Older Florist Donates Flowers to Nursing Home, Finds Love He's Been Missing for 55 Years There — Story of the Day

Mike decided to close down his shop at 70 and donated his remaining flowers to the local nursing home, but he discovered a woman he had not seen in 55 years and couldn't believe why she was there.

Mike closed his van and patted the door as he always did when he was going to deliver some flowers. It was a ritual, a tradition… or perhaps something he did for comfort. Either way, it soothed him, and today was significant. He wasn't going on an actual delivery, at least not one that anyone had requested.

At 70, he decided it was time to retire and close his shop. He was going to sell, but that would take some time, according to the real estate agent. Mike debated on liquidating his remaining flowers, but he shrugged. He didn't need the money. He had made enough and been smart about his savings to retire comfortably.

However, it seemed empty to sell whatever was left, so he decided to take all his flowers to the local nursing home. Mike figured he might be moving there soon, and it was better to cheer those residents than leave these flowers to chance.

"Do you know her?" the nurse wondered, and Mike couldn't answer.

So, the old florist got in his van and drove for a few minutes until he reached the senior community. He had called earlier, so they knew he was coming, and Mike and his shop had been a staple in their town for over 45 years. Everyone knew him.

They welcomed him with open arms.

"Mr. Collins! Thank you so much!" the nurses said. The residents who could walk grabbed what they could and help distributes flowers to others. The smile and the merriment on people's faces confirmed to Mike that he had done the right thing.

"What a beautiful bouquet! Mr. Collins, you are a genius!" someone said, and he smiled. All he wanted was to do something nice.

"Mr. Collins, we're sad you're closing the shop, but this gesture has already helped so many people here," a nurse came over and patted the old florist's arm. "You see over there? Mrs. Stevenson doesn't have the best memory and never smiles, but she's staring at those flowers like they're a treasure."

Mike looked where the nurse was pointing, and… everything stopped. He felt his face redden, and his heart started beating wildly. It can't be her. Or is it? he thought as he got a bit closer. The older woman was focused solely on the flowers, but Mike recognized her from 55 years ago.

"Miss, that woman's first name is…?" Mike said.

"Her first name is Emma," the nurse confirmed, and Mike closed his eyes.

He asked for a few more details about her. "Why is she here? Is she sick?"

"Do you know her?" the nurse wondered, and Mike couldn't answer. Still, she responded to his questions. "Her family brought her here. She has some memory problems. Dementia, most likely, although she has some lucid moments. But her children couldn't watch her, so she's here. It's not uncommon."

"How could they leave someone they love here? Do they visit?" Mike continued, shaking his head.

"Sometimes. Like once every two months, maybe. But it happens. Sooner or later, most of us will be here, Mr. Collins," she stated and was called away.

Mike finished giving the flowers away and went home with a purpose in mind. He scoured the back of his closet for a particular box he had kept over the years. A package that contained all his memories with Emma. Yes, he knew her. He knew her better than almost anyone in the world for the beautiful two years they dated.

Inside the box, he found the memories of all those years: movie tickets, photos, and a few dried flowers. But most importantly, he saw their last love letter in which Emma expressed how she wanted to marry Mike and open a flower shop together.

Unfortunately, they argued shortly after that letter was written, and Emma moved away, never to see Mike until now. However, the old florist never forgot her. He opened the shop, hoping and praying that she would walk through its door and recognize him.

He lost hope as the years went by, but he never fell for anyone else. He was alone at the end of his life with no family left. But Emma seemed to have formed a family, yet she had been dumped in that place like nothing.

Mike wouldn't allow it. He returned to the nursing home the following day and sat with Emma. She didn't recognize him for several days, even after he showed her their old pictures. But she loved hearing their love story.

"This is really us?" she asked with the same wonder and innocence that Mike had loved before.

He felt his heart soaring again like a young man. So, he came back every day until he finally sold his store and moved into the nursing home to be with her.

Emma never did recognize him, but she loved being around him. They sat in the garden, talked for hours, smiled, laughed… and loved each other, even if it felt more like a friendship than anything romantic. Mike regretted that their love story amounted to this, but he focused on the present.

After all, the present is all we have in the end, he told himself as he stared into her eyes, and she grinned in return.

What can we learn from this story?

• Enjoy the present as much as you can because the future is not guaranteed. You can't change the past, and there's no telling what the future will bring. But the present is right here, so cease every moment you can.
• Giving to others is often better than receiving money. Mike decided to donate his last flowers instead of liquidating them for the money, which was the best decision he could've made.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about an older man who mourned his first love at the same spot every day until her carbon copy appeared one day.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.