My Kinda Hero: Tay

I'd like to introduce you to a dear, sweet, adorable friend of mine.

Actually, she's more than that.

She's one of my heroes. 

(photo from 2009 courtesy of KM Photography and Nuttall Photography)

You really have to know Tay in order to understand why.

You  have to know where she came from to appreciate who she is today.

I want you to appreciate her.
~

Two years ago, Tay's parents approached me about possibly teaching voice lessons to their daughter in an effort to build her confidence and "pull her out of her shell".

You see, Tay was one of THE MOST incredibly SHY, most self-depreciating souls I have ever met on the face of the planet.  

Tay was so shy and so afraid that she couldn't even answer a question during class at school.  

(I knew this.  I was her school music teacher as well.)

She couldn't look at you, except on the rare, RARE occasion that she stole a quick, brief, nearly non-existent glance.

Tay barely whispered one-on-one with her parents (and sometimes to a close friend).
Don't ask her to speak unless you're one of them.

She would shake if put on the spot...nearly uncontrollably.

In society the term "shy" is applied much too loosely and often quite inexcusably.

But 
Tay. was. shy.

Completely and utterly and thoroughly painfully "shy".

Throughout the following year, my goal was to work hand-in-hand with her loving parents;

to encourage Tay as she learned to appreciate who she is,
 to accept herself, to recognize her own abilities 

and to be unafraid to allow other people to enjoy her amazingly creative personality.

She willingly, compliantly took lessons.

She showed up every week with each song memorized to absolute perfection,

having dedicated hours each week to learning exactly what she needed to know.
(I had had students before.  NONE were nearly as dedicated.)
Slowly, very, very slowly, she began to look me in the eyes.
I'll never forget the day when she looked me square in the eyes and answered a question with perfect clarity.
I no longer had to strain to hear her speak.

She persistently learned and studied and practiced and tried 

and grew and rose above the challenges I would place before her.  

At school, I would invite her to share her knowledge with the class as I would purposely ask questions that I knew only SHE would have answers to.  

I would tear up with her as she would visibly shake and nearly cry when we encouraged her

(maybe a little more like "forced") 

to sing in front of audiences, such as at recitals and at church functions.

I made her make eye contact.

I asked her to do hard things.

Still, she never, EVER gave up.

She kept on going on.

Tay is my hero because today, TODAY,

she is no longer afraid.

She is a beautiful, enthusiastic young woman who, 

over the past two years,

made some very difficult and uncomfortable changes to who she was

because she KNEW she could;

because she knew she was worth it;

because she had discovered that she held in her soul something amazing to offer the world.

Last week, Tay won 1st Place at a community Talent Show 

in front of hundreds of people 

and among dozens of contestants. 

Performing a self-taught hula hoop routine.

With a smile on her face.  

Making eye contact with the audience.

Emitting pure confidence.

Now, you can see why she's my kinda hero.