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A Marine has come up with a sweet way of keeping in touch with his eight-year-old daughter while serving away from home, by occasionally surprising her through a Ring camera that has been set up in her bedroom.
When Everly is having a tough time with her father Josh, 40, being away from home, her mom, Caitlin, 38, secretly arranges a surprise chat through their security camera just before bedtime.
Caitlin, from Northern California, recently shared on social media a wholesome conversation between Josh and Everly from January 24, which soon went viral.
Initially, Caitlin said, the family had installed the Ring camera in their daughter’s room for safety reasons – as well as to have a means of communicating with their dog while they were out.
But over time, the camera became so much more.
For the past three years, Josh, a major in the United States Marine Corps, has seen his current assignment take him away from home for days and weeks at a time – sometimes unexpectedly.
As a result, the family were left finding pockets of quality time together, as well as using electronic means of communication to stay in touch.
The camera allows Everly to have regular contact with her father, who enlisted more than 20 years ago.
As well as looking forward to her father’s calls, the motion sensor within the camera means that Everly can walk into her room and speak to her dad, too, with the messages then coming through on her parents’ cellphones.
Caitlin, speaking of the video she shared, said: “I stood outside the door listening at the beginning and it was the sweetest thing hearing them chat through her day.
“They have the strongest bond and she truly loves it when he surprises her on the Ring.
“Bedtime is the hardest time for Everly. It’s when she feels her dad’s absence the most.
“When she’s having a hard time, I let Josh know and he surprises her with a chat through the camera.
“I knew the video that we shared was going to pull on everyone’s heartstrings; however, seeing that it has touched so many lives brings me joy.
“In 17 years of loving my Marine, we’ve gone from only being able to communicate via handwritten letters when he’s gone to countless forms of electronic communication.
“It makes military life’s challenges a little more bearable.”
Story via T&T Creative Media