Monday, March 26, 2012

Terry

Photo by Susan Brandt
You know Terry. I know you do. But you don't yet know that you do. Terry was, as a friend states, "as much of the Calgary landscape as the tower itself."

How do I know you know Terry? Well, if you work, live or have ever been downtown, I bet you've seen him. Wait, you probably don't know Terry. But you should have.

Terry was the man who you might have seen on 1st SE or on 1St SW in his wheelchair. You might recognize him as the man who has the prosthetic legs with the Calgary Flames' logo at the top. He doesn't look like the type of person that people ever want to get to know. Ever. And the majority of people make zero effort. At first Terry would always remember me, and then he began to forget me a bit and eventually just asked me for change - but if I said "Hi Terry" in the morning as I walked past, the response was almost radiant.

A couple of years ago, I fell into stride, as you might say, beside Terry as he wheeled to his usual place and I walked to my bus stop after work. I chatted with him for a few moments before, daft as I am, realizing that he was struggling. "Can you help me out?" he asked, and I agreed and moved in behind his wheelchair to give him a push. And boy, it wasn't easy. I'm glad he asked because I am apparently so ridiculously clueless that I wouldn't have realized he had needed help with it. But pushing that chair in my dress coat and cowboy boots opened my eyes. Most people think Terry ended up the way he did because he was weak. It was clear that he was struggling, and was probably the type of "homeless" person that parents warn their children about. But Terry was anything but weak, and he was anything but scary. He was, hands down, one of the strongest men I've ever met. To push his chair for 3 minutes left me breathless. I can't imagine the persistent breathless feeling that his tumultuous life left him with. Terry was a strong man with a life full of struggles. I mean FULL of struggles. And as I struggled up that gentle incline, pushing his wheelchair and hoping I didn't lose my footing, I couldn't help but wonder how many times Terry had perhaps lost his footing, maybe even daily - and how important it is to have people to pick you up when you fall.

Last week I learned of Terry's passing through a colleague on Facebook. I watched the comment thread as many Mustard Seed staff and volunteers left their verbal respects for Terry. If you know him or saw him every day, this is your forum to perhaps leave him a few kind words. And remember Terry when you see someone alone and struggling. Don't be afraid to ask if they need help up the hill.

- Sarah

5 comments:

  1. I knew him and talked to him often when I had the privilege of running into him on Stephen Avenue. I had no idea he had passed away. He was always polite, respectful and kind. I thought I saw him on the 10th of this month when I was with my sister and was going to bring her over to introduce her to him and chat, but it wasn't him. It was another man with a single prosthesis and not a Calgary Flames one at that. I'll miss you, Terry, and your kind words for me.

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  2. Thank you so much for posting this!
    Here is my response: http://figjam-2011.blogspot.ca/2012/03/blog-post-from-mustard-seed-calgary.html

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  3. DO you know what date he passed?

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  4. Sarah, What a beautiful Tribute to honour and Remember our friend Terry. He really was a special man who gave us the gift of courage.Terry showed us that we can face our challenges and overcome our troubles, big or small. I feel blessed to have known Terry.

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  5. I read this story with sadness. It is correct to say Terry was as much a part of the Calgary downtown as the Tower.

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Thank you for commenting! Your comments are extremely welcome on all Mustard Seed Blog posts. Staff, volunteers and guests are always in need of encouragement and are always willing to participate in healthy dialogue. We ask that all critical comments be fair and relevant to the post.