Maderville

The Blind Side

I saw the movie The Blind Side last night and as expected, I loved it. Being from Alabama and living in Mississippi, it was familiar and pretty true to form. I had these preconceived feelings about some of the subject matter and when I saw it, my feelings were not only solidified but I ended up realizing of that there were some deeper seeded feelings that surfaced. I have faced many of the demons associated with racism. I consider myself very blessed in so many ways and know that the reason that I am is because I have God leading my journey. Sometimes I have to step back and remember to let Him but I always seem to find a better path when I am the follower. Not every story turns out as magical as Michael Oher's but I truly believe that if people would look beyond the surface of someones skin then there would be so much more magic out there. I have been spat on, called more names than you can think of, told that 'my kind' was who killed someone they loved, been denied access to events, and discriminated in so many ways I never dreamed of. It was worse while I was growing up but it still happens even to this day...and it's almost 2010! I had the luxury of spending some time with two of my sisters girls. They are both adopted and come from different back grounds. One is half African American/half West Indies and the other one is half African American/half Puerto Rican. I cannot imagine them not being a part of our family and I know that if more people were brave enough and could look beyond skin color than we would witness some really wonderful miracles. I look at our candid family portrait and think it looks like an ad for the United Nations. We are a true melting pot of cultures and races in this institution I call a family. I wonder how many people that go to see The Blind Side would actually do what the Tuohy's did. They didn't welcome him in because they knew he was going to become a star athelete and become a 1st round draft pick in the NFL. No, they did it because they could but more importantly because their hearts wanted to. As a family they faced some of the same things we all fear, especially in the South, in regard to what others would think but they knew that the greater love would prevail and it did. I love this story but I can't help but to think that that the vast majority will get their warm and fuzzy feeling from it only to resume back to their way of thinking. I hope that more people will start to look toward adopting domestically and thinking more openly about the option of bringing a child...not a color...into their homes. Before I got pregnant, we had already decided that we were going to adopt and we had very few exclusions in our list of what we would look accept in adopting a child. I have to thank my parents first of all for not having a closed mind and then my sister for acting in the same way they did. She, unfortunately, could not have biological children but has been blessed with four of the most amazing children as a result. They have been a blessing to everyone around them. I think about the ramifications that come with raising a child that is of a different race or background but there aren't any greater than the love you will find in becoming a parent to a child that needs a mama or a daddy. My challenge to anyone reading this is if you ever come in contact with someone contemplating adoption, look into the local system before you turn to international or private adoption. You may find yourself with a bigger blessing than you could possibly imagine and in turn give someone else the same. I have lived it, witnessed it and been blessed by it. It is an amazing experience to be a part of and I know without anyone telling me that my life is blessed beyond measure.