‘I almost didn’t realize I was holding my breath as I shakily reached to open the trunk. Confusion and excitement overtook my thoughts. As the screen lit up my entire face, I became overcome with emotion. In those first few moments, I didn’t know whether to smile or cry…‘
It was a day like any other. The sun sat high in the sky and a light breeze filled the air that seemed to bring the perfect mix of wind and warmth. Birds were chirping in beautiful harmony. The general mood was a peaceful one.
It was Valentine’s Day. The day of LOVE.
More specifically, my third day of love without the love of my life by my side. I wasn’t in much of a mood for celebrating.
I glanced down at my phone, hoping to see a new message from my husband. It had become a bit more difficult to communicate again. We were blessed if he got the chance to say ‘I’m safe. I love you.’
‘Heard from Sean?’ I looked up to see my sister standing in the doorway. I quickly put on a fake smile. ‘Not yet, but hopefully soon.’ She stood there staring at me for a moment. Looking back, I should have known that she had a secret from the way the corners of her lips slightly curled upward.
‘Get dressed, come run some errands with me.’ She disappeared down the hallway as I reached for my outfit. I hadn’t realized that I was excited to get out and get some fresh air. I was excited to clear my mind.
I threw my purse over my shoulder and turned towards the window just in time to get a glimpse of her driving away. ‘What in the world?’ I couldn’t help saying it out loud. My phone vibrated against my leg and I pulled it out in time to see the words New Message flashing across the screen. It was my sister. I read it out loud. ‘Meet me at the park in 10 minutes.’
There were no other messages.
The moment I arrived at the park, I was instantly blindfolded. Standing there in the middle of the grass, I smiled as I heard her doing her final touches. It was obvious that she was trying to make me feel better but all I really wanted was a message from my husband letting me know that he was okay.
‘Okay, open your eyes!’
I blinked a few times to adjust to the sun. The first thing that caught my eye was a teddy bear that stood as tall as me, his neck wrapped in a cascade of pink ribbon. Beautiful pink and white roses were arranged neatly in a bouquet, mixed amongst a sea of pink and white gifts.
I became instantly overwhelmed, cooing over everything and holding back tears as I read my cards. The words were so beautiful. I could tell they had come from his heart. Due to the fact that we were in the middle of a deployment, he wasn’t able to physically write out his love letters to me. Still, he had taken the time to figure out a way to my heart.
My sister took the words he’d typed, printed them out and gently placed them in the card. They were just as beautiful as the ones he usually wrote by hand. I had to blink back tears once again. I wanted nothing more than to speak to him and thank him for making the day so special for me.
Little did I know, the biggest surprise was yet to come.
I nervously stood in front of the trunk, wondering what could possibly be waiting inside. For a moment, I allowed myself to believe that he was going to jump out and pull me into his arms as he had so many times before.
Wishful thinking.
I gently lifted the trunk in anticipation. The rush of pink and white balloons filled me with an unexplainable feeling of happiness.
But it left as quickly as it came, floating away into the air with the balloons.
My fingers wrapped around the ipad sitting in the trunk. It was all that remained. ‘Turn it on!’ I glanced over at my sister as I shakily pressed the power button and held my breath.
There he was! My husband!! I was speechless.
‘Hey baby, Happy Valentine’s Day From the Other Side of the World’…
He had recorded a beautiful video message for me. I watched it from start to finish. I could see the hurt in his eyes but I could also hear the love in his voice. I didn’t care about holding back the tears anymore.
I must have thanked my sister a million times for helping him plan it all out. My entire day had been made.
He called and we spoke for what felt like hours. I giggled like a school girl the entire time.
We were thousands of miles apart, but we had once again found a special way to celebrate our love.
Just as we always had.
SierraSweetheart 