Thursday

This Way We Find Inspiration

A year ago, we lost a really great girl. Lindsay Bolger was a philanthropist, a beautiful young woman with a keen business sense and unfortunately, a nasty brain tumor. I was at work when I found out she passed away and for the rest of the afternoon, I was numb. I tried not to cry because I had just started a new job and didn't want to attract any attention. When I got into my car after the end of the day I let my tears spill down my cheeks and thought about how ripped off we all were to lose this fantastic young woman.

This past October I went to the annual B-Strong Bash. It was the first one without Lindsay. A ton of money was raised. People were smiling. The dancing was fantastic and the music made for a great party. We all missed Linds though. It's no big secret, although we all tried to pretend we weren't heartbroken inside. It's one of those things you do. You don't want to be sad so you smile to mask the tears desperately trying to escape.

The video tribute was truly incredible. Set to music, bursting with pictures and written by Lindsay's older brother, it didn't take long for my eyes to betray me. The tears had shown up. I think about that video, especially the part of Lindsay dancing at the end all the time. It makes me happy, but it also seems so surreal. How can she be gone? How can it already be a year? How did we manage to carry on with life? Giving up and falling apart was never an option - there's no way Lindsay would allow that.




In her, we've learned what it really means to fight. Each step of her journey was one she pushed to make. Some were easier than others, but even when she was tired and the end was near, her spirit never faded. That's a gift. When you're facing death and continue fighting, not only for yourself but those who will come after you and need your help, that's determination and grace.

If you need a push to go after your dreams, to get out of bed and to try a little harder, think of Lindsay. I promise, she'll pull you through.

When you need a little inspiration, just B-Strong http://www.bstrong.ca/

2 comments:

Shannon @ What's Up Whimsy said...

Such a nice post Crystal. I saw the Bolgers last night and it took all of my strength not to burst into tears. They are an amazing family.

Miss CMajor said...

They're incredible, I totally agree with you Shannon. Thanks for the blog love xo