Dad makes sure his daughter feels his birthday love even after he's gone
Every year on her birthday, Bailey Sellers gets a bouquet of flowers from her dad who died when she was 16. This year, she received her final gift.
Photo: @SellersBaailey via Twitter
A young woman in Tennessee recently tweeted a picture of a birthday bouquet and card she received from her late father, and the Internet is a sobbing mess.
Before he passed away from cancer in 2013, Bailey Sellers's dad set up a delivery order that would send a bouquet of flowers to his youngest daughter every year on her birthday until she turned 21. The first arrangement came as a surprise on her 17th birthday a few months after he died, and last week, she received the final gift.
“Everyone knows I hate my birthday,” she told The New York Times. “I don’t want to celebrate it. It’s just a reminder he’s not there anymore. And at the same time, I can’t wait because I get those flowers. It’s a reminder he’s still here with me, but at the same time he’s not.”
The first four bouquets came with small notes wishing her a happy birthday, but the flowers she received for her 21st came with a handwritten card from her father.
My dad passed away when I was 16 from cancer and before he died he pre payed flowers so i could receive them every year on my birthday. Well this is my 21st birthday flowers and the last. Miss you so much daddy. pic.twitter.com/vSafKyB2uO
— Bailey Sellers (@SellersBailey) November 24, 2017
The card reads, "This is my last love letter to you until we meet again. I do not want you to shed another tear for me my baby girl for I am in a better place. You are and will always be the most precious jewel I was given. It is your 21st birthday and I want you to always respect your momma and stay true to yourself. Be happy and live life to the fullest. I will still be with you through every milestone, just look around and there I will be. I love you Boo Boo and Happy Birthday!!!! Daddy"
We're not crying, you're crying.
These flowers were surely a bittersweet reminder for Sellers, but how incredible that her dad wanted to make sure he was there for her on her path to adulthood. As for future birthdays, Sellers said she'll continue the floral tradition but instead of a bouquet, she'll get a single white rose every year in honour of her dad.
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Kevin is an associate editor for Canadian Business in Toronto, Ontario. More of their work can be found in MSN Canada, Chatelaine and This Magazine.