LINDSEY TRICE was stuck. Life as she knew it changed forever on Mother’s Day in 2018 when she returned home from church to find her father lifeless.
“I tried to resuscitate him. [I] tried to do all those things, but he was already cold. And so, as a daddy’s girl, as a girl that absolutely adored her father, my heart was broken — broken in more ways than one because I was unable to save my hero and broken because I was 29 years old at the time and just lost my father. It was rough,” said Trice.
A few years later, just as her grieving was entering a new stage, her beloved Grandmama was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was gone within a month. Trice was stunned. “The hospice process and actually seeing her deteriorate in front of my eyes — those things took the breath out of me,” said Trice. “I understand from a spiritual aspect that death is a part of it, but it didn’t make it easier. And so, I felt like I was really just stuck.”
From a Facebook post by Trice: There comes a point on each of our journeys that we will experience some type of loss. It’s life, right!!!! But I can attest you will find you again. You will find the joy again. You will find your smile again. You will find your laugh again. You will find your passion again.
Trice wasn’t the only one stuck. Trice knew that her mother and her brother were grieving, too. Trying to be strong left her drained. “We’ve been through this together. I was adamant about making it for my mother and my brother. I wanted them to be okay because I knew that what we lost was a big part, especially for my mother, who had been with that man for 40-plus years of her life. It was very hard to see her struggle. [It was] hard to watch.” Trice said.
Trice struggled, too, but then something began to stir. “It was like I was just going through the motions, just existing. I went through my dirty work and did grief therapy, all those things, but it was like a transition,” Trice said. “I think I finally got my breath back. I finally wanted to go on, continue to dream, and aspire to leave a lasting imprint. What can I do while I’m on this earth that’s gonna last a lifetime?”
From a Facebook post by Trice: When you lose someone you love, you lose a part of you. A part of you that you will never find again. Life will never be the same, but what I do know is there will come a time on your healing journey when you will find the things that make you happy again. Those things that you were once passionate about will give you joy again. You will smile again.
Trice had big hopes and dreams before the losses. As she began to sense grief loosening its grip on her plans, she saw things with new eyes.
Trice said, “Now, it’s bigger than me. If I can just continue the legacy of those who touched my heart dearly, like my father, whose life was cut short because of heart disease, or my grandmother with pancreatic cancer. It just came a point that was like, ‘You know what, I’m gonna live for them to smile down and say how pleased they were with the life that I continued even after their transition.’”
She continued, “Family is everything to me. My brother and I have truly been blessed with amazing parents who sacrificed a lot for us to be afforded the opportunities we have been blessed with. It’s my earnest desire to create a legacy, especially for my niece and nephews, who I absolutely adore.”
From a Facebook post by Trice: Let’s talk about finding your passion after loss. Yes, your journey will absolutely look different than mine. But I’m a testament that there will come a day — to be honest, an unexpected day when you will not only find yourself again but your passion to live life to the fullest again.
Even before she began to dream again and grasp her calling to honor their legacy, she saw God working, going ahead of her to make a way to heal and, through the process, encourage others.
“So I started putting feet to that, getting Lindsey back. God opened the door, even before my grandmother [passed], at Webb School, so I was able to pour into these kids as an assistant athletic director. I was at a place where my passion and purpose were. He was still using me even then, broken,” Trice said.
Her brokenness and vulnerability became her testimony and the pathway to healing.
From a Facebook post by Trice: “I sometimes find myself asking, ‘What would your daddy tell you from heaven? And more recently, what would Grandmama tell you? Live Lindsey!!! Go for it all. There’s so much left for you to fulfill and accomplish. Live with no regrets. Love until your last breath!!!!’”
She discovered she could start right where she was. “I felt like He was using my brokenness in my story to help mold these kids. It was bigger than athletics. It was me mentoring these kids from a place of brokenness,” she said. “I lived with the pain of feeling like I couldn’t help bring my daddy back to life, but if I can just help somebody else along the way. So, it gave me an opportunity. It gave me a purpose.”
From a Facebook post by Trice:
Not sure who this is for, but 😘
– Lindsey, 8/1/22, Facebook post
“When I made that post, I felt like there was a wind behind me. That wind was the witnesses that went before me. I knew people were cheering me on, like, ‘Lindsey, go on, and just see what the ends gonna be. This is bigger than you,’” Trice said. “You get a little winded, and sometimes it’s weird to have my daddy or grandma whisper, ‘You got this.’ They’re forever a part of my story. They’re the wind beneath my wings.” GN
