Ella loved her new life in Skagway, Alaska, except for one thing-Grandmother wasn’t happy.

In Kansas, Ella went to Grandmother’s house every day after school, and they baked or gardened or sewed(缝纫). Then Papa announced he’d gotten a job in Alaska. She protested for weeks but finally decided to go too. Ella was overjoyed. She couldn’t imagine living any where without Grandmother.

By autumn, they were in Skagway. Ella had never known so much excitement. Grandmother, however, didn’t share Ella’s enthusiasm. As winter had set in, Grandmother mostly stayed inside and complained about the cold.

“I wish you were happy,” Ella whispered. “I wish I had a garden of sunflowers peeking through my window right now,” Grandmother said.

Ella worried that if Grandmother didn’t cheer up soon, she might return to Kansas. So she went to her friend Sara who had lived in Skagway with her Aunt Grace for three years. Ella asked her if sunflowers could grow here. “Maybe,” Sara said. “Let’s ask my aunt.” Ella liked Aunt Grace. She reminded her of how Grandmother used to be in Kansas.

Ella explained her problem and Aunt Grace told her sunflowers could grow here only in summer. “Maybe there’s another way,” Aunt Grace said. “We can make your grandmother some sunflower quilt blocks(几何拼布)that will be cheery and warm.”

Ella chose the brightest fabrics in Grandmother’s scrap bag and brought them to Sara’s house. Every afternoon Ella, Sara, and Aunt Grace sewed sunflower quilt blocks. It was slow going but enjoyable.The finished blocks reminded her of Grandmother’s garden in Kansas. It was fun to talk with Sara while they sewed, and Aunt Grace told them stories about when she was young. They always took a break for tea and cookies,too.

Lately Ella hadn’t spent much time with Grandmother. She worried that the quilt wouldn’t be finished soon enough. Meanwhile, Grandmother seemed sadder and sadder, always talking about her home and friends in Kansas. Ella wished she could tell Grandmother about the quilt, but she wanted to surprise her.

One day when Ella came home, Grandmother was crying.

When Aunt Grace opened the door, Ella explained why Grandmother was there.

“Tomorrow is Mother’s Day. I’ve been saving up for the past month and I’m going to buy my mother a lipstick she loves,” Cherry, my friend, said on the way home from school. “See you tomorrow!”

We waved goodbye as she went into a gift shop. But her excitement reminded me that I hadn’t prepared anything special for my mother yet. I continued walking along the road, carefully thinking about what gift I should choose. I had planned to buy her some flowers and chocolates. Now, compared with my friend’s lipstick, they seemed to be too simple.

“Maybe I should go to the gift shop, too.” I told myself.

I pushed open the door to a nearby shop and tried to find a perfect gift. I picked up a lipstick but immediately put it back after seeing its price. I could never afford that! Then I walked into another shop and saw a very lovely cup.

“It’d be a wonderful gift and Mum would love it!” I thought.

I picked it up and turned it over to see the price, hoping it was not too expensive. Once again, I couldn’t afford it. Feeling sad, I continued to wander around the shops until darkness fell outside. Eventually, I gave up and went home. When I opened the door, I was greeted by the good smell from the kitchen.

“Mum, I am home!” I pretended to be cheerful.

Mom turned around and kissed me lightly on the cheeks, saying, “Dinner is almost ready. Today, I happened to be able to come home a little bit earlier. I have made some of the snacks you loved when you were a kid. I really missed the happy time we spent together!”

Just then and there, I had a good idea.

Early in the morning, I was woken up by the gentle knocks on my door.

It was somewhere between spring and summer, and my mom and I were driving through the countryside. Back then, I was 13 years old, and always felt unhappy with Mom. But I didn’t know that this trip was going to be a special one.

A pot of flowers sat in the back seat, whose heavenly fragrance(香味)filled the car. Suddenly, in the middle of nowhere, my mom stopped the car. “What are you doing?” I shouted, fearing that the car had broken down and we’d be trapped there, so far from home. But that wasn’t the case. My mom jumped out of the car, grabbing(抓)the flowers from the back seat. “It’ll just be a minute,” she called back through the open windows.

I impatiently looked at the side of the road before finding a little sign showing that it was a nursing home. I looked back to the building, a little annoyed, as my mom reappeared ——empty- handed.

Before she started the car, curiosity drove me to ask, “Do you know someone there?” She shook her head. “Then what did you do with the flowers?” She smiled slightly, “I gave them to the receptionist (前台接待员).” “What?” She laughed at my confusion. “I told the receptionist to give the flowers to whoever needed them, especially those who haven’t gotten any in a while.”

I kept silent for a moment. Not long after we continued our driving, I spoke again, “Did you leave your name?” To this, she answered instantly, “No. Leaving flowers there for someone who will appreciate them makes me feel good, which is enough of a thank for me.”

Suddenly, still thinking about Mom’s deeds, I heard something burst loudly. It was our car that broke down! Nothing could be worse, because neither my mom nor I understood how to repair it, and we didn’t know where the garage was. It also seemed impossible to wait for any passer-by, since we had seen so few people along the way.

We were worrying about what could be done.

As we drove along, a flower shop came into sight on the road.