Perspective Shift

We went to the movies tonight.

Can't help thinking it might have been our last movie before Matthew comes,
before that day when (as everyone tells us) we won't have the time or the energy to go out to the movies anymore.

So out we went.

And during the previews (that seemed to last forever), one preview stuck with me.

It's called "Blind Side," and it was written up in the latest issue of Adoptive Families magazine as a "thumbs-up," adoption-positive movie. Supposedly it gives all the right messages, uses adoption-positive language, and overall gets an emphatic nod from the adoption community.

To avoid making this blog posting too long, click on the link below to view the preview. The movie opens later this month.

http://www.theblindsidemovie.com

In the trailer, there is a scene where the rich woman, the adoptive mom (Sandra Bullock, who adopts a high school-aged African American boy), is talking with a friend. The friend says, "You're changing that boy's life."

And Sandra Bullock replies, "No, he's changing mine."

Taken aback, I think I audibly gasped. Instantly, my shoulders shook as the quietest of tears sneaked down my cheeks. Yes, right there in the theater! How did that script writer know EXACTLY how I am feeling? Is he or she an adoptive parent themselves? How can a freaking TRAILER make me cry? Wow.

Here's what I'd like you to do: The next time you think about how lucky Matthew is, or what great people you think Jeff and I are, or how we are doing so much to change the life of one little boy, please remember this...

FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, WE ARE THE LUCKY ONES.