Think of a time when you were separated from a loved one for a long period of time. Perhaps it was a mother or father, brother or sister, or a spouse or a child. Whoever it might have been, the moment of seeing them again for the first time brings with it a flood of wonderful and beautiful emotions. It is a time to remember everything that you love about each other and enjoy the connections that you have.

With this in mind, just imagine the additional feeling of knowing that the one you love has been in a dangerous place over the past year, risking their life for the ones that they love. The added stress of worrying about their safety paired with the already present longing to see them again makes the feeling that much more intense. WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW…

It is the moments of watching soldiers return from active duty and being reunited with their families that are some of the most powerful reunions to watch. They are a combination of beautiful relief paired with joy and excitement. So when this returning soldier decided to surprise his mother and return a month earlier than she expected, the reaction was absolutely priceless, and we have it on video.

In this video, a returning soldier goes to his mother’s workplace and sits down with a newspaper in front of his face. She almost passes him but notices the uniform. She quickly does a double-take and completely freaks out when she sees him. Enjoy this beautiful moment caught on video by extended family – this is pure joy.