A happy couple is drawing a lot of public attention, and it's because there is a 48-year gap between them.

The couple also lives 6,800 miles apart for most of the year.

As you can imagine, societal judgment plagued the couple, with people calling the girl a "mail-order bride."

But a deeper look into this unlikely union is clear proof that "couple goals" are real, and only strong relationships can have that.

The pair met on Facebook in 2014. Thomas is 71, while Lorie is 23.

Given his age, Thomas is retired. He is a business owner.

After seeing her profile, Thomas was excited. For him, it was love at first sight – clear evidence that it's never too late to find love.

As most people would expect, the young girl had a different perspective. In fact, she was shocked to learn of the man's age. However, she eventually warmed up to him after learning about his personality.

In fairytale style, the two met for their first date on her birthday in the Philippines.

And despite the huge age gap between the two, they finally tied the knot in January of 2016. A few months later, in July, the couple had their first child, a daughter named Mary.

Lorie stays with their daughter most of the time in the Philippines, but Thomas is a dedicated father and husband who regularly flies more than 6,000 miles to spend time with his family and check up on them.

However, he only manages to spend five months in a year with the family, which is still commendable, considering the great distance that separates them.

Still, when he is away from his wife and daughter, they stay in touch through Skype.

But even from such distances, he is still very serious about his goals as a husband and father.

The families have, over time, come to accept the relationship, but there has been some resistance along the way from strangers.

But it seems that some people simply cannot get over the fact that a couple with such a huge age gap between them can be so happy together.

Although she is often called a "mail-order bride," she had denied the claims saying the union is not legit, and it started like any other relationship does when fate allowed them to meet through Facebook. She hates the tag with a passion.

She explained that loyalty and trust exist between them, and they spend a lot of time together in addition to speaking to each other, almost daily on Skype.

Clearly, this is a couple that knows what they want, and they are making it happen. The happiness they have cannot be faked, and although many might frown at the existence of this relationship, there is a lot we can learn from it.

Nothing can get in your way with true love, and Thomas and Lorie are clear proof of this. With a little daughter to cement their union, and clear efforts from both sides to spend quality time together, many can learn from this couple.