People have been discussing, wondering and predicting how GUIDING LIGHT should end on CBS. While I'm still quite optimistic that GL will live on in some form past September 18, here are my thoughts. These plotlines are all my personal hopes or wishes, and cover a large number of the characters (including a few of my longtime favorites). I'm not mentioning Jeffrey, as his future's up in the air, and I'm leaving the Jeva story a little open.

HOW I'D LIKE TO SEE THE LIGHT GO OUT

Reva finds a novel Coop was writing about his town, which he jokingly called "Springfield: The Musical," and combines the book with her occasionally shown musical talents to create a major song-and-dance stage show about the town's history. I would like to see every GL actor who can, or desires to, sing to perform a full song, and blow off the residents' and viewers' socks. Kim Zimmer, Ron Raines, Robert Newman, Mandy Bruno, Paul Anthony Stewart (Reva, Alan, Josh, Marina, Danny)…everyone. The country-singing Billy/Ray/Cyrus group is surprisingly good, as is the beat-boxing Blake Lewis, now Josh's wife.

Several couples — from Bill and Lizzie to Christina and Remy — supply the beautiful (and often funny) dance performances, headed up by Olivia (who said she can tango, and is a revelation) and Natalia. The show proves to be a wild success and becomes a national tour, starring Reva and many Springfielders, starting in New Jersey and called "Lighting Up America...Always." Josh, who still loves Reva, is along for the ride...

Harley returns...on a motorbike. She is once again portrayed by Beth Ehlers, who will be busy (see below). When Cassie returns, Harley forgives her for her tryst with Cyrus, and both women's now-grown kids, including Jude and RJ, form a band for the tour. Harley and Cassie share laughs with their old friend Blake as they both give the new Ms. Lewis romantic pointers on Josh, who rolls his eyes...then shifts them to Reva.

Doris approves the first Springfield pride parade, and Olivia and Natalia sit in the lead car, which two young guys from Oakdale drive. When Turbo, a brand-new Springfield resident whose mom lives in town, blasts into the celebration in a red Ferrari, the women wonder why he only stares at the guys. Dinah lightly flirts with him anyway, to Shayne's chagrin.

Eleni returns to and remarries a joyous Frank. I'd like my favorite (not the "real" one, but the best one, in my opinion) Alan-Michael, Rick Hearst, to return, and reveal that he has reunited with Lucy (they had divorced, but still cared for each other). The couple makes the surprise announcement that they just had two daughters, and they're naming them Charita and Beverlee. The unique names just came to them. They hired the former Spaulding maid, wild Ginger (Allison Janney), as their lovable nanny. Ginger suddenly falls for Hawk...and Buzz, who's still Lillian's guy.

Johnny and Roxie return; she has dealt with her psychological problems, thanks to psychiatrist Sonni, who also visits the town and gives everyone a chance to talk about their lives and loves in private, flashback-filled therapy sessions. Bridget Reardon returns to shake up Springfield (her son Peter, a grown man by now, is traveling the world). On her first evening in town, Bridget creates another blackout with her hair dryer, MP3 player and cell phone charger. In a dark playground, she meets the secretly visiting Jonathan, who has lit a small fire so that little Sarah can see. It's kismet — Jonathan and Bridget immediately fall in love, and Tammy's ghost appears to tell Jonathan, "You can love her with the lights on…and off." Her ghost joins a smiling Coop's spirit, hand in hand. Then Dylan suddenly shows up, and Jonathan introduces Bridget to his brother. Uh-oh — she already knows Dylan well…

And I'd like this to be the last moment: Holly and Fletcher Reade return to The Springfield Journal, and their child (Meg, now a teen), Holly's daughter Blake (who created SpringfieldBurns.com), and Vanessa, Dinah and Ashlee (and everyone else from WSPR) restart the Journal as a multifaceted Webzine called SpringfieldRemembers.com. The last few minutes feature every Springfield resident standing in a large room at WSPR, beaming with pride and looking at a computer screen with photos and YouTube-like "flashbacks" (that appear on our full TV screen). The camera pans to a large headline that reads, "Springfield Enters the Future." Then the screen turns black-and-white, and we realize it's all on a B&W TV watched by a seated, shadowy figure. The figure is revealed to be former head writer Irna Phillips (played again by Ehlers), who stands up, smiles and walks away, as a nearby radio announcer softly intones into his microphone, "There is a destiny that makes us brothers...."

I'd like to close this blog post with words from a Weekly reader.
 

Marc,

Your June 9th blog was so timely and very, very well-done. I am a GUIDING LIGHT fan from when I was a little girl (I'm 47 now). The show is really humming along right now and has kept me constantly entertained. I read the synopses of all the shows, even though I only watch GL and AS THE WORLD TURNS. There are no longer that many constants in our American way of life. GL and soap operas in general have been that constant. Soap operas cut along generational lines. I can remember my late grandmother hexing Roger Thorpe and calling my mother when she got home from work to tell her what he had been up to. Even my ex-husband (who was subjected to my taping of shows) remembers Josh and Reva, and I named my son after one of my favorite actors, Jordan Clarke (Billy). He wouldn't let me use Clarke for the middle name, though. My son is 15 and knows this. I have told him, "Your namesake has won an Emmy, as well." My daughter, who is a new mother herself, remembers how much she loved Harley when she was a little girl, and always wanted to see what she was up to. She tried watching Beth Ehlers on ALL MY CHILDREN (as Taylor), but it wasn't the same as watching her as Harley. I have such fond memories of the storylines and the characters of GL.

I do not have cable, but would subscribe if GL went to cable. My children are praying that it does.

Just my two cents, and thank you again for the wonderful blog that you posted. It did my heart good to read it. Keep up the good work.

Sincerely,

Sharon Schiller Fusco

Thank you very much, Sharon, for the interesting and truly inspirational letter. I'll gladly keep doing my best.