WILTON, Maine — Kathleen Chenery moved to the United States five years ago for love after meeting her husband online. But during the pandemic presented its challenges: She was a new mom, and she missed her family in the Philippines.
"I was feeling like kind of down with the travel restrictions. We can't go home for vacation. My family hasn't met my son in person. They've just been video chatting," she said.
Chenery also had to deal with the loss of her grandfather during this time.
"We were close, and it's really depressing to not be able to go home and see him [and say] goodbye," she added.
In an effort to work through all of these emotions, she started crafting, specifically making wooden flowers.
"My husband saw them and was like, 'You should sell those,'" Chenery said.
She quickly started a small business, selling "forever flowers" on Facebook. For Valentine's Day, she wanted to make someone else smile.
This Valentine's Day, she brought each resident of the Sandy River Nursing Home a handcrafted wooden rose.
"The thought of a forever flower as a gift is very nice. And yeah, it's true fresh florals are nice and beautiful, but they die after three days or a week," she told NEWS CENTER Maine.
Not only does Chenery love crafting, but she also used to be a nurse back home in the Philippines and has worked in nursing homes. She said some of the residents don't have family who visit regularly.
"Seeing them like that it just breaks my heart, and it reminds me of my grandfather," she said
On Monday at the Sandy River Valentine's Day party, the roses were delivered to residents along with ice cream sundaes and other Valentine's Day treats, bringing a smile to their faces.
"It would bring me joy to see them smile. I'm doing this to give them a reason to smile," she added.
These long-lasting "forever flowers" will hopefully give residents a long-lasting reason to smile.