The day you left me, wearing your uniform with such pride, was such a bittersweet moment. I wanted to wrap you in my arms, keep you from going off to face the unknown, and make you stay here, by my side. But I could not stand the thought of forcing you to stay, when you looked so eager, so excited to fight for your country. I loved you too much.

It was all I could do to keep myself from stopping you as you went out the front door, prepared to go off for war, in a place where there were no guarantees you would even stay alive. Kissing you goodbye and watching you walk away from me was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.

But I endured. Life without you was painful and lonely, but even the thought of you coming home to me at thewar’s end was enough to make me soar with hope. I thrived on that emotion, lived on it day to day. I imagined you sitting beside me, and that was enough for the time being.

This hope was what kept me from despair when I received that letter. That innocent little piece of paper told me what I feared most: you had gone missing in action. But, while all those around me cried tears of grief and horror, I alone remained calm. No matter what the circumstance, even if you were faced with death, you would brave anything to return to my side, and all because you loved me. Your eyes at our wedding, filled with such happiness and warmth, did not lie on that fact.

That very night, while al around me offered their condolences through choked sobs, I simply sat on the porch, waiting to see a glimpse of your little brown hat, or to hear the fain whistle of that song you love so much, the one I can’t stand.

Every day, I sit outside on these steps, waiting for you to come bounding up the sidewalk towards me, in that little bouncy walk you do so well. Even as everyone else begins to lose hope of your return, through rain, snow, and hail I will be waiting patiently for you to come home.

When you do come back, I will have a dinner waiting in the oven, a fire roaring in the fireplace, and a newspaper ready fore you in the living room. I will give you a kiss on the cheek, and scold you for being gone so long without any notice.

The loneliness lurking around this house will vanish, and once more, we will be happy.