Editing Guiding Light (section)

====Cancellation and final episode====
On April 1, 2009, CBS announced that it would not renew ''Guiding Light'', and the last broadcast date would be September 18, 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 September 2009 |title=Guiding Light, Snuffed: Scene From A Dying Daytime Drama |website=[[The New York Observer]] |url=https://observer.com/2009/09/guiding-light-snuffed-scene-from-a-dying-daytime-drama/ |access-date=30 March 2022 |archive-date=28 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628092204/https://observer.com/2009/09/guiding-light-snuffed-scene-from-a-dying-daytime-drama/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Because April 1 is also [[April Fools' Day]], a day heavily associated with jokes and pranks, many people—even some of the cast and crew members—did not believe the news, thinking that it was another April Fools' Day prank.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 September 2009 |title=Guiding Light, Snuffed: Scene From A Dying Daytime Drama |website=[[The New York Observer]] |url=https://observer.com/2009/09/guiding-light-snuffed-scene-from-a-dying-daytime-drama/ |access-date=30 March 2022 |archive-date=28 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628092204/https://observer.com/2009/09/guiding-light-snuffed-scene-from-a-dying-daytime-drama/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Procter & Gamble initially announced that they would attempt to find another outlet to distribute the series, but later admitted that they had been unsuccessful in doing so, and that on September 18, 2009, after 57 years on television (preceded by 15 years on radio for a total broadcast history of 72 years), ''Guiding Light'' would end its broadcast history on CBS.

Storylines were resolved in the final weeks of the series, and numerous characters from the series' past passed through Springfield one last time. Among the returnees were the characters of Nola, Holly and Mindy; Josh told Reva that he was leaving Springfield for a job for the next year, but proposes that he return one year from that date and, if by that time, she wants to reunite with him, she should meet him at the lighthouse and, if she is not there, he will assume she is not interested.

The final episode is pleasant, featuring many of the characters gathering in the park for a large picnic. Toward the end of the episode, it jumps forward one year, by which time, Phillip and Beth have reunited, as have Rick and Mindy. Olivia and Natalia, happy with their new baby, pick up Rafe as he returns from the army. The episode concludes with Josh arriving at the lighthouse, as promised, and finding Reva there. They declare their undying love. James, Ashlee, and Daisy leave Springfield and relocate to [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]], [[California]]. Josh asks if Reva is packed, to go on an adventure. The two grab the luggage, and with Reva's young son, they climb into Josh's [[pick-up truck]]. Josh says to Reva, "You ready?" She replies "always," a callback to her promise of "Always, Bud" that Reva uttered to Josh many times on the show. As the truck drives away with the [[lighthouse]] in the background, ''"The End"'' appears on the screen before a final fadeout. The song heard playing in the background during the final scene is "Together" by [[Michelle Branch]].<ref name="chicagotribune.com">{{Cite web |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-tc-bonus-guiding-finale-0918.ar0sep19,0,3667853.story |author=Moore, Frazier |date=September 19, 2009 |title=Associated Press report |website=[[Chicago Tribune]] |access-date=September 19, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090922170341/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-tc-bonus-guiding-finale-0918.ar0sep19,0,3667853.story |archive-date=September 22, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The final episode also included the original tag line, with some revision, printed on the screen with the words "There is a destiny that makes us FAMILY" (replacing the word 'brothers'), as well as quick film clips of each of the show's title cards and announcers during the nearly six decades it was on television, leading to the show's former long-time beginning announcement: "And now, ''The Guiding Light''".