Leigh Anne Tuohy

When Mr. Tuohys drove home, they came across seventeen-year-old homeless and traumatized big Mike who was in a worn-out T-shirt in the chilly winter night. Ms. Leigh Anne Tuohy pulled over the car, stopped him and walked out to the unknown, poor and trembling boy.

That was the turning point of Michael life. Because of the kindness of Ms. Tuohy and her family, he got a chance to continue school, become a successful American football player, and more important, have a loving family. We could say that Ms. Tuohy changed his life, however, what Ms. Tuohy told her friends was “He changed mine.”

That is what impressed me most in the movie The Blind Side which is based on the real story of American football player, Michael Oher. Leigh Anne was a powerful and independent woman but she was not arrogant or selfish, instead, she cared a lot about others and was as kind as many other mothers. Taking Michael to go shopping, giving him a bedroom, hiring family tutor to help him with the school, cheering for him at every match and trying hard to find his biological mother showed that Leigh wanted to help this poor boy from the bottom of her heart. And she felt true happiness after every single thing she had done for Michael. Although her friends did not understand and even teased her at first, she followed her heart to stick to what she wanted to do. I think while helping Michael accomplish his achievement, Leigh found the meaning of her life, too.

What Leigh did enlightened me about the meaning of life. We came to this world nakedly, and when we leave, we take nothing away. The only way we can prove our existing is to influence others. So that when we are dead, people still remember us. Thus, the meaning of life lies in how we influence others. About this question, I share the same answer with Leigh: trying to help others as much as we can. This is the true meaning of life and it brings the fulfillment and happiness you can never have from money, success or other things. Some may think enjoying oneself and having fun are more important. However, those enjoyment and fun are temporary. When it is gone, you will never feel it. Only the happiness of helping others can last life-long time.

I learned from Leigh that when we help others, we are helping ourselves as well. And if she can do it, we all can.