Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

After far too long working out of town and only being able to see my family on the weekends, I am more aware of the truth of this saying than ever. The absence of the people I love being a part of my daily life makes my heart ache.

The reality of absence is not quite as romantic as the saying suggests, though. I find myself in physical pain at times yearning for my wife, wanting to hold my children, wanting to be an ever present father and husband.

I have been in my love with my wife since the day that I met her. She completes me in ways I had not before her known I needed to be completed. People say that in good relationships, one partner does not ask the other the change. My wife never asked me to change, but her love and support through the years have helped mold me into a man of which I can be proud, instead of the sometimes aggressive juvenile I was until she came into my life.

When I remember the person I was before my wife, I thank God that He put her into my life. She saved me from a cycle of destruction that I firmly believe would never have ended had it not been for God's intervention in bringing her into my life.

There was a point in my existence where it took next to nothing to send me into fits of rage, punching holes in walls and screaming at the top of my lungs. The random drunk person at the local tavern would give me a funny look and I would be in his face in an instant. I am not proud of the person I was, but I am proud of who I am today.

My children mean the world to me. I would go to the ends of the earth to maintain their happiness. I would lay down my life without a moment's hesitation if an unfortunate situation ever arose where I had to make that decision.

I love my family, and I miss them. I miss the daily greeting when I come through the door. I miss that first hug from my wife after a long day at work. I miss having my wife next to me in bed.

Absence is lonely, and I'm glad it will soon be over.