I impulsively drove to Trader Joe’s after work yesterday and bought these bright little Dottie Mums—to honor Grandma Dorothy's name, and for Mom and Dad’s Roosevelt High colors, the school where they first met and fell in love.

As I carried them to the car, Miley Cyrus’s voice played in my head: “I can buy myself flowers…” and I smiled, because yes, I can...and I did.

They look like mini sunrises, each one opening with quiet joy, reminding me how the sun always finds a way to rise again. I thought of writer Jean Rhys and her yearning words: “I want more of this feeling—fire and wings.”

Out front, I spotted a stack of black plastic plant holders and asked the guy working there, “How much?” He grinned and said, “Free. Take as many as you like.”

So I did. They’ll be perfect for replanting in the Residents’ garden. Now all I need is more potting soil, and maybe another little burst of Trader Joe’s serendipity.

Life's blessings often bloom quietly, like these Dottie Mums, little sunrises carrying love from Grandma Dorothy and Mom and Dad. And the promise of new growth for the Residents’ garden. Mai ka lā hiki a ka lā kau—from sunrise to sunset—may we keep our hearts open, giving and receiving with aloha in every moment.