I put together a model to describe Terrell’s life because he was a human being with dreams of becoming a famous bass guitar player and traveling around the world with his music. Terrell was my firstborn and the first grandchild on my husband’s and my sides of the family. He was very active in sports: He played baseball, basketball and football. And he loved music. Terrell’s voice was beautiful — he and I sang a lot together. He played the drums for our church, New Bethlehem, where my father, Terrell’s grandfather, was the pastor. Terrell taught himself how to play the bass, playing a 6-string for many famous gospel artists in the Chicagoland area. His goal was to get a degree in music.
I added a Christmas tree since Terrell’s favorite holiday was Christmas; I added his driver’s license since he was sooo excited when he received it and his first car. Last, I added a church for two reasons: Terrell loved going to church, and this is the place where his life was ended by gun violence. Terrell was shot in front of the church and stumbled back into the church for help. So now he is with God in Heaven.