After sending their mum on holiday, her sons teamed up to carry out their secret plan. When their mother returned home, she didn’t recognise her house and burst into tears when she saw what they had done.
There is nothing more painful than the untimely death of a loved one. Mother-of-two Janet experienced terrible grief when she saw her husband of 25 years, Thomas, buried and gone.
It has been two months since her husband was laid to rest. The moisture on the mound of earth at his grave had dried, but Janet was still drowning in anguish and tears.
Eric and Brad couldn’t bear to see their mother suffer. To somehow comfort her, they discussed with her the places she wanted to visit.
Florence pulled out an old photo album and began to tell sweet moments of her love story with their late father, and suddenly burst into tears, pointing to one picture…
‘I still remember this place,’ she cried, showing an old photograph of a bridge. ‘This is where I met your father. We shared a passion for nature walks and bird watching. How I wish I could go there again and tell him how much I miss him.’
‘Oh my God, what happened to my house?’ – sighed the mother.
After listening to their mother’s longing, 20-year-old Eric and Brad came up with an idea. The next day, they gave her a plane ticket to grant her wish.
‘But it’s thousands of miles away. Are you sure you want me to go that far alone?’ asked Janet to her boys, surprised and crying.
‘Mum, trust us…you won’t regret this trip,’ said Eric.
‘Yes, Mum…you need a holiday…you should go.’
Janet couldn’t resist the offer because she was excited about the opportunity to revisit the place that symbolised her love for her late husband. She agreed and left on holiday two days later, not even knowing what her sons were planning to do to her house.
‘Son, thank you so much. It still feels the same and I’m standing on the bridge where your father proposed to me!’ said Janet, calling from her holiday spot.
‘Mum, we’re glad you’re enjoying your holiday. I hope you are comfortable at the hotel we booked for you,’ Eric replied.
‘Yes, son, it’s amazing. It still feels like it was yesterday when I met your father. How I wish I had you both with me right now.’
‘Well, I’m sorry, Mum… Brad and I have important things to do… Maybe another time, okay? We’ll talk later, bye!’
Janet blindly believed Eric and assumed that they really did have some important work to do. But little did she know what was on their minds.
Janet spent the next few days travelling around the city, remembering the wonderful times she had spent with Thomas. She visited all the places, including their favourite café, and felt her heart lifted by the memories.
Meanwhile, Eric and Brad realised they were running out of time and decided to put their plan into action. They took a week’s leave from work so that they could carry out their plan before their mother returned.
‘Hurry up, Brad. We have to get this one out of here before she gets here,’ Eric said.
‘Yeah, you’re right. Let’s hurry up,’ Brad replied.
‘It’s a good thing you got the idea to send it off,’ Eric added. ‘Otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to do it.’
All week they were busy. They woke up before dawn and were busy until late at night. Soon the day of Janet’s return came. Eric met her from the airport and was anxious.
‘…And then I went to the cafe where your dad gave me this….’. Janet recounted her trip. ‘What’s wrong, honey? You look tense.’
‘Ah, nothing, Mum… I’m just tired,’ Eric pretended to be.
Janet realised something was wrong, especially after seeing Eric constantly on the phone.
‘Is everything ready? Yeah, we’re on our way…soon….,’ she heard him talking to someone. Janet suspected something wrong and arrived home to witness the biggest shock of her life.
‘Oh my God!’ – she gasped. ‘What has happened to my house? How did you boys do it?’
Eric and Brad walked up to Mum and led her by the hand towards the house.
‘There, Mum, we finished what Dad started,’ they chorused as they walked her into the renovated house. ‘…And wait, there’s another surprise waiting for you.’
The brothers teamed up to fix the house and paint it. Their father had started renovating the house, but died of cardiac arrest, leaving the renovations unfinished. So Eric and Brad surprised their mother by completing it for their father. They renovated the kitchen, added new furniture to the living room, and painted the house.
Janet was amazed to see the new look of her home. She couldn’t believe her eyes and burst into tears, but she was advised to hold back her tears so she wouldn’t cry in front of another pleasant surprise.
Eric and Brad blindfolded their mother and led her into the bedroom. As soon as they removed the blindfold, an emotional Janet froze in amazement.
‘Oh my God, this is incredible!’ – she exclaimed.
On the wood-panelled wall hung a beautiful collection of family photographs from different time periods. The heartfelt gesture of her children touched Janet. She hugged and kissed them, unable to hold back tears.
Eric and Brad knew their mum would love their surprise. But when they saw her so emotional and choking back tears of joy, more tears came to their eyes.
Later that evening, Janet sat with her sons in front of the fireplace for a long time, sharing the holiday experience.
‘…. And here’s the other amazing thing! I felt your father’s hand on my shoulder as soon as I closed my eyes and said ‘I love you’ on the bridge. I felt his presence in a gust of wind that made my heart lighter and happier!’
‘Yes, Mum, Dad is always with us in our memories!’ – Eric said as Brad played a beautiful tune on the piano, filling their lovely home with fond memories!
What can we learn from this story?
Love and honour the wishes of your parents. After their father died, Eric and Brad sent their mother on her dream holiday to keep the memories alive. Then they surprised her by making beautiful renovations to the house to honour their father’s memory and finish the renovations he had started.
A small act of the heart can bring happiness into a person’s life and help them overcome grief. In addition to renovating the house, Eric and Brad surprised his mother by decorating her bedroom with their family photos. Janet was touched, and it helped her feel lighter.
