For Ashley Manning from Charlotte, North Carolina, the COVID-19 pandemic offered the opportunity to transition from pharmaceutical sales to the role of a homemaker.
Using her free time at home, she started a small business called “Pretty Things by A.E. Manning.”
Self-taught in floral art, she had always enjoyed working with flowers and seeing how they brought joy to their recipients. Initially hoping to earn enough for a nanny during work hours, her business turned out to be more successful than expected.
For years, she crafted bouquets for her children’s teachers during challenging times. Once, after giving a bouquet to a teacher who had lost her husband, Ashley was deeply moved.
The teacher confessed that Valentine’s Day was the “most difficult” holiday for her. “When you’re 53 and have spent 33 years with a partner, the future looks bleak,” she explained.
“We had plans for travel, dance lessons, retirement… he was my rock. Losing him at such a young age was hard, so receiving flowers on Valentine’s Day had a special meaning for me.”
This woman’s reaction inspired Ashley. Thinking about other lonely widows who might go without a Valentine’s Day gift, she posted on Instagram, inviting people to nominate widows for free bouquets on this festive day. Nominations poured in!
Ashley gathered a group of volunteers and found sponsors who offered wine and decorations to fill gift bags. Together, they successfully delivered flowers and gifts to 120 widows in their area!
One widow who received a gift burst into tears upon seeing the flowers. Ashley’s children were also touched by her reaction, and as they returned home, they all felt the joy of bringing light into a stranger’s life.
“As we were leaving, my daughter said, ‘Mom, is this why you do it? Because it makes you feel good?'” Ashley said. “She was genuinely happy, and now I feel great.
That day, my daughter understood that the real gift is the joy we bring to each other.”
In 2022, Ashley’s Valentine’s initiative for widows doubled in scale. Over 400 widow nominations were received, and more than 150 people volunteered to create gift baskets and arrangements.
The final expenses amounted to about $14,000, most of which was donated.
“It’s truly a beautiful way to celebrate love on this day for the people in our community,” noted Ashley. “I just feel like sometimes this population is forgotten.”
Ashley believes that as a parent, it is important to show kindness to others.
