Serena felt her three-year-old was thousands of miles away and missed her terribly. She therefore couldn’t believe what she saw when she woke up.

Nobody has ever said that raising children is simple.Unfortunately, there are times when we are compelled to make tough choices in order to give our kids a good future.

As difficult as it may be to make these choices, parents have no choice but to accept them and learn to live with the consequences.

Giving her 3-year-old daughter Ariella a better future requires Serena Gonzalez, a mother and Navy officer, to serve several years in the service.

Thousands of miles from her home on the east coast, she was sent to a base in San Diego.

Serena reenlisted in the Navy and assumed her position as a Machinist’s Mate, leaving her child in the care of her uncle Billy Cruz.

She fortifies herself and faces each day spent apart from her daughter in order to make sure that she has a pleasant life and access to a reliable education fund should she decide to pursue a college education.

A Navy officer can immediately transfer their Post 9/11 Bill to their spouse, but there is a minimum service requirement of 10 years before it can be transferred to their children, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website.

Serena re-enlisted in the Navy for six more years to fulfill this requirement.She understood she had to give up a few more years with daughter in order to give her 3-year-old a house and a college fund.

The sacrifices were made by the Navy mother since she cherished her daughter so much.In an interview with USA Today, Serena discusses:

She is my life’s genuine light. You know, my daughter is everything to me.’

Every day she misses her little Ariella.The distance between her and her kid makes it difficult for her to visit her whenever she wants.

Long periods of separation from her are exceedingly difficult, but Serena knew she had to do it.

Billy, Serena’s uncle, was aware that having his niece interact with her 3-year-old would be extremely beneficial. He thus made the decision to surprise her.

Serena finally got to see and be with her daughter, who had been gone from her for a while, thanks to Billy and Ariella’s cross-country flight.

Billy made the decision to bring the toddler to the military installation so that she could finally give her child the hugs and kisses she so desperately wanted.

Billy walked up to Serena as she dozed off and gave her chin a little prod.As his niece slowly began to awaken and caught sight of him, he could not help but smile.

The mother grinned endearingly, perhaps believing she was experiencing a wonderful dream. She couldn’t possibly be staring at her uncle in person as he was supposed to be thousands of miles away.

But Serena promptly jumped up and squealed with joy when she rested her drowsy eyes on her young child.The shocked mother sobbed happily and snatched young Ariella up in a tight hug.

Serena’s eyes were so stunning! Could all of this be a dream? It most certainly wasn’t!

She saw her family that morning completely unexpectedly, and to say she was astonished would be an understatement.

She was astonished beyond belief, and with good reason.All of her endearing response was captured on tape. Unforgettable occasion it was, truly.

Serena simply sat on the ground and gave young Ariella a bear hug while shedding joyful tears.

Their reunion is so lovely and heartfelt that it has received nearly 5 million views.Grab a tissue and check out the touching scene below for yourself!