As I stepped out on my porch, watching the sky shift from bright blue to quiet purple, I thought of my husband. It was all I seemed to do lately, but I tried not to appear distracted in front of my family and friends, for fear that I would cause worry.

The last I saw of him was the day he’d left, nearly four months ago. The night before he’d come home in his uniform, looking so handsome and so proud that all of my objections to his leaving dissipated. So all I did was give him my full support and my ever-enduring love, sending him off with a heartfelt kiss.

The other day I had received a letter from him, telling me that they had recently been victorious and not to worry, that he was a man that could hold his own in battle. He also told me, in the event of his death, that “If I fall, remember you have given your husband to the most righetous cause that ever widowed a woman.”

Returning to the house, I pressed a kiss to his picture and prayed for his safe return.

*quote credited to Strong Vincent