Wife takes bite out of husband's lunch every day so they can eat together

Tracey Howell, of the US, who has been making her hubby's lunch every day for 41 years, took to Facebook to share the sweet reason she takes a bite out of his sandwich. Photo / Facebook

Every day for the past 41 years, a woman has been making her husband's lunch for work — but one detail in the sandwich has captivated the hearts of social media users.

Tracey Howell, of Texas, explained on Facebook that she takes a bite out of her hubby's packed lunch every day to symbolise her having "lunch with him" while he's at work.

After she uploaded a photo of the bread roll in a zip bag, it immediately garnered an overwhelming amount of attention with 96,000 shares and more than 26,000 likes.

"That is so sweet! Happy Anniversary! Keep hugging each other tight!!" one person commented.

"That is love," another added.

"What a sweet tradition," a third person wrote.

Howell said it all began when her husband made a particular comment about having lunch together.

"On occasion I would join him on the job site and have lunch with him. He made the comment once that lunch tasted better when you share it with someone you love," she wrote in the now viral post.

Tracey Howell, of the US, who has been making her hubby's lunch every day for 41 years, took to Facebook to share the sweet reason she takes a bite out of his sandwich. Photo / Facebook

"Soon after that, while fixing his sandwich one night, I took a bite out of it before putting it away," she said.

"When he got home (long before cell phones) he commented that someone took a bite out of his sandwich. I told him that since I couldn't join him for lunch, I took a bite so he knew I was joining him."

Howell added that she does this frequently — unless it's tuna or pimento cheese — and he still says, "saw you joined me for lunch today and it sure was good".

"I can see how your love has stayed so strong all 41 years. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY," one Facebook user commented.

Her post has since gone viral with more than 95,000 shares. Photo / Facebook

"Y'all are the sweetest and have such a great story from the very first date," wrote another, while others thanked Howell for sharing her "beautiful love story".

Howell said she was "speechless" at the response.

"I had no idea this post would get so much attention!" she wrote in the comments section.