KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Emily Worthington is a floral designer who owns KC Flower Co.
She shares dozens of her flower arrangements of her Instagram page, but a recent video she shared was a bit different.
It was about a random act of kindness she witnessed last Saturday.
"I had a lady come up to my booth, and she bought some flowers, and after she was done paying for them, she hands them back and says, 'Please give these to someone who might need them today.'"
Worthington said she was blown away by the kind gesture from as stranger.
"And after she walked away, I turned around to the vendor next to me, and she heard the whole thing too, and we were both just like to the floor — this is so sweet," Worthington said. "I was like, 'How do I know who to give these flowers to?' and she said, 'You'll know.'"
It's what happened next, that Worthington says she'll always remember — a woman walked up to her booth toward the end of the day asking for flowers for her sister in law.
"And I said, 'OK,' and she said, 'Do you make flowers for funerals?' And I just connected the dots," Worthington said. "And we got to talking, and I learned that her sister-in-law unfortunately passed away from breast cancer. And I will never forget the feeling that I had. It was like this light bulb; it clicked, and I'm like, 'She's the one that I've been waiting for all day to give these flowers to.'"
It was a small act of kindness that was also personal.
"I know somebody very close to me who has metastatic breast cancer, and I know just how hard it is and how it affects people," she said.
That person is her brother-in-law's sister, Brooke.
On Oct. 19, Worthington will have a pop up at Madewell at Towne Center Plaza from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
A portion of sales made will benefit Brooke Strong, Brooke's fund.
It shows how flowers are connecting these strangers, and bringing some light.
"I'm sure when she bought the flowers, she did not realize just how much of an impact she was making on this woman's day," Worthington said. "And to the woman who received the flowers, I have not stopped thinking about her because I cannot imagine that type of loss."
Worthington said she hasn't experienced that kind of emotion before.
"It's just a simple act of kindness, how far it can go," Worthington said. "I never imagined those flowers to go to who they went to."
Worthington says she hopes to find the woman who gifted the flowers in the first place. She says the response she's received has been incredible.
"They sent me messages; I got a message from someone that said, 'Thank you so much for sharing this,' from a breast cancer survivor," she said. "My hope with all of this is to inspire everyone to pay it forward. There's no doubt in my mind that it already has inspired someone to do that. I hope that everybody finds a way to pay it forward today."
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