It was the early 1990s and somewhere in the Middle East a Navy ship pulled into port. Coordinated by the USO, an AT&T van was in the port and the sailors eagerly signed up on a waiting list to use the high tech cellular phones to call home. Patiently, they waited for their turn in the USO lounge area. There was a mixture of excitement, nervousness, happiness…and anticipation. They thought about the last letter they sent or received. Would anyone be home to answer the phone? What if there was the dreaded busy signal? Would there be enough time to cover everything that needed to be said?

In a little while the young sailor would get his turn and have 15 minutes on the phone with his loved one. He wanted to make sure those 15 minutes counted.

On the other side of the world, somewhere on the mid atlantic coast of the United States, a college student was in her room doing homework. The phone rang.

Hello.

Three decades later, a middle-aged couple sit in their living room on Valentine’s Day. They are watching a Hallmark movie. It’s about a soldier deployed in the middle east and writing letters back home to a kind stranger who sent care packages. The couple pause to reminisce. Each one’s mind is flooded with memories. They talk for a bit. Then they are quiet for a bit. There is a fleeting ache in their hearts as they remember the pain of separation. They remember what it was like to wait weeks for a letter. They remember the sweet, comforting sound of the other’s voice on the phone after not hearing that voice for months. And they remember the sheer joy of seeing each other after a long separation.

In today’s world of cell phones and Facetime, it’s hard to imagine what that was like. But there are many military couples who know exactly the bittersweet thrill of a long-awaited letter, an unexpected phone call from an undetermined location overseas, or a visit home after a long deployment.

The couple reflect on life now and on their 3 children who have chosen a path of military service, knowing that they too will experience the sadness of separation from loved ones, and the joy of reuniting as their commitment allows. This is the life of the military family. Commitment. Service. Sacrifice. Joy. Fulfillment.

As the fire burns in the fireplace and the Hallmark movie plays on, there are no regrets in this home tonight. Only love. And gratitude. They don’t take their time together for granted. It’s precious and treasured. And they plan to cherish this togetherness for the rest of their days.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

"Love is patient...it always protects, always, trusts, always, hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails". 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8.