At a Glance
Waiting in line to buy books in the Russell House Bookstore at the University of South Carolina, Terry Cousin was a gentleman and allowed a young lady to cut in front of him. That young woman, Carmen, was appreciative of his kind gesture. Four months later, they bumped into each other again and started talking - which led to their first date. A few years later, Terry was in his second year in the NFL when he accepted Christ. It was then that he asked Carmen to be his wife. After being married for a short while, they decided they would like to start a family, but Carmen was dealing with some medical issues and they weren’t sure they would be able to have children. When their first daughter Zahria, which means helped by God, was born, Terry was elated, and relieved that the pregnancy and delivery went so well. A little over 2 years later, God helped them again with the arrival of their second daughter Zoe.Terry grew up without a father, so he takes his job as “Daddy” very seriously. “I strive to love them, and in turn ask them to love each other. I also want them to know how much God loves them, and to realize how much He has done for them.” He also doesn’t want to be known as the “Enforcer” alone but also as the one who loves them – no matter what. His advice to dads – “Never take for granted what you have. Encourage your family with your words and spend as much time with them as you can.”He believes the biggest challenges his daughters face is their believing what they see in the media is actually reality. He is always reminding them that the sitcoms and movies they watch aren’t real – and that there are consequences to bad decisions. He loves to spend time with them outside in their pool and taking them to Chuck E. Cheese. And he admits that, on occasion, he spoils them.When he and Carmen get away, they like to catch a movie, try new restaurants, travel or take walks on the beautiful Jacksonville beaches. But one of their favorite pastimes is to visit a bookstore and relive the memory of how they met, and how their life stories are now intertwined.
