Joy of Love: Day 8

*sigh*
This one took some thought.
Joy of Love: Day 8

Gift From the Heart

My husband and I have known each other for 17 years and we have given the other many gifts during that time. Some gifts are easy to recall, others need to be refreshed by pictures or stories. Our children are definitely a gift, our family is a gift, the home we've built, the life we've made....all gifts from the heart. But when I reflect on all of the things I have in my life currently, none of it would be possible or mean as much without Jeffrey.
When I first met Jeff, he was in the military so some of our 17 years was spent apart. Some overnighters, various training exercises that lasted a month or more, or the big one where he was in Germany for 2 years. During that time, I lived for phone calls that were sometimes weekly, other times monthly.
To pass the time, or when I just needed to "hear" his voice, I would read letters that definitely came more frequently. Some days, I would pull them all out and re-read each one. I knew in those letters were true thoughts and true feelings from a man that was away and only wanted to come back to me. More importantly, they were HIS words written by HIS hand.
Just recently, we pulled out the box with all of our letters and read each one. He would read, I would listen then vise versa. Those little while envelopes and lined paper hold promises, hopes for our future together, thoughts about children, and just words from our time apart. Sometimes it was nothing more than our daily lives, or counting down days til we could see each other, and other times it was all of our hopes and dreams.
When I think about a gift from the heart I think of these letters. Nothing is more personal than a handwritten letter on faded lined paper with the words from your heart written right there for your beloved to read.