Water is Thicker Than Blood

I have that one special friend. That BFF that I am very blessed to have in my life. We talk almost everyday through emails, Facebook, and texting. We try and get together at least every other month. Our mothers were best friends. Our daughters and sons are becoming close friends. It's a beautiful thing. It crosses the friendship line and into the family line.

The other day, she emailed me. She wanted to know what I thought of the whole Sandra Bullock and the Asshole Who Will Not Be Named situation. It was a typical celebrity gossip conversation for us that went back and forth between our emails. It ended with both of us agreeing that her Asshole Who Will Not Be Named is just that. And that we both really needed to see Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side.

Late that night, I rented The Blind Side. I had heard so much about it and I wanted to see what the big deal was. Sandra Bullock was very likable as Leigh Anne Tuohy, a somewhat prissy Southern Belle who was tough as nails, stuck to her guns, and very outspoken for what she believed in. She is the head of an upperclass household who notices that one of her children's schoolmates has nowhere to go. After taking him into her home for a night (which quickly turns into a week, a month, a year) and learns that he also has no one to love him but a whole lot of love to give. Despite his background and skin color, Michael Oher becomes a member of their family. He becomes their son and their brother. Not many people got that, but it didn't matter because the Tuohy/Oher Family did.

I got it. I understood it. It's families like this one that prove that blood is NOT thicker than water. Adoption and family members that have no biological connection is something so near and dear to my heart. I understand it. I know it. I live it.

My mother always used to say that if a child is meant to be yours, it will be. It doesn't matter how or where. You don't have to give birth for a child to be yours. Your child can be gifted to you in so many ways at so many times. It could be a new-born baby through adoption. It could be an older child, maybe a niece or nephew or a cousin who is suddenly in your home. It can be the friend of your teen who is lacking parental guidance and just clicks with you. It can even be that daughter or son in law who develops a special parent/child bond. I have been very blessed in one of these situations. One of my greatest gifts of family came through one of the above.

It doesn't have to be a child/parent thing either that makes a family. It can even be that special friend that becomes more of a sister to you than any family member. It's not blood that makes a family, but the bond, the understanding, the respect, and the memories. It's the knowing that if something ever happened to that person, you would be so lost in the world without them. I have also been blessed with that friend/family member.

The Blind Side is a true story of a true family. Michael Oher went on to become a NFL football player. If you google him, you will see pictures of him with his family. He towers over them. He's darker than them. He doesn't seem to fit, yet he is the perfect piece to their puzzle. He makes them complete. And seeing their proud faces, you can see that they are complete.

I loved how The Blind Side doesn't get to distracted with race and dramatics. It touches it, but then lets it go. It is more about the mother/son relationship between Leigh Anne Tuohy and Michael Oher. That's what made the movie so enjoyable. It was light, heartwarming, and sometimes humorous. Though Sandra Bullock was enjoyable and different from her usual quirky, chick flick role, I'm not sure she should have won the Oscar. I believe Sandra proved that she is very capable of a wonderful performance, just not sure this role beat out all the other nominees.

I was very impress with Quinton Aaron who played Michael Oher. He was a character of few words, but his body language and facial expressions spoke volumes. I also loved little Jae Head who played S.J. Tuohy, Michael's little brother who became his biggest cheerleader and agent for all the colleges that were pulling to enroll Michael.

A great movie about a great family. A mother who wanted nothing more than to make sure her son had a roof over his head, food on his plate, clothes on his back, a warm bed, and good grades.
A son had his mother's back every step of the way. You just didn't mess with his Mama. A true family despite their biological differences.

I'm off to email my BFF, my sister I never had, to see how she liked The Blind Side. We've only talked about 10 times in the past two days, but forgot to discuss The Blind Side.

Best of luck to Sandra Bullock. She really is such an enjoyable actress. Hopefully the Asshole Who Will Not Be Named will just fall off the face of the earth somewhere into a dark, hellish oblivion.