Love Letters- Part 1

I wanted to join in on something that warmed my heart. Over at For the Love of Blogs they are hosting a "love letters" edition through February. It doesn't technically start until February 7, but I thought I would start a little earlier.

Now, I am NOT a hopeless romantic....I am more of a realist. Rose petals, candlelight, and sweet nothings being whispered into my ear have never played much of a role in my life. But I've always longed to have those moments...I just don't seem to have that romantic strand in my DNA. I try, but it always seems to come off "cheesy".

With that said, I have to admit that I have learned to treasure love letters...not just any love letters...love letters that were sent from my husband from war. My husband was deployed and in Iraq for a total of 15 months. He was there at the beginning of the war....their mission and duties were very dangerous...and communication was sparse at the best. We would go a month or two without hearing from him....I learned to plan for the worst and hope for the best. When hearing his voice was so rare, I learned to treasure the letters and cards I would receive from somewhere around the world. Since we had no idea if he would return to us at all, we learned to pour our hearts out to each other with written words that I now hold very dear to my heart.

If you would indulge me for a moment longer, I would like to share with you a letter my husband sent me from Camp Warhorse in Iraq in 2004........

(this is what the card said) When we first fell in love, every time you looked at me, smiled at me, or touched me, you made me feel so good about myself...as if I were the most desirable person in the world. I couldn't wait to be alone with you, to share my most intimate self with you. I love you even more now (if that's possible!), and I hope you realize that the excitement I felt when we first fell in love hasn't faded with time. You still make me feel as special as you did the first time we kissed.

(this is what my hubby wrote) "Babe, Hey I was looking for a birthday card and I was having trouble deciding whether or not to go with a "funny" or "serious". Anyway, being a typical guy, I really don't read the whole card before deciding to buy it....BUT, this particular card said words that made bumps appear on my arms. As I came to the last line, I thought 'perfect'. Everyday I think of the little things that I can't wait to get home to. I realize now (and during the past year) that I don't want to live without you. It makes me sad and hurt in my heart when I can't see you. I really need you! You are truly my 'better half'. I want to cuddle on the couch and giggle, eat a candlelight spaghetti supper at an indoor picnic, I want to find a set of swings and let the wind brush our hair, I want to go camping somewhere nobody can find us, I want to hold hands in the mall, I want to jump in a "moon walk" with you, I want to stay home on Halloween and play dominoes in the dark, go to the movies and share a straw, rub your feet, kiss your belly, play with your hair, paint your toenails, and Be Your Best Friend! Thanks for giving me this feeling!
                                                                                   Love
                                                                                          J"

This letter arrived about a month before he returned home from deployment. When we found out we were pregnant with our first child (in 1998) we were penniless college students. To celebrate, I set up a candlelit picnic on our living room floor (we didn't have any furniture yet). He always painted my toes for me when I was pregnant, and our first Halloween (while pregnant with baby #1) we played dominoes to candlelight as we handed out candy. We had been through some very tough times in our marriage months before he left for Iraq...as you can imagine "absence makes the heart grow fonder"! God put us in opposite parts of the world in order to find Him and re-commit us to our marriage.

****come back next week for the 2nd installment of Love Letters. I will also have the the link to FTLOB where you can enjoy even more Love Letters