Thankful and Faithful...

He has a new roommate. We had not yet met. I had gotten to his room, and was busy about my business. I was shaving him, trimming the goatee, and going through our stretching routine, when I heard a voice on the other side of the curtain. First I heard a muffled statement, and paused, not sure if he was speaking to me. Then I heard it again. I took a step back to see the man on the other side of the curtain. He was older 70+, and he was sitting upright in his bed. I smiled at him, and said I was sorry I hadn't heard him. He looked up at me and cleared his throat, and repeated "I said I admired your faithfulness" I must have looked puzzled because he repeated it again this time adding that he had been listening to me talk, and that he admired my faithfulness to my husband. He was very sincere, and not concerned that he had been listening to my conversation. I wasn't really bothered by his eavesdropping, but rather curious by his lack of awareness of it. I spoke with him for a time. I told him that we have been together for 20 years, and it was not my faithfulness that was being challenged but his. I explained to him, that really I have no other options, but that man there in the bed, he is the one with options. He is the one who is having his faithfulness challenged. He is the one who has to chose to fight, to return to us. He is the one who is facing the unknown journey, the one who has to have faith in the unknown and the uncertain. I only have to have faith in him. That is the easy part. I have had faith in him for 20 years and he has never let me down. Aggravated me beyond belief at times, but never let me down. I have faith in him. Faith that he will do whatever he can to come back to us. He has to have faith that whatever the journey brings, he can overcome it. He has to have faith that no matter how hard it is or how long it takes, that in the end it will be worth it. I have to just have faith in him. I rest my cheek on that familiar chest, or look into those green eyes and it is easy for me to have faith in him. For that I am thankful.....