I am probably one of the few people left who has not seen the movie, but so be it. I watched Blind Side and was deeply moved. The woman who chose to open her home and heart to a homeless boy/man touched that part of me that aches to be truly generous, and must admit that I haven't really been.
One of the moments that stays with me is when Leigh Anne asks Michael how he survived the horrible things he was exposed to as a child.
"My mama told me to close my eyes."
That was all. Thin, brown eyelids were the only barrier between his tender awareness and the harsh world around Michael. Somehow it was enough to protect his innocence. In an environment rife with pain, Michael did not want to hurt anyone.
My own childhood was a cake walk by comparison. But there were messy parts too. My mother was manic depressive and sometimes stability wobbled. I suspect that was why I made up my own imaginary world, one of flying horses, and their darling colts. They had names, and colors, and I remember watching them fly along beside me when I wanted to have a blind eye. I drew pictures of them, with fancy lettering.
One of the stories in the Bible describes the effort of Noah's sons to turn a blind eye to his mistakes. He was drunk and naked in his tent, and his sons chose to treat their father with respect.
"They took a garment means that they put a good interpretation on the situation. And both of them put it on their shoulder means that they did so with all their might. And went backward means that they paid no attention to errors and perversions. And covered their father's nakedness means that in doing so they excused those wrongs. And their faces were backward, and they did not see their father's nakedness means that this is the proper thing to do, and that we
should not concentrate on such wrongs, which are blunders and downfalls resulting from misguided thinking."
Secrets of Heaven 1082, Emanuel Swedenborg
The strategy worked for me as a child, like it did for Michael. It is my sincere prayer to bend over backwards to not see the mistakes of others. Maybe they will grant me the same favor.
