Last night, my wife surprised me by purchasing "Blind Side" on DVD. I have been talking about buying it the day it comes out on DVD for a couple of weeks now and she beat me to the punch. We saw this movie in the theater and absolutely loved it. My favorite movies are true sports stories and "Blind Side" is high on the list.
The movie is based on the true story of a prominent family and a homeless teenager and how their lives become intertwined. I will leave it up to you, if you have yet to see it, to get the rest of the story for yourself. It is a "feel-good" movie that shows what people (both inside and outside the circumstance of homelessness) are capable of. There is one part in the movie that is especially touching to me.
The scene takes place at a restaurant where the mother of the prominent family is at her weekly ritzy lunch eating her over-priced salad with her friends when they begin questioning her motives for taking the homeless teen into her home. You can tell she is no longer comfortable with this circle of friends and their intent to find joy in the material possessions of this world. She defends her decision with such conviction that her friends change their minds about the situation and tell her "You're changing that boy's life." To which she responds, "No, he's changing mine."
How awesome is that?! I know that her intent all along was to help this teen turn his life around. Undoubtedly, she did help him do just that, but she was also hit with the unexpected. Her life was changed tremendously by this situation as well.
This scene hits home for me. Not because my wife and I have ever taken a homeless individual into our home but rather due to my position at SAMMinistries. When awarded this position, I thought how awesome it would be to help people get back on their feet and help them change their lives. How naive! In my short time as Employment Development Specialist, I don't know how many lives I have touched, but I do know that I have been changed by each individual I have come in contact with. What a blessing it is to find such a priceless reward!
