Honoring a beautiful life lost to gun violence: Elijah Gomez

Eli’s Garden of Healing was founded in memory of Elijah Gomez. Eli was shot and killed while walking home from high school. He had just turned 15 the week before. Eli was passionate about nature, playing football with his friends and teammates on the Hamden High School football team, and spending time with his family. His loved ones are creating this garden as a way to bring nature-centric healing to other members of the community who also are healing from any form of violence.

Evergreen by YEBBA was played at Elijah’s funeral. Elijah wanted to be outside constantly. He wanted to be playing basketball and spending as much time as possible in nature. He enjoyed visiting parks and nature preserves, being on water or in backyards. When Elijah was murdered he was surrounded by trees on the Farmington Canal Trail. As much as his family hates thinking of his final moments on Earth, we do know that he spent them surrounded by beautiful lush trees. They were the last things he saw before leaving us so tragically. This song, as painfully beautiful as it is, reminds us to look for the forest beyond the trees.