Challenge - Photograph a Shay moment

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

08/26/2008 04:54:34 PM · #1

I received this email last night. Normally I throw all junk mail without even reading them...but this one had me entrapped....unlike the others, I read it....and was in tears. This morning I decided, it was too good not to touch others with....and thought we could make this into a challenge. Which in turn may touch others in the process. The Challenge I propose is to photograph a 'Shay' moment. Whether it be the joy on the faces, the person struggling but trying....anything that shows the human spirit in such a situation as this. Don't know what a 'Shay' moment is? Read on....you soon will.

Two Choices

What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice?

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:

'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?'

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'

Then he told the following story:

Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.'

Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart.. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.

In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.

Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the

plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.

The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.

The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.

As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over.

The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman..

Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.

Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first!

Run to first!'

Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base.

He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!'

Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.

By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball . the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.

He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.

Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'

Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!

Shay, run to third!'

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!'

Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team

'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'.

Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

AND NOW A LITTLE FOOT NOTE TO THIS STORY:

We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people hesitate.

The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.

If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference.

We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural order of things.'

So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice:

Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?

A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.

You now have two choices:

1. Delete

2. Forward

May your day, be a Shay Day.

Ken

Canon EOS-7D

08/26/2008 05:18:40 PM · #2

I like the idea for the challenge.

Here's more on the about the email you received.

StOlafPhotographer

Nikon D200

Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di for Nikon

08/26/2008 05:21:58 PM · #3

I like this a lot, thanks for sharing this with us judi! May YOUR day be a shay day! :)

Evan

PS Forwarded to a few friends!

Pentax DA 16-45mm f/4.0 ED AL AF

08/26/2008 05:22:04 PM · #4

Originally posted by Ken:

I like the idea for the challenge.

Here's more on the about the email you received.

Thanks for that. It appears it is a true story and somehow over time and web travel, the boy's name has changed from Shaya to Shay. Regardless....I think this could be a very moving challenge for all involved. It might bring a little spark of happiness back into everyones lives.

bs-photos

Pentax K7

08/26/2008 05:22:07 PM · #5

I've received this fwd a few times in emails, it is definitely a good one. If more people would realize how little things like this can change things so much the world might just be a better place. Thanks for posting

Judi, sounds like a great idea for a challenge.

08/26/2008 06:08:09 PM · #6

May everyone have a Shay Day!

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

08/28/2008 08:40:29 PM · #7

Bump for Shay!

scrybz

Canon EOS-40D

08/28/2008 08:54:24 PM · #8

Originally posted by Ken:

I like the idea for the challenge.

Here's more on the about the email you received.

Chain letters are used to harvest email addresses by spammers. You forward this mail to your address book, they forward and so on .... Eventually they get it back loaded up with all the forwards.
If you think I'm insensitive for pointing this out, consider the cold hearted bastards that started this email campaign to sell Viagra.

AmeedEl-Ghoul

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

08/28/2008 09:01:36 PM · #9

Thanks Judi for bringing tears to my eyes, and thanks for realizing how much I am blessed, to have a healthy daughter,
You reminded me of an Arabic proverb: Health is a crown over the healthy's head, only the sick see it '' excuse the translation ''.
I am with it, if we can have a Shay/Shaya's challenge.
Thanks for sharing,

ambaker

Google Glass Google Glass

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM

08/28/2008 10:48:12 PM · #10

Originally posted by Ken:

I like the idea for the challenge.

Here's more on the about the email you received.

I think I would disagree with the alternative interpretation. If indeed we did let the Shays of this world score a grand slam every time, we would be robbing them of a chance to show real accomplishments. However, doing a kindness now and then is not quite the same thing.

Are there none of us who let our children win a game, that we can easily win, once in a while to keep their interest?

Truth or legend, Shay would never have been able to hit the ball or get on base, let alone hit a grand slam, if he were not "helped" by the others. Helping someone is not destroying them. As long as you do give them the chance to be them. The over competitive jock needs to understand that winning isn't everything, it isn't the only thing, it's just one little thing amongst many things.

Purple_Girl

Canon EOS-1100D

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II

08/31/2008 12:13:00 AM · #11

I loved the story and it's always nice (and rare these days, it feels to me) to hear something good about the world and the people in it. So thanks for that one, Judi :)

Realistically though, I think trying to capture a photo that embodies the story would be tremendously difficult. Getting out there and doing some spontaneous street photography would be fun (I'm not sure if many other categories would offer up anything workable for this theme) but it'd be so hard to find something to shoot that resembles/embodies Shaya's story.

I'm not saying there's something wrong with a tough challenge and really working your effort muscles, I just can't see Shay Day as being much participated in.

.....but hey, at least the shoehorners would have a damn tough time :P