BY JOI-MARIE MCKENZIE,Good Morning America
A father of four, who died in 2013 from pancreatic cancer, thought ahead when it came to his youngest daughter.
Bailey Sellers wrote in a now-viral post on Twitter that her father, Michael, had been sending her flowers every year on her birthday since she was 17, and promised to send them every year until she turned 21. And indeed her last set of flowers, a purple bouquet, arrived this year two days before her actual 21st birthday on Nov. 26.
A heartwarming note included with the flowers read in part, “Bailey, 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.”
The East Tennessee State University student said of the final letter, “I was so happy reading that message.”
Bailey Sellers, who’s originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, was a sophomore in high school then and opted to drop out of school to help her mother take care of her late father.
“I became home-schooled so that I could help my mom out … because he couldn’t work anymore,” she added.
It was during those times that the bond between father and daughter grew even tighter.
Bailey Sellers got her first set of flowers three months after his death. The card read, “I loved you first…happy 17th! Love, Dad.” Another letter would detail that she’d be receiving flowers on her birthday until she turned 21.
Kristy Sellers said she knew of her husband’s plan.
And the late Michael Sellers didn’t just remember his youngest child. He had special surprises for each of his kids, according to Bailey Sellers.
Each of his children, according to his widow, who range in age from 21 to 33, received an embroidered handkerchief that Michael Sellers prayed over before his death. He wants his two oldest daughters, Morgan and Abigail, both 25, to use the handkerchief in their bouquets when they eventually walk down the aisle.
Bailey Sellers, who still treasures the notes her father left her, including a journal, knows she’ll still be close to her father despite not getting another bouquet.
“He was my best friend. I looked up to him so much,” she said. “He was just an overall great person.”