You Are Worth Every Single Mile Between Us

Dearest Husband,

We have made it to our halfway mark in our long distance journey!!! 3 loooooooong years. WHEW! A whirlwind of challenging, painful, beautiful, messy, incredible moments. 3 years of desperate sad goodbyes and giddy, thankful hellos. Of being in a constant state of acclimating to one another over and over and over as we settle into a honeymoon routine for a few days, and then just as we acclimate, it’s time for me to fly back. Followed by re-acclimating back to being alone for weeks on end. 3 years of connecting through texts, calls and facetime, which is 100% not the same as belly to belly convos. It actually feels more frustrating at times for both of us. 3 years of trying hard to not focus on alllllllllll the money we are spending on flights and keeping two households up and running. Grieving each holiday, birthday, and special moment where we are apart. But more importantly, we grieve all the boring mundane moments we miss week after week, year after year of our marriage. We are trying hard to not feel stuck in limbo for the next 3 years until military retirement. Long distance relationships feel like a strong case of mental whiplash that never gets better. We just learn to live with it and it becomes part of our relationship. Part of our Couple Journey.

With the dark, also comes the light. It’s a choice to focus on the moments that feel like warm sunshine which shifts your mindset to gratitude. The BEST part of long distance for me, is being so damn excited to see your face. To hear your voice live and in person. To hug you and be giddy sitting next to you on the couch. To just BE in the same SPACE as you for a few days. I am so thankful to do all the boring momentous tasks like grocery store runs, cooking together, washing/folding laundry, and laying in bed next to you, knowing when I open my eyes you will be right there.Those moments when we can speak “Good Morning” to one another instead of sending a quick morning text. I live for those precious loving moments. Each etched in my mind vividly, because that is what I remember when I fly back home. That is what I have to mentally hold onto while 1340 miles separate us. 3 years down, 3 more to go, My Love. WE CAN DO HARD THINGS. I have this phrase on repeat every single day while I take the next right step forward. I can’t control the journey, but I can control what I feed my brain and I choose light, love, and future forward!!