Love story : Dee and Dang

Today is Valentine’s day, the day of lover’s, and on this Valentine’s Day, I am thousands of miles away from my Love…. serving a year in Seoul, South Korea teaching English. I miss her. I miss her more than I could possibly tell you. The grief that I feel, not just on this special day, but everyday, is deeply carved into my heart. If it pains one so, you might ask, “Why allow yourself to be separated by such distances from the one you love?”

I am in Seoul because I love. Sometimes, contrary to popular belief, love requires distance. I have traveled to Korea to earn experience as a teacher and a good salary, both of which I need.

Why do I need money if I have love? Simple. I need money because my Love and I need a home. I need money for our wedding. I need money for our future children. I need money for our life. If I can provide a good life for those I love, then my love for them drives me to do things that grieve me. Believe me, living in Korea causes me grief.

I want to be a good husband and father, and I see that being such requires many silent and lonely tears. On this Valentine’s Day, I am reminded of that aspect of love. True love brings many joys and heartaches. The joys are exhilarating, but the heartaches are what sustain the love. Without the heartaches, there is no growth…. your love is not being exercised.

On this Valentine’s Day, I celebrate the heartache I am feeling. For the first time in my life, I have someone to exercise my love for, and I am learning that the joy always overshadows the heartache. Distance does not weaken the happiness that I have found in my love for Dang.

Dang makes me feel alive. She brings unimaginable life to my life. I have a spring in my step, a stronger beat in my heart, and extra tenor in my song. Because of Dang, my Love, I see the past for what it was….a preparation to be the man she could fall in love with; I see the present with a patient hope for the future….all that agitates me now will benefit my life with Dang shortly; I and I see the future with hope and excitement…. as far as I can tell, there are nothing but good things in store for my Love and I.

Dang, I love you. I loved you in Tennessee; I loved you in Thailand; and I love you in Korea. Soon, I will find my way back home (less than a year now). Keep calling me…. lead me back home my Valentine.