At the end of my freshman year of high school, one of my best friends who I had known since the 6th grade moved back to her home country of Israel.

I was a 14-year-old living in Miami and my other half was leaving to go live on the other side of the world. I was heartbroken and I missed her every single day.

It would be two years before we saw each other again, but with the help of technology, our communication didn’t cease during our separation – it only increased. We spoke more than once a day, kept each other updated, and sent each other photos, all the while waiting for our reunion.

One day at work, I looked up and there, standing in front of me, was my best friend. I burst into tears immediately and left my post to tackle her in hugs and kisses.

I’m sure most of you can relate to the feeling of missing someone or something. In between the “goodbye” and the next “hello” are a bunch of prayers and tears and hopeful thoughts.

Sam Cox, a soldier in the British military, faced such a separation when he had to leave his girlfriend, Sandra, and his husky, Jax, behind to go to his station in Nigeria. The days just could not go by fast enough for Sam to be reunited with his companion and his love.

I don’t know exactly how an animal’s sense of time works, but I do know that they are super excited to see you when you’ve only been gone a few minutes. I can only guess that even a week without his beloved Sam was painful for Jax, let alone months and months. He probably wondered if he would ever see his owner again.

Finally, though, the day came for that anticipation to be put to rest!

When Sam walked through the bedroom door, Jax could not keep his elation contained! His tail started wagging immediately. He jumped all over Sam and licked him all over the face, cries of joy erupting from his mouth.

Many military homecomings have brought tears to my eyes, but none have done so like this. It is so beautiful to see the connection between Sam and his husky come alive again through their reunion.

I bet that “Welcome home” was even better than anything Sam could have dreamed of! I hope these two enjoy their time together. Welcome home, Sam!

Did you love watching this emotional reunion as much as we did? So share this!