The sweet video by a dad who was away from his family for too long

When Julio Cortez left home to cover the World Cup, it was the longest he'd ever been away from his three young children.

Julio Cortez can add many professional accolades to his biography, but the most important achievement has to be his three children.

As a Pulitzer Prize winning staff photographer with the Associated Press, the devout Catholic has been away from home to cover some pretty major historical events. However, his recent trip to Qatar to photograph the World Cup meant that he’d be away from home even longer than normal.

So, in a bid to help his kids know how much they are loved, the family man sent a video with a daily virtual hug. And at the end of the 20-day trip, we get to see the dad finally hug his kids in the flesh, and it’s adorable.

While it was so heartwarming to see the kids with a welcome home sign saying they didn’t want any toys or candy for Christmas, just their dad, we also loved the fact that during a major global event, Cortez’ focus was on his family. As he pointed out in his post:

“My sons and my wife are by far the best gift I’ve ever received and I am so thankful for God’s provisions and good favors.”