On the subject of vast distances, we come now to our series--the state of our unions about marriage in this country. Tonight couples who keep it together across the miles in what sometimes are called "commuter marriages" often necessary, when work is in one place and family is in another as we see tonight from NBC's Rehema Ellis.
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The typical weekend for Florida couple Darren and Lucinda Lesser--playing with two-year old son Bryce. But once Tuesday morning rolls around.
Hi, Baby, love you.
Love you
Darren goes back to his contracting job, a thousand miles away in Philadelphia. It's an arrangement becoming more common among married couples, the so-called "commuter marriage".
The US Census Bureau estimates 3.6 million married Americans, including military families, live apart. That's a 40 percent increase since 1999.
For many couples, like the Lessers, it's about economics and child care.
She's a wonderful mother and so I just can't think of someone else raising our son.
So how do they make it work? Communication is key.
(How was your flying?)
We do a lot of rituals, if you would call it that, you know, we speak first thing in the morning, we speak last thing in the evening.
Still the Lessers are planning ahead. Lucinda has started her own Mary Kay business and is studying for her real estate license to help build up their savings account so when the time comes for Darren to stop traveling, they can afford it.
Leading to the next challenge, living together again full-time. Dr. Bill Pinsof is president of the Family Institute at Northwestern University.
"The most important thing is to have patience and to realize that you are not just gonna be able to come back and everything's gonna fall back into place."
"I give it maybe 2 or 3 weeks. She'll probably be ready to send me back out on the road."
But they are willing to risk it, because like most couples, the reason they got married in the first place was to be together.
Rehema Ellis, NBC news, New York.