Mom Spreads Love to 400 Widows on Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is a day to spend with the one you love, but for many widows, they can only hold onto the memory of their spouse.

James 1:27 tells us the importance of taking care of widows and “to visit them in their affliction.” Stay-at-home mom, Ashley Manning has done just that, through her flower delivery service called, “Pretty Things by A.E Manning,” where her and a team of volunteers will take part in delivering flowers and gift bags to 400 widows this year.

For years, Manning made bouquets for teachers and family friends who needed a pick-me-up, but she wanted to expand. “When I started Pretty Things by A.E. Manning, I started thinking about Valentine’s Day. I thought, I have a platform now to maybe involve more people” Manning told “Good Morning America.”

This all started when Manning posted on her instagram sharing her idea and according to GMA, “within hours…she had received hundreds of dollars in donations and the names of dozens of women who had been nominated by others.”

According to GMA, this past Valentine’s Day, “121 women and two men opened their doors to surprise floral arrangements and a gift bag with a note that included the lyrics, “There’s never been a moment you were forgotten,” from the song “Rescue” by Lauren Daigle.”

The gift bag included “wine, gifts, and gift cards from local businesses who made their donations to the cause.”

One of the recipients, Jordan Meggs just lost her 29-year-old husband Daniel on Feb. 21, 2020, while she was pregnant with their first child. This is her first Valentine’s Day that she would be celebrating without him, and Meggs says how she was “shocked and so surprised over such a sweet thing”, speaking of Manning’s gift to her.