A Special Birthday Card

This is just one of the many gifts my husband, John gave me on my birthday. He sent me a parcel with some other stuff he bought from the places he's been to on this deployment. What makes this card very special is, it's my very first birthday card as a "Wife" :) When I first saw the card and read what's written on the cover, my eyes welled-up with tears of joy. I couldn't even discern the exact feeling I felt that day because I was just too overwhelmed with mixed emotions.

Celebrating my first birthday as a married woman is something I consider special. For me, all my "first-time experiences" are special ;) They are experiences that only happen once in your whole life and I want to remember mine for the rest of my days and just as special as they made me feel at that particular moment in my life. They are memories that we can never go back to and even if something similar happens again, still nothing would beat the first-time-experience. I don't know if this is still within the range of sanity, but I'm just that kind of person who treasures even the simplest things in this life that I believe are worth keeping. I just love life and every single thing about it that makes it worth living.

My husband's message inside the card made me cry even more. I felt his love and sincerity in every word he wrote. I couldn't say a word while reading the whole card. For a while, I was just there sitting and staring at the card inarticulately. Deep in my heart, I was thanking God for giving me such a wonderful, loving, caring, thoughtful, and just a great husband. My heart was inundated with love and longing to hold him in my arms and to tell him how much I love him while looking straight into his eyes. In between reading and crying, I would find myself holding the card close to my heart. It was my only way of hugging him at that very moment. All I could think of the whole time was John. Looking at the card was like looking at his face and seeing him smiling right back at me. I was envisaging that he was right in front of me, holding my hands and looking straight into my eyes while telling me how much he loves me. I was missing him more than I could admit to myself. More than I could ever tell.
This is also the first card I got since he's been on deployment; my first ever "sent-from-a-deployment-card". It's not really easy to take something like this in, but I am dealing with it. I was so happy receiving a card from my husband, but knowing he's out there, at the same time, my heart was doleful. My mind was entirely with him the whole time. I was thinking and asking myself, "What's really the use of me celebrating my birthday when my own husband couldn't even be with me right now?!" But, I know he'd rather have me enjoy my time than to just sit there and worry too much. I know he's all right because God's watching over him. It's just that, I can never not be worried a hundred percent, not until I know he's just right next to me; safe and sound.

This card will always remind me that even if he was not with me to celebrate my birthday, he did make sure he's able to let me know and feel that no matter the distance, he's always with me by heart and that he really do love me. It's the smallest and simplest things he does for me that make me fall deeper in love with him everyday. He knows that what really makes me happy are the things that money can't buy. I am not after expensive gifts - big or small. You can already put a smile on my face even with a 20-peso worth of cotton candy ;) That's how shoal my happiness is. For me, simple gestures showing your sincerity and love will always be the best present I could ask for. It's always the thought that counts :)

Before I slid the card back into its envelope, I kissed it and held it close one more time while uttering, "I love you, John with all of my heart!"