Military relationships are tough, whether you're married, or just dating. Especially, I think, in today's world. Your significant other will go away for months on end, and you might not hear from them for days or weeks at a time. You worry, constantly wondering if they're safe, if they're eating enough, if they're getting enough sleep. The answer to all of these is generally no, but you don't want to know that. You want to know that they're sitting on their butts in a camp somewhere, playing poker with their buddies and complaining about how little action they're getting to see.

You ressurect the nearly dead art of letter writing, because it lends a more intimate aspect to keeping in touch. You spray the letters with your perfume or cologne so that they can feel that much closer to you. You keep the tone of your letters light and gossipy, telling about neighbors backing over their own trash cans, or what the kids said that was so cute. You don't want to burden them, telling them that the cable bill is overdue, the dog got sick on the carpet, or the baby had colic last night and you didn't get a wink of sleep. You end every letter with "I love you" and never mention the lonely nights when you stare at the ceiling wondering when and if they'll come home, and in how many peices.

You take up baking, and send care packages, with cheery little notes telling them to share with their friends. You don't mention that you had to re-write the note four times, because the first three times you were crying so hard at the thought that soon they'd be holding the note instead of you that the paper got splotched with tears.

You count the days until they come home and cross them off the calendar, and when the day gets close, you begin to worry about other things. Will they have changed? Have you? What happened to them over there that they didn't tell you about, and what will it mean to your relationship?

And then, they're home, and you're so happy that you forget all your worries. You can't stop touching them, just to make sure that they're real. You smile all the time and the world is suddenly a sunny, happy place again.

And then, they go away again, and it starts all over.