"Love will save the world!"

… So says Guiding Light’s theme song. Thankfully they are putting their money where their mouth is. GL has not only changed the face of daytime drama through their innovative production model, but also through their inspired storytelling.

I am glued to my tv and internet every day in anticipation of what beautiful moment they will present next in any one of their present story lines. It is a pleasure to watch characters showing the best in themselves instead of the worst. Who would have guessed there would come a time when Olivia Spencer would sacrifice her own happiness for the sake of another’s… or Dinah Marler would NOT keep a devastating secret from the man she loves, but actually tell him the truth the minute she finds out what that truth is… or Alan Spaulding would have fun riding on a rollercoaster with his new pal, Woody.

One of my all time frustrations with soap operas is the need to focus on the worst aspects of human nature. No one is allowed to be happy on a soap. Happy is boring, or so they would want you to believe. And yet GL is proving that this is not the case. Yes, drama needs conflict, but there is plenty of conflict in people’s day to day lives and relationships.

Watching Olivia win the girl, only to be faced with the question, “Now what?” is honest and believable. They disagree and fight and get frustrated with one another because of who they are as individuals. No outside, manufactured conflicts required, since the Otalia relationship is already full of it’s own real issues, that will take time to work through. The joy is watching them deal with each moment while always maintaining their sites on the big picture: they love each other and are a family.

As Olivia proved last month, self sacrifice is a great way to win people over… and get the girl. Josh is showing his love and devotion to Reva and their children by being the silent hero, taking on Edmond by himself so that his family can continue to focus on being happy and living their lives. On the flip side, showing Edmond in a good light for a time, makes his pain and desperate actions now that much more understandable, and frightening.

Watching the dysfunctional Spaulding family just being themselves at an amusement park is far more entertaining than watching them mixed up in some contrived corporate board room malarkey.

Guiding Light is all about love and family. It is a character driven show, where relationships define story progression. People act from a place of love for others, not just selfish desires. Sure, that love can be a bit twisted, as in the cases of Alan and Edmond, but they are the exception, not the rule.

I pray that Guiding Light finds a new home to continue changing the world through Love. It’s a Love of a Lifetime. Thank you GL!