How, do I know this? It's proudly engraved on the rear side of his headstone. Right now you're probably thinking who puts that sort of thing on their headstone. Is this a big deal, a major accomplishment that would rate up there with finding a cure for acne or achieving world peace? Probably not, but for Terry, it must have been a defining event.
At first I chuckled then I was a bit ashamed. I'm the kind of person who believes in chasing one's dreams and not marching to others' drummers. I was standing next to the grave of a person who must have done the same. I imagine that he was the kind of guy who loved his sport, even though most of us have no idea that it even exists as such. He much have trained and participated in all sorts of preliminary events in order to work his was up to the state level. And he won, was king of his hill.
What about me? I've chased a few dreams in my life. I spent a few years in the army learning electronics and working on satellite communication stations. I worked at a "real" job for several years, then worked in a few churches in various ministerial positions. Always the dreamer, I convinced my wife we should work in foreign missions and live in Europe. Which we did for about eight years. But, the passion has always been the camera and a few years ago we took the next big adventure and opened our studio.
So, you see, I can identify with Terry. He wasn't afraid to chase his dream and was proud that he did. I admire that.
I hope that my headstone could someday say, "His photos touched a lot of lives."
(Terry is buried in the cemetery that is next to the park where my dog, Sophie, my wife, Joy and I take our morning walks.)
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