Lady Byrd's story

Love does not end when a life on earth does.

The story of my son Shannon, the grief that changed me, and the prayer family God placed around me.

Painted portrait of Shannon Marcellus Nelson — Shannon Marcellus Nelson
1969–2022

My name is Linda, but most people know me as Lady Byrd. Before this ministry had a name, it began with a mother who wanted the world to remember her son.

Shannon Marcellus Nelson was born September 25, 1969, in Seattle. He grew into the man in my life, my best friend, and the father of a big family. In Seattle, people knew him as Mr. Adidas because he wore Adidas almost every day. He had a presence people remembered.

I lost my only son to COVID on February 6, 2022, just three days before my birthday. He was my child, and when he died, I did not want to go on. I did not feel like I had a reason to live anymore. Losing him broke my heart in a way I did not know a heart could break.

Faith and grief in the same heart

In that darkness, God did not leave me alone. He sent people to pray with me, sit with me, and let me cry. Slowly, I learned that grief and faith can live in the same heart. I learned that love does not disappear when someone leaves this earth.

I started wearing Adidas in Shannon's honor. A friend at work suggested that I share my outfits on TikTok. Every time I showed up, I told people a little about my son. It became my way of keeping his memory alive.

Then something I never expected happened: people started showing up for me, and for one another. What began as a mother honoring her son grew into a prayer family of thousands.

Prayers for the World

Every Sunday at 5 PM Pacific, we come together LIVE. We open in prayer, close in prayer, and speak honestly about loss, divorce, work, health, our children, and whatever life has placed before us.

If you are grieving, I see you. You do not need perfect words, and you do not have to have it all together. Come as you are.

No one carries it alone.

Three painted baseball portraits of Shannon

Your story matters too.

Share what God has carried you through, or read the words our prayer family has shared.

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