybody's ever told you, but you've lived a very good life. You're a good man.

Andrew:
Did you ever think of him as a... strong man?

Chris Carpenter:
I have a confession to make. I never really thought of you as a strong person. Patient, maybe... But how could a strong man live with a woman like Mother?

Andrew:
Maybe that's the only kind of man who could?

Chris Carpenter:
All of a sudden I'm startin' to think... it took more strength to stick with it. You know how to sit back and duck and ride it out... I'm not so good at that. But I'd like to know... Was it worth it, Dad? Hangin' in there all these years? What did you get out of it?

Joe Carpenter:
[struggling to speak] I... I...

Andrew:
Chris... He got you.

[with this understanding, Chris kisses Joe's hand and they hug]

Tess:
That's the trouble with secrets, sweetie. If you let somebody in your heart, they're gonna find out what's in there.

Elizabeth Carpenter:
Will someone please explain what's going on?

Tess:
Well, first, in case it's still not clear, I am not an interior decorator, and Monica is not a nurse.

Tess:
God has sent us here to bring your father home. To be perfectly accurate, there's another angel that will escort him when the time comes. But, all of us, we've got a lot of business to take care of before then.

Kate Carpenter:
I'm confused.

Tess:
Well, that's abundantly clear. But - God is not the author of confusion. He likes to write happy endings.

Chris Carpenter:
Then, Dad is OK and this is some kind of miracle?

Tess:
Well, technically this is what we call a special dispensation. Your father is going to die, Chris. And you can conclude from the presence of the angels that: this is not a bad thing. Or at least it doesn't have to be.

Monica:
There's nothing wrong with you. In fact you're-you're a shining example of how God can take the saddest things, and turn them into something beautiful.

Joe Carpenter:
Now don't be afraid of the truth. Speak it, look at it, live it.

Andrew:
"Sometimes the answer is no, sometimes the answer is not yet."

Monica:
What, are you makin' fun of me?

Andrew:
No, no, I think you did great. Joe, she did great, didn't she?

[Joe smiles]

Andrew:
See?

Monica:
Andrew, what do you think the chances are of a special dispensation?

Andrew:
Monica... Uh, I-I don't know.

Monica:
It's worth trying. 'Cause sometimes, the answer is yes.

Chris Carpenter:
We'll see you again, won't we?

Andrew:
[chuckling; of Joe] He says you can count on it.

Andrew:
[to Monica] Go get 'em, girl.

Tess:
There's a moment when humans remove themselves from this place, and get down to the business of dying. You see, his spirit is straining to remove itself from a body that won't release him.

Elizabeth Carpenter:
Is he in pain?

Tess:
Oh, no, no. The pain's all gone; there's more death here than life.

Kate Carpenter:
The other angel. Is he here?

Monica:
Yes, Andrew is here. And he's in touch with that part of your father's spirit that you can't communicate wtih.

Tess:
It is Mr. Carpenter's time.

Monica:
Andrew is here. Why do you need me?

Andrew:
[tossing the football to himself] Well, what's a good receiver without a good passer?

Tess:
Honey, will you wake up and stop *smelling* the coffee?

Tess:
[of coffee] It's like life. You never really know how good it is until you taste it.

Elizabeth Jessup:
[crying] Okay. Okay. Okay... If You can hear me, this is Elizabeth. And, uh... And if you're really there i can't imagine why you wanna listen to *me*. But Kissinger always said don't waste time with the middleman; go to the top. So... I... I could use some help here.

Elizabeth Jessup:
You've come to punish me.

Monica:
No... Oh... No... God loves you.

Elizabeth Jessup:
...Why?

Monica:
Because you're Elizabeth. Not Elizabeth the journalist, or teh prizewinner... or the alcoholic. But because you're You. God loves *you*.

Monica:
You've spent your whole life running, and running, trying to catch up with something that was never there for you. But all you've done is go farther and farther away from that precious love that is always there for you. Now... [sighs] Now you've almost lost that completely.

Elizabeth Jessup:
[sobbing] I'm sorry... I'm sorry... What am I gonna do?

Tess:
You just did.

Elizabeth Jessup:
You've come to punish me.

Monica:
No... Oh... God loves you.

Elizabeth Jessup:
...Why?

Monica:
Because you're Elizabeth. Not Elizabeth the journal, or the prizewinner... or the alcoholic. But because you're you. God loves *you*.

Zack Bennett:
Where do you come from?

Monica:
Oh, well, I used to be in search-and-rescue, but I felt like I needed something a bit more challenging.

Henry W. 'Cueball' Seek:
I'm just tryin' to figure out which flower you remind me of.

Tess:
Snapdragon.

Henry W. 'Cueball' Seek:
They call me Cueball.

Tess:
Cueball? Fine. You just sit in that little corner pocket and do your job, I'll sit here and do my job; we'll get along just fine.

Zack Bennett:
[of shooting] You might wanna try this with your eyes open.

Monica:
I always say a wee prayer first.

Monica:
Well, I just thought that partners were supposed to get to know each other, you know. Play poker, confide in each other, be best friends.

Monica:
Coffee? Doughnuts? I could get used to this job.

Zack Bennett:
Need backup, Sycamore and A Street

Tess:
A as in Angel?

Henry W. 'Cueball' Seek:
You can be *my* angel.

Tess:
Back off; I'm workin' here.

Monica:
Shouldn't we be out lookin' for trouble?

Henry W. 'Cueball' Seek:
[of himself and his wife] We're separated.

Tess:
Well, maybe you wouldn't be if you tried your lines on her instead.

Henry W. 'Cueball' Seek:
What're ya sayin'?

Tess:
Do you love her?

Henry W. 'Cueball' Seek:
Course I love her.

Tess:
When was the last time you *showed* her you loved her?... Mm-hm. Just what I thought.

Monica:
You've pushed away everyone that you love to protect a secret that you hate.

Monica:
Didn't I say, "Don't be afraid"?

Zack Bennett:
Am, uh... am I hallucinating?

Monica:
No. I'm very real.

Monica:
There's only one thing in this world that's truly bulletproof. And that's faith. Not faith in a gun that shoots, or a radio that works or even faith in your own cop's instinct. But the faith that you wrap yourself in every day of your life. The faith that no matter what happens, you won't lose God's love, and all the bullets in the world can't pierce it, and all the pills in the world can't replace it.

Tess:
The simplest things are the hardest to say.

Monica:
Like "I'm sorry." Like "I didn't mean to hurt you." Like "I love you," like "We'll get through this somehow."

Tess:
Like "Don't hog the bread."

Monica:
Sometimes things can seem random because God allows us to make choices.

Monica:
God will use you right now where ya are if you let Him.

[first lines]

Monica:
Tess, if you could go back and do any day over again, what day would you choose?

Tess:
[chuckling] Oh, I dunno. I've had some doozies. But it would be a happy one. And definitely sometime after the discovery of chocolate.

[Monica chuckles]

Monica:
Do ya ever notice something about humans? If you ask 'em if they could go back and live any day over again what'd they do, they always want to go back and fix something. As if they knew the precise moment when something went wrong.

Monica:
I'm an angel.

Jennifer:
I know.

Alex Jackson:
Here's to good parents. They never get a break.

Monica:
Some roads home are shorter than others.

Monica:
Sometimes the end is just the beginning, huh?

Tess:
The end *usually* is just the beginning.

Tess:
It hurts so awfully bad when a beautiful life is taken away from us. But it's never really taken away.