The Blind Side

One of my favorite movies is “The Blind Side”, the story of American pro football athlete Michael Oher. Michael’s journey to the world of pro football starts when the Tuohy family takes him in, helps him, and champions him. Most of all, they take the time to understand him.

Leigh Anne Learns to See…

Leigh Anne Tuohy, the mother and feisty firebrand of the family, does this first and best. In my opinion, one of the most poignant moments in the movie finds Leigh Anne having lunch with her friends in an upscale restaurant. After chastising her friends and asking them to respect her family’s choice to take Michael in, one friend remarks, “I think what you’re doing is so great. To open up your home to him. Honey, you’re changing that boy’s life.” To which Leigh Anne replies, “No. He’s changing mine.”

I admire Leigh Anne for her Force-of-Nature personality, her decisiveness, her confidence. But I admire her most for her willingness to look outside of her world and see life through Michael’s eyes. There’s more than one blind side in this movie, and she acknowledges this with her statement in the lunch scene. I love that she allows her compassion to drive positive change, even when others around her think she’s crazy. That change ripples outward into other lives, like still water does when a pebble is tossed into it.

…And So Have I.

When Joseph first came along (East Asia’s Influence on my Life), I didn’t see his arrival as a “Blind Side Moment”. I simply saw a young man I needed to get to know because he was interested in my daughter. It is through getting to know him that it has happened, though.

To be sure, Joseph’s had his share of struggles. His just came in a different form than Michael Oher’s. He grew up in Taiwan and then came to the United States for schooling during middle school. When I go to Taiwan, I will be surrounded by a culture, language, and people who are different from what I have always known. In a visceral way, I will begin to grasp some of Joseph’s life and struggles.

Blind Side Moment

And there it is. My “Blind Side Moment”. Standing in Taiwan will be the physical proof that meeting this one young man has changed me in many ways. Like Leigh Anne Tuohy, my blind side is a little less blind now.

Also like Leigh Anne, I’ve had people tell me that Joseph is fortunate to have our family. The truth is, we’re fortunate to have him. Have we changed his life? I hope so, and for the better. Has he changed mine?

Let me get back to you on that one once I’m in Taiwan.

Discussion: Have you ever had a “Blind Side” Moment?