“My husband is in the military serving in Iraq and I worry about him everyday. But by far the most worry I have, next to him losing his life, is him losing interest in our relationship when he gets back. This is his 3rd tour. What should I do to keep the excitement even when we’re miles away?

-Military Wife”

I salute your husband for his bravery.  He is a hero and so are you. We all love to receive mail. Letters, books, or packages… it’s all fun to us. Shortly after I moved to Australia, I became a book reviewer and began receiving a lot of mail. My husband joked that it wasn’t fair I was receiving so much more mail than he did – and then he forgot about the comment.

But I didn’t.

Being sure to include his favorite things like dark chocolate, a funny card and some things that promised more fun when he arrived home, I created a package that brought a smile to his face all day – and all night.

Make the Package Fun

• Make the packaging ordinary. Type up the address label if you can. You can leave a hint or two so your partner doesn’t completely ignore it, but fancy packaging will give away the fact that it’s a fun surprise.

• Send a little something on a regular basis. He will learn to expect this after awhile and those care packages sure bring a smile to the faces of our military men and women.

• Try waiting for a time when you know your partner will really appreciate the signs of affection. Perhaps when a big stressful military operation is underway or when the work grind is getting a bit difficult.

A Word of Caution

Although this is a fun idea with so many possibilities, keep in mind you are sending these things to your partner’s workplace. Do you know for sure that your partner is the person who actually opens his/her mail? Admittedly, that’s not something I thought about when I did this for the first time, but I got lucky. You might not be.

Unless you hand deliver – and even then – think before you send.

But… The Weekend?

So you’re probably wondering how this qualifies as a romantic weekend. Therein lies a lot of the fun. If you’re up for the extra work, you can send your partner a little piece of something every month to prepare for the first very romantic week and into the weekend when he gets home.

Perhaps you start with a piece of clothing from your lingerie drawer on Month 1 and end with a sexily clad picture of you near the end of his tour. A weekend away more your style? Start with a pair of sunglasses on Month 1 and progress all the way to an airline ticket to an island paradise.

As you ought to know, build up is key, so this is an excellent way to get your partner looking forward to the weekend…