The man who gives away free roses to remind lonely women they are loved #WATWB

While Valentine's Day is generally a feel-good holiday, it can be bittersweet for those who are alone or away from their loved ones on this special day for romance. Realizing this, eight years ago a young 20 year old man decided to do something special for over two dozen friends they knew were single and alone. It was a simple gesture - they gave them a rose on Valentine's Day.

The look of happiness and utter surprise on the faces of the women was motivation enough for Seth Stewart to decide he wanted to make this an annual tradition. And he did.

In 2019, Seth Stewart and his brothers delivered over 400 roses for free within his community to single women, widows and wives whose husbands were serving abroad and could not make it home for Valentine's Day.  Via his 'Rose Rush' Facebook page, he takes orders from people too who wish to give a rose to someone they feel is lonely and could use some love as well as someone they would just like to thank.

Seth Stewart with one of the recipients of his roses in 2018

And while his first four customers have remained the same every single year - his mother and three sisters - Stewart also keeps a list of people who have impacted his life, making sure they too receive a rose every single day.

For him, the roses are a physical reminder to these women that they are not alone. From utter surprise to women who break down and cry, Seth Stewart has seen it all over the last year as he looks to make sure that people who are alone are reminded that 'no matter how bad you are feeling, there is always someone thinking about you.' 

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This post is part of the We Are the World Blogfest, a monthly event to showcase stories of compassion. The idea is to spread positivity and light to counterbalance the negativity and darkness in social media. You can check their pages to find the list of feel-good stories written by bloggers from around the world.

Your cohosts for this month are: 
Sylvia McGrath, Peter Nena, Shilpa Garg, Inderpreet Uppal and Belinda Witzenhausen

HEROES OF KINDNESS

For the last few years, I have been compiling a list of real life Heroes of Kindness and Compassion from across the world. The aim, of course, is to restore faith in humanity for those who need it most. You can view the 2017 edition here and the 2018 edition here, including my interviews with some of these big-hearted individuals who will restore your faith in humanity.