Valentine’s Day is a “love” holiday celebrated around the globe. It is a day of romance, supported with flowers (usually red roses), chocolates, fancy dinners, and at times, precious gifts. Those with a valentine’s sweetheart are definitely happy. But for some, it can amplify loneliness, depression, and anxiety of one’s solo status. This affects those who have lost their loved ones, those whose loved ones are away, and those without any love interests.
This is what drove 29-year old Seth Stewart for the past eight years on a mission to make sure that widows, military spouses, and singles, in Spokane, Washington, are not forgotten. Seth and his brothers wake up each morning on Valentine’s Day to deliver red roses to about 500 women, with a goal to increase it to around 700 women in the coming years. The service is called Rose Rush Deliveries, and has been a huge success.
“Last year we had one lady, she broke down sobbing, she hugged me for about half a minute. Her husband had passed away in the last year, and she just thought that she was by herself,” laments Stewart.
Surely this is not an isolated case. Stewart maintains a list of women and mothers in his region who receive the deliveries every year, and through his Facebook page, he asks followers to recommend single women who may need a precious pick-me-up via a free rose.
Local single lady Sarah Jean Meddock explains the effect of the welcome surprise from Rose Rush: “All of a sudden this handsome cowboy comes walking in with a rose, and I’m going, ‘ wait, what’s happening…It literally set the tone for my whole entire day, and I’m not kidding, I think it changed my entire Valentine’s Day. It’s something that’s so small, it’s just a small little gesture, and it’ll completely change the tone of everyone’s day. It’s the little things in life.”
Increasing the 400-500 roses recipients to 700 or more is not that easy, but Stewart believes it can be achieved. Even while he is relying on a GoFundMe page to help with the financial aspect, he is willing to pay for it out of his own pocket, just to make a meaningful impact on the lives of the women he has encountered. He knows that a little effort showing care goes a long way for some people.
“Every single year we do this, there are always one of two women who break down sobbing because it means so much to them.”
Seth Stewart has made Valentine’s Day more meaningful for those in his area who would normally shun away from the holiday festivities…women who would normally be lonely, sad, or depressed. Hopefully others will follow and try to make the lives of others a bit more pleasant. Whatever part of the world they are from. It does not have to be only during Valentine’s Day though. A little love goes a long, long way.
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