A special Mother’s Day tradition is coming to a close for a tenderhearted and thoughtful American Airlines pilot.
A plane carrying a large group of special people and red roses touched down at LaGuardia Airport on Sunday, and Captain Russ Wayant’s heart was full when he observed the scene inside the aircraft, PIX 11 reported.
For the past 12 years, Wayant has given more than 4,000 roses to women he encounters on his plane during their travels on Mother’s Day.
When speaking of his tradition, he said, “It’s a joy to do it, passengers love it. Once everybody gets their roses I ask them to hold their roses up in the cabin… and it looks like the cabin is full of roses.”
An image shows him on a full flight with passengers who are holding up their long-stem roses while wearing huge smiles on their faces:
“What a wonderful act of kindness. God Bless you Captain,” one social media user commented on the story, while another person replied, “Awesome job Captain. God bless your heart.”
Wayant’s tradition began when he went to pick up Mother’s Day flowers for his crew and realized it would be extra special if everyone on the plane was honored with one of the delicate flowers.
Although he is preparing to retire this year, Wayant will always remember the beautiful memories made on those special trips.
He stated, “It’s bittersweet. I look forward to this flight every year.”
According to History.com, the purpose of Mother’s Day is to honor motherhood, and the American version was created by Anna Jarvis in 1908 and became a national holiday a few years later in 1914.
A recent Rasmussen Reports survey found that a majority of Americans believe being a mother is “the most important role for a woman to fill in today’s world,” Breitbart News reported on Thursday.