Cindy and James Price

James Price proposed more than 30 years ago to his girlfriend, Cindy Carlson, and he did so in an exotic setting – the hills and waterfalls of a Venezuelan jungle signaling that their life together would be one big adventure from beginning to end.

“I married an adventure man for sure,” Cindy recalled with a laugh.

The couple met six months earlier at Northland Church in Longwood, Florida where Cindy was pursuing her spiritual journey and which led her to a small group led by James who was athletic as well as passionate about the Lord. Little did she know that the charming man she had just met and who led a singles group was the one. “I saw his big build and big blue eyes and was like, wow!” When Cindy later watched James in a solo musical performance at a Christmas party for the singles ministry she was smitten. “He’s not only handsome, but he can sing!”

Less than a year later, she found herself on a mission trip with James in the jungle where he and his brothers were raised by their missionary parents. Immediately embraced by his family — all of whom were dedicated to faith and hard work in a remarkably remote part of the world — Cindy fell even deeper in love. James’s creative ways and sense of romance helped.

Unaware of James’s plan to propose on day three of that trip, Cindy accepted his invitation to an outing to explore a waterfall area known for having underground diamonds. As they floated, James guided their small raft toward a shallow pool at the base of the falls while filling her in about the terrain. Cindy was intrigued at the idea of diving for diamonds.

“I put on goggles and he led my hand directly to this ring that was on a stick secured in the sand. He got on his knees in this shallow waterfall and asked me to marry him. He proposed to me in the jungle.”

The couple, who had become casually known to friends as City Cindy and Jungle James, were married one year to the day of their first date but not before James sought permission from Cindy’s parents.

Having been raised in the jungle, James and his siblings thrived in the outdoors, excelling at fishing and hunting for food which included catching alligators. When the couple first began dating, Cindy sent her father a photograph of James surrounded by nearly a dozen dead alligators he had captured, including one that he had beheaded. Cindy’s accompanying note to her dad read, “This is my new boyfriend.”

Cindy later learned that James had saved the reptilian head and before proposing to her, sent the gator piece in a refrigerated container to her father in Hawaii. James’s intent was to assure his future father-in-law, a finance professor, of his commitment to Cindy, using the prized gator meat as proof that he could successfully provide for his family. The gesture is a Venezuelan Indian tradition. The self-professed daddy’s girl is still amused by James’s approach.

It was clear James and her parents would click. For instance, Dr. Carlson was known for randomly handing out $100 bills to strangers as a small act of kindness. James became known for regularly giving envelopes with several hundred-dollar bills to their children, grandkids, and even children of friends, with directives that they think deeply about giving the money to someone else and praying for their chosen recipients. The kids also had to articulate what they expected the impact of their acts of kindness to be. They also encouraged to post their thoughts on a website James created specifically for this teachable initiative – www.100blessing.com.

The couple’s commitment to marriage and family was fundamental and unshakable. After their wedding Cindy and James quickly trained to become therapeutic foster parents, getting a head start on creating their family. Learning to handle conflict, making sure a home is safe and how to communicate effectively with children were welcome lessons as they began their journey together. The Prices enthusiastically became foster parents to two teenage girls while also having two children of their own.

Even as work and family demands increased, Cindy and James’s partnership in family-focused initiatives remained a priority and included mentoring their foster girls, providing respite for other foster parents along with their church activities. And all the while, Cindy worked to expand her successful financial advisory career. Their life was busy.

Every marriage has unexpected moments. At one point in the Price’s life together, James announced without warning that he would be taking off a year from work to write a book about marriage – this at a time when Cindy was embedded in growing her business. He would call it, “The Marriage Guarantee.”

“I thought he was crazy,” Cindy said, adding that she “wasn’t thrilled” because his decision meant she would have to shoulder the family’s financial infrastructure. “We joked that I created every argument for every chapter of that book.”

James’s book might not have been a New York Times bestseller, but it acquired a following. His writings were impactful, and the book became a standard wedding gift for friends as well as their own children.

A natural motivator, James’s big love of life, family and God served as inspiration to his entire family. After retiring from their decades of missionary work translating the Bible for Venezuela’s Indian population, his mom wanted to document their story in a book entitled A Young Woman’s Calling.

“My husband would go over to my mother-in-law’s house and spend one day a week with her and help to come up with the stories.” The hours James spent with his parents would prove to be cherished. As she watched her family of authors expand, Cindy realized that her turn had now come. In 2020 with James’ guidance she wrote and published The Seven L’s of Financial Planning. “I couldn’t have done it without James because he had that gift for editing and writing.”

Cindy’s business includes varied clients from all walks of life, but she has always had an affinity for preparing women for life’s transitions which is what the seventh L in her book represents. “I had seen my clients go through divorce, job changes and losing loved ones, etc., but I didn’t know the life transition part would end up meaning so much to me and so personally so soon.”

In the summer of 2022, Cindy was unexpectedly hit with her own tragic life transition.

Throughout their life together, Cindy counted on James’ spiritual and physical strength “He got us out of every situation.” She recalled a 2021 trip to Costa Rica for their anniversary when they returned to the spot similar to where they became engaged. They wanted to photograph a recreation of their romantic moment at the waterfall. Instantly after snapping the photo, Cindy was suddenly sucked completely under water. Stunned and totally submerged, she struggled against the pulling force of the water, but James immediately rescued his wife by grabbing her hand and yanking her up and out to safety.

One year later, the couple – whose philosophy was to say yes to everything they could say yes to – began yet another rugged adventure, this time with their best friends Eric and Erica. The four traveled back to Costa Rica where their itinerary of activities included dancing, pickleball, kayaking, horseback riding as well as a zipline ride, something they had all done before.

Costa Rica’s primitive elements were of no concern as the couples excitedly hiked the mile-long mountain route upward toward their next adventure – the zipline. Other than a few struggles with his knee, James and the others made their way with relative ease. In fact, despite his knee pain, James dashed ahead of the group to snare their place in line. Cindy glanced up to see James inexplicably reach for a tree branch. Without warning, he collapsed. Erica, an emergency room nurse, dashed to James as he lay on the ground and she began applying CPR. “There was no AED machine. We didn’t have phones and had no way to communicate with anybody. There was a group of ladies there who wanted to pray the rosary with me. So, I did that with them.” After about 20 minutes, Erica was forced to let Cindy know that James could not be revived.

“I know Erica probably still has PTSD over this today.”

With precision, Cindy spoke of how she looked at her husband on the ground with his hands on his chest. “I grabbed his hands, and I said, ‘James, you’ve been the most amazing husband, the most amazing son, the most amazing brother and the most amazing father. I promise you that I will carry on your legacy.’

She is grateful she was able to tell him goodbye. Trapped in a remote location, and with friends still in shock, the group had to now address bringing James’s body down from the mountain. The zipline ride was located an hour from their hotel and they had no way to call for help, so the group was forced to leave his body and hike down the mountain to arrange for his retrieval.

Dealing with the pure unadulterated shock of loss, Cindy also had to manage unforeseen details such as removing James’s wedding ring from his now swollen hand before she left him on the mountain. Erica suggested an emergency room tactic – sliding the ring off with a piece of string and some Vaseline. The friends found a chap stick and pulled a strand of Erica’s hair and slid the band off his finger. “I put the ring in my pocket and then we had to descend down the mountain and meet with the embassy.” The ring was especially important to James who had lost his original wedding band years before, ironically while gator hunting.

“I promise you that I will carry on your legacy.”

Cindy also now had to navigate the regulations and protocols of a foreign country where she didn’t speak the language – again, while still reeling from the sudden loss of her husband. As a financial planner, Cindy had long before formalized the couple’s estates and preferences in preparation for their respective deaths, but neither had ever imagined such heartbreaking and difficult circumstances.

Despite the myriad challenges and trauma, Cindy has nothing but praise for their tour guide who helped her care for James in the immediate and for connecting her with the U.S. Embassy. During the three-hour ordeal, Cindy also began the heartbreaking task of notifying family members, including their children, James’s parents and siblings. Erik and Erica stayed by her side. “I couldn’t have made those phone calls without them for sure.”

Again, because the couple knew each other’s wishes, the embassy was able to assist Cindy in having her husband’s body cremated in Costa Rica enabling her to bring his ashes home with her without delay. Cindy said the embassy team’s assistance made it possible for her to focus on getting home to find comfort with her family.

Slowly absorbing what had happened, Cindy returned to her hotel room where she donned one of James’s T-shirts and tried to sleep. The next morning, she and her friends flew home. Weeks later, Cindy would learn that June 23, the date of her return, was International Widow’s Day.

During a quick stop in the airport gift shop before her departure, Cindy found a shirt with a large monarch butterfly – reminding her of a Monarch that had followed her in the rainforest. “I, of course, bought the shirt.”

Never before had she paid attention to butterflies, but she now keeps a collection of Monarch butterfly mementos around her home and recalls the constant presence of a Monarch flitting around the family all day on the first Thanksgiving after James’ passing. “It was just amazing.”

Everyone handles grief differently; Cindy returned to work quickly. Helping clients and staying busy was therapeutic. Her children stayed close. She found support by becoming involved with the Modern Widows Club, an organization she was familiar with through her business and where her daughter now works. Cindy has become a frequent speaker at events, sharing her story of handling life transitions with joy, peace and resilience.

Today, three years after James’s death, Cindy presents a genteel and strong persona. As a widow, she has learned to rely on herself more than ever and has even become comfortable asking for help.

Most importantly, she continues to keep her promise to James to preserve his legacy. For instance, he and a group of friends began a non-denominational ministry center that James dubbed “The Lighthouse” -- a beacon of hope. His life ended before the project was completed. On behalf of her husband, Cindy the ever squeaky wheel, made certain the center was completed with a dedication occurring one year after his death. “His legacy lives on through the Lighthouse,” she says with satisfaction. “It warms my heart to know the building is being used.”

As she continues to navigate the loss of her husband, Cindy is fortified by the life and family she and James built and loved. Like many who are widowed, her focus is finding ways to move forward without her partner. She has learned a few things along the way – how to keep James’s memory alive in healthy ways, remembering to show grace and being open to reinvention.

Cindy explains that she was too emotionally overwhelmed to read all of the 300 plus sympathy cards she received after James’s death, so she placed them in a decorative basket in her bedroom. Recently, she felt strong enough to begin what has become a cherished ritual of reading three cards a day. “God kind of spoke to me and said, ‘Start reading those again.” As a result, said Cindy, she now reads them with more intention.

She also started journaling to memorialize special moments connected to James such his birthday, family events and celebrations. The family gets together on his birthday each year to enjoy his favorite foods.

The experience of loss has reminded her of the power of grace -- giving others room to function as best as possible during difficult times. She cited her own inability to attend a celebration of life service after the death of a friend’s son because the service was held in the same venue as James’ service. Her friend understands.

Cindy encourages being open to trying new things through a reinvention, which she continues to explore. Her financial advisory business continues to grow, and she has steered more toward assisting other widows because of insights from the shared experience. She has shifted greater priority on self-care by attending bootcamp every day and getting actively involved with the American Heart Association as a Circle of Red donor and advocate for heart health.

“I’ve got to keep my heart healthy for my kids and my future. Reinvention looks different for everyone, and I think it can be hard, but helpful in creating a new chapter. I think it’s important. I was only 55 and I still have a lot of living to do.”