One year after husband's death, his Valentine's gift still arrived — all because of a secret pact her daughter had made
Her father is a perfect embodiment of the saying, 'If he wanted to, he would.'
Ari Davis (@adavis22 on Instagram) lost her dad to brain cancer more than a year ago. But before passing away, he'd asked his daughter to keep a promise — to continue getting his wife the Valentine's presents he used to give her every year. Davis kept the heartfelt promise and surprised her mom the same way her dad used to, and her reaction conveyed love more than words ever could. She posted the beautiful video on February 15.
"Going and getting those gifts without him here was so hard; I sobbed the whole way home," Davis confessed. It was very difficult for her to buy the gifts her dad would have if he were alive, but Davis knew she had to keep his promise and surprise her mom. She bought a bouquet and another gift and went straight to her mom, who was working in the kitchen. She looked at Davis, and she was initially a bit confused, but then her daughter explained, "These are from Dad." And that's it; both got emotional and broke down while hugging. "Forever wishing my dad was here so he could be the one giving my mom her Valentine's Day gift," Davis wrote in the caption. It's the little things that truly make a relationship beautiful, and Davis's daddy-dearest is a perfect embodiment of the saying, 'If he wanted to, he would.'
The story is also special because not many think planning a surprise or gifting their partner or spouse is important on Valentine's Day. Yes, that's right! An IPSOS survey conducted just before Valentine's Day this year revealed that one in three (31%) Americans had no plans of celebrating the day. In fact, 3% of respondents said they would rather attend or host an 'anti-Valentine's Day' party or gathering than celebrate the day with their partner or spouse. Likewise, another YouGov survey found that nearly half (45%) of Americans didn't plan to celebrate the day, and only one-quarter (24%) had planned to give or receive a gift on Valentine's Day. While some may argue that we must not restrict celebrating love to just one day, or that gifting each other shouldn't be the only love language, small gestures always contribute to long-term relationship satisfaction.
Meanwhile, reacting to the Instagram video, @mikeandginger shared, "I love this! Before my dad passed, he always asked me to make sure I take care of my mom and continue to buy her flowers and take her to dinner on her birthday as he did. I did this for 11 years faithfully until she passed." Similarly, @marysold84 shared, "This is exactly what I did for my mom; my dad always got her a flower. Even when he didn’t have any money, he went around the neighborhood looking for flowers. I miss my Dad sooooo much. I hope he knows I got her flowers." @harleymomma71 wrote, "Please keep this tradition up if you can. I lost my hubby in 2024, and I miss him dearly. He'd get me flowers for Valentine's Day and our anniversary, despite me protesting about the flowers."
You can follow Ari Davis (@adavis22) on Instagram for more lifestyle content.
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