A Tribute to Terri Christina (Kown) Turner
Rest in Peace in the Arms of our Father.
Although we can not understand the senselessness of why you aren't here anymore, we rejoice in our sadness because we know you are home in glory with your father and step sister.
As a sit here looking at a picture of Terri when she was about 5 years old my eye glances over to a picture from her wedding day just almost 3 years ago. A smile on the face in both pictures, the grace and beauty of an angel. The innocence of a child in one and the beaming joy in the other. One picture is full of hopes and dreams and the other is a fullfillment of one of those dreams a little girl always has.
She leaves behind my wife, her sister, her best friend. I always knew when it was Terri on the other end of the phone because i could always see the serenity in my wife. I could hear it in her voice. Now my wife is an only child. She has lost the sister she played with, shared with, cried with and laughed with. Her mother has experienced yet another loss of a child. All she has left is my wife now. She has earned her right to experience the peace of Christ. Mother Teressa hadn't been through or seen half the tragedy Mrs. Kown has. A mom is not supposed to bury her children and yet she has buried another. Her husband Joey is in shambles. She died in his arms. Again, no young husband of 28 years old is ever supposed to experience such a lasting image. She turned his world around. She was his everything and I mean that very literally. Her 1 and a half year old daughter Molly is clueless right now. She is being passed around from sister to aunt to many different friends. All the while her eyes are looking for "mommy" She will never know her mom. Not really. Only through memories and pictures. She will never be able to get the hug when she is scared on the first day od school or when someone hurts her. Terri will miss her 1st day of school, her graduation, her prom, her marriage, her whole life. All Terri wanted for years was a husband and a child and she got it, but only briefly.
Her husband said this to me and if this doesn't break your heart you aren't bleeding the same blood that humans bleed. He said, while looking at a photo of them on thier wedding day, "I always thought that would be the day that I would remember for the rest of my life and now I can't make this day go away."
Terri and I had a special bond. Not like most brother in laws have with thier sister in laws. I have known Terri since she was 12. She was my other little sister. We were so much alike in many ways. It comforted her at a young age that she could confide in me about things that she couldn't with the rest of her family. She and I shared the same sort of humor and could just cut our eyes at each other and laugh about a situation and no one else in the room knew what we were laughing at. I always included terri in ways that all of my wife's past boyfriends never did. i showed interest in her, care for her and always was there to offer any advice.
I have yet to grieve myself over her passing because I had to be thier for my wife, her mom and many of the family members. The reality of this hasn;t sunk in yet. I know it will when the holidays roll around and my "Treebark" won't be there.
She was a perfect woman in many ways. Many of her gifts and talents were hidden from people because she always thought of others first and she never liked tyo be up front or rock the boat.
None of us will ever be the same. The day that Terri died, something died in all of us. We will go on, we will make it through this and keep on keeping on but Terri, you will be along for the ride in each of our hearts. Why God took a mother who loved her child like crazy, who loved her husband unconditionally and loved her sister and family so very deeply and yet allows many crappy mothers the right to live when they neglect and beat thier children is beyond me. There is no other woird that just senseless. It is an absolute shame, absolutely awful and down right ridiculous that God would actually allow this to happen.
But here is a piece of advice from a total stranger that I got on the night of Terri's viewing. She told me that we can't put a question mark in the places that God has put a period. Amen! Even though I hate it. I have come to a peace about this but that doesn't mean i have to agree with God and to be blunt. I totally disagree with Him on what has happened in our family and I will never agree. I doesn't change my faith in any way but it sure does hurt.
We miss you more than words can express Sweet Terri. We love you and we will see you again.
With all of my love,
Jay
Although we can not understand the senselessness of why you aren't here anymore, we rejoice in our sadness because we know you are home in glory with your father and step sister.
As a sit here looking at a picture of Terri when she was about 5 years old my eye glances over to a picture from her wedding day just almost 3 years ago. A smile on the face in both pictures, the grace and beauty of an angel. The innocence of a child in one and the beaming joy in the other. One picture is full of hopes and dreams and the other is a fullfillment of one of those dreams a little girl always has.
She leaves behind my wife, her sister, her best friend. I always knew when it was Terri on the other end of the phone because i could always see the serenity in my wife. I could hear it in her voice. Now my wife is an only child. She has lost the sister she played with, shared with, cried with and laughed with. Her mother has experienced yet another loss of a child. All she has left is my wife now. She has earned her right to experience the peace of Christ. Mother Teressa hadn't been through or seen half the tragedy Mrs. Kown has. A mom is not supposed to bury her children and yet she has buried another. Her husband Joey is in shambles. She died in his arms. Again, no young husband of 28 years old is ever supposed to experience such a lasting image. She turned his world around. She was his everything and I mean that very literally. Her 1 and a half year old daughter Molly is clueless right now. She is being passed around from sister to aunt to many different friends. All the while her eyes are looking for "mommy" She will never know her mom. Not really. Only through memories and pictures. She will never be able to get the hug when she is scared on the first day od school or when someone hurts her. Terri will miss her 1st day of school, her graduation, her prom, her marriage, her whole life. All Terri wanted for years was a husband and a child and she got it, but only briefly.
Her husband said this to me and if this doesn't break your heart you aren't bleeding the same blood that humans bleed. He said, while looking at a photo of them on thier wedding day, "I always thought that would be the day that I would remember for the rest of my life and now I can't make this day go away."
Terri and I had a special bond. Not like most brother in laws have with thier sister in laws. I have known Terri since she was 12. She was my other little sister. We were so much alike in many ways. It comforted her at a young age that she could confide in me about things that she couldn't with the rest of her family. She and I shared the same sort of humor and could just cut our eyes at each other and laugh about a situation and no one else in the room knew what we were laughing at. I always included terri in ways that all of my wife's past boyfriends never did. i showed interest in her, care for her and always was there to offer any advice.
I have yet to grieve myself over her passing because I had to be thier for my wife, her mom and many of the family members. The reality of this hasn;t sunk in yet. I know it will when the holidays roll around and my "Treebark" won't be there.
She was a perfect woman in many ways. Many of her gifts and talents were hidden from people because she always thought of others first and she never liked tyo be up front or rock the boat.
None of us will ever be the same. The day that Terri died, something died in all of us. We will go on, we will make it through this and keep on keeping on but Terri, you will be along for the ride in each of our hearts. Why God took a mother who loved her child like crazy, who loved her husband unconditionally and loved her sister and family so very deeply and yet allows many crappy mothers the right to live when they neglect and beat thier children is beyond me. There is no other woird that just senseless. It is an absolute shame, absolutely awful and down right ridiculous that God would actually allow this to happen.
But here is a piece of advice from a total stranger that I got on the night of Terri's viewing. She told me that we can't put a question mark in the places that God has put a period. Amen! Even though I hate it. I have come to a peace about this but that doesn't mean i have to agree with God and to be blunt. I totally disagree with Him on what has happened in our family and I will never agree. I doesn't change my faith in any way but it sure does hurt.
We miss you more than words can express Sweet Terri. We love you and we will see you again.
With all of my love,
Jay