Naturally, I agreed and we made our plans for the next weekend.

We started our trip early that next Saturday, and off we went. We talked and chatted about everything, all the while thinking about getting to see my brother.

I felt a little awkward, the closer we got. Not because I was going to get to see my brother, but because it had been so long and I had forgotten what exit to take off the highway to get to his place. Hmmmm, funny how time slips away.

After I missed the exit and had to turn around, we were finally back on track.

I know some of you are thinking," Why didn’t you just call him and ask?" Well, not only would that have ruined the surprise visit, but also, he hasn’t had a phone in years.

As we grew closer, the anxiousness grew in my heart. We drove slowly passed his "old" house, and looked to see how it had changed over the years.

Finally, we slowly drove through the drive around the community where he is and had to actually think about which place was his. Had it been that long?

I made the corner to his place, and there he was waiting for us. He had a beautiful green lawn and the small lake, which his place overlooks, was full, and you could see the ripples across the water as the wind blew briskly. The trees were starting to bloom and the air was fresh. This is why he wanted to be here! It’s beautiful!

Mom had brought him some flowers, and now I know why. They were only going to accent the already natural beauty of this place. And, he loves flowers.

I helped my mom from the car, and tears welled up in both our eyes as we headed towards him. Oh, it had seemed liked so long since we had seen each other. I could tell he was glad to see us.

The long awaited visit only lasted just a short while, but was full of reminiscing, laughter, and tears.

My mother and myself agreed, it seems like only yesterday that my brother passed away. Then again, it seems he’s been gone from us forever.

As we turned around and looked at his headstone one last time as we left, I wiped a tear from my eye, and then smiled. Why, you asked? Because as we drove away, I heard him say "Thanks for bringing Mom " bro", and I really love those flowers."