As Is

Norman Maclean writes in his tale of brother's and fly fishing, A River Runs Through It, "It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us".  
Nothing is truer in regard to a pair of brother's I'm thinking of.
Recently someone I've known for many, many years passed away.  He was the brother of one of the most important people in my life.

I cannot think of the one who's passed without the other.
How unalike they've been, yet undeniably brothers.

Buddhism tells us to let go of expectation in order to embrace happiness.  Without expectation there is no disappointment.
I'm curious; when, if ever, is too late to release our hold over others, to let go of hopes, exempt them from our own ideas of what they should be and how they should be it?   My guess is that it's never too late to remove our wishes, our imposed dreams, our demands and to set them free.  If we are never disappointed, perhaps we can truly love the people we live with and should know.  Perhaps without our own expectations for others clouding our vision, we can see them as is, for who they truly are and maybe love them that way, perfectly flawed, apart from our assigned aspirations.
Easier said then done.  I know that my own expectations of myself are a heavy burden, but I hope that I can at least try to reduce some of my hopes for others, so that I can love them as I so deeply want to, for just who they are, as is.

To quote Maclean again, "Eventually all things merge into one and a river runs through it".  
What is he saying?  Is he telling us that at some point maybe we'll all be together again?   Maybe we will be and without expectations, but instead with just the love we've felt all along, with a river to wash away all things that made it hard to accept one another when all we really hoped for was happiness and peace.