I’m writing this blog as I wait to watch my boyfriend, the man that I love, walk across a stage and receive his diploma. This is one of the most important moments of his life and I’m missing it.

This is the reality of long distance dating.
You miss moments. You miss a lot of moments.
And each moment you miss will hurt way more than you anticipate.

I am the only one in a relationship on my squad. There are many pros and cons to this fact, but for the sake of keeping this blog on the shorter side I’m not going to get into that. My squad mates will often make comments about how “they don’t know how I do it” (referring to dating while on the Race).

If I’m being honest I don’t know how we do it. There’s a lot of things we have done REALLY well over the course of this year, but there have also been things that we have dropped the ball on. It has taken a lot of patience and grace to learn how to communicate with someone when you’re continents apart, and oftentimes this looks different daily.

Honestly, I could probably write a book on what to do or what not to do when it comes to long distance, but I’m not going to. Each relationship is different and there are SO many “right” ways to go about long distance. You need to figure out what’s best for you and your loved one. However, I will share two things that we did that I believe were essential for our relationship.

First, we intentionally prayed for each other in the same way each day. This was so unifying and reassuring! We have always prayed for each other, but there was something about knowing that he was praying for me the same way that made me feel like I was connected with him. Over the Race we have prayed in different forms and my favorites were praying the Psalms and doing novenas together!

Secondly, we prioritized each other. There were times over this year when we needed to be there for each other. This only happened a few times, but when it did we would drop everything to call each other and support one another. I will never forget how he listened to me sob on the phone while I was in Rwanda.

The truth about long distance is that is SUCKS. Calling someone on FaceTime is not the same as spending time with them in person. You will have doubts over the course of the Race. It will feel impossible at times. The Enemy will attempt to use your relationship to attack you. You will miss your partner A LOT. There will be tears and some days you will just want to scream about how much you hate it.

However, there are good things that have come from long distance. 

You learn whether you are willing to fight for your relationship. It teaches you how to be a better communicator. You will be reminded how much you love your partner. It will make your relationship stronger. Together you will be able to rely on the Lord in a new way. 

Congratulations on graduating my dude!

Thank you for doing these eleven months with me and for never giving up on us. 

I love you a lot.

xoxo

claudzilla