The Blind Side

My sister told me to see it. My best friend told me to see it. But as life goes, it wasn’t until it was #1 in my Netflix queue and arrived in my mailbox that I actually saw this critically-acclaimed film.

Let me just say: I loved it! Loved every moment. The fifteen I spent in tears. The five I spent laughing. The ninety I spent lying in bed after it was over, thinking about resilience, about love, about doing something. I quickly got online and found a copy of the book the movie is based on.

A day later, I heard about a reality show starring one of the teen suspects in the highly-publicized slew of celebrity home burglaries. This show follows the life this teen. It shows her buying clothes, getting pedicures, and visiting her attorney.

No one is telling me to watch this show, and I’m not thinking I’m going to, I’m sorry to say.

As a storyteller, I pay a lot of attention to the stories being told--whether it be on book or magazine pages; or on movie, TV, or computer screens. There is great power in stories. And for me, the stories that show us the good in the world, and in turn, touch the place in our souls that makes us want to add to that good are those that need to be told more and more.

It is a great joy to be a writer, a storyteller. But for me, I also feel a great responsibility. To take the good of what I’ve seen, and sometimes the good of what I’ve hoped, and make sure it makes it to the pages of my books. To make sure that even though my characters may like their pedicures, I always acknowledge that cute feet are only as good as the path they’re walking.

So, here’s to walking a good path, lending a good hand, and being the best of what we’ve read and seen and heard in the stories that shape us, day after day.