Cheerful Giving

The Blind Side was a big hit seven months before I finally rented the movie.
I was sorry I hadn't paid more attention to the TV interviews with the family at the time of its initial release. Well, I needn't have worried, because People Mag did a nice interview with them recently and more interestingly, Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy wrote a book with Sally Jenkins, entitled In a Heartbeat, about their family's journey taking Michael Oher into their hearts and home, eventually adopting him.

If you thought you knew enough about them, I'm telling you the book is really inspiring, telling about their individual backgrounds, how their own parents' giving influenced their lives at an early age. I couldn't put the book down, which is rare for one with my short attention span.

Michael must have cringed when he saw the scene where Leigh Ann comes onto the field to tell him how to play and S.J. drills plays with him. According to Leigh Ann, he already knew how to play when he got to their family.

Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw, who portray Leigh Ann and Sean, and all three of the Tuohy children (Collins, Michael and S.J.) get their say in the book as well.

Anytime a book can make me smile, laugh and cry, I say it's worth recommending. Of course, the main purpose in writing the book is to encourage those of us who saw the movie and now have read the book to go out and buy into the Popcorn Theory. You will have to read the book to find out what that means. Actually, it's on the first page of the book.

You don't have to do a lot to make a difference in someone's life; every day there are opportunities if only we pay attention to them. I found this to be an excellent lesson in cheerful giving.

Do you have a hero?

Four years ago, my cousins, Terry & Mary, adopted Joey (4) and Katie (2), the only parents these two children had ever known. This came after 14 years of fostering children who returned to their biological families or were adopted by others. They were never given the chance to adopt these children but felt the heart pangs of seeing them leave after being in their home sometimes for years.

By the way...Terry and Mary successfully reared two biological children of their own before entering into this selfless act of caring for others. I always thought them to be ideal parents, encouraging their children to venture out and pursue their passions without fear. Now, Joey and Katie are filling their lives with joy once again...and they even have a new grandchild to love as well.

Speaking of heroes, and I was, I heard recently that Sal Guerneri with whom I went to grade school and high school passed away recently. I don't know the details, but I recalled how Sal once rescued me as I was being bullied crossing the street to go to school when I was a child.
That qualifies for heroism in my book any day of the week. May his soul rest in peace.