As I went to sleep last night, I reached over and held my husband’ hand for a few minutes. Then I let it go and he turned around to sleep. We’ve been married for almost twenty-four years now and we have never cuddled during our sleep. My husband doesn’t like anything touching him while sleeping and he moves around a lot during his sleep. I’m not like that. I have had dogs that I will cuddle up to when I am sleeping, and I don’t move very much in my sleep, so it really doesn’t bother me that much.
However, I have a very distinct memory of my father going on a business trip when I was a teenager. My mom wanted me to sleep in her bed with her. As soon as I got into bed, she wanted to put her arms around me and hold me close. I hated that feeling and told her I didn’t want her to put her arms around me. She acted like I had insulted her because I didn’t want her to embrace me while I slept. I just didn’t like the way it felt. Having someone’s arms around me when I was trying to fall asleep didn’t make me feel safe, instead it made me feel claustrophobic. I don’t think I have ever wanted to have anyone put their arms or legs around me while I slept. The only thing that I have ever wanted was to feel an animal close by. Having a dog nearby always made me feel safe. However, a dog isn’t going to put their weight on top of you. A dog will cuddle up to you, but they won’t get on top of you.
It seems almost a weird coincidence that my husband didn’t want to be touched while sleeping and neither did I, but there are many things like that little quirk that we have in common. We both don’t like coffee. We both don’t like sports. These aren’t deal breakers in a marriage, but somehow these little things all seemed to fall into place. So, last night as I said good night to my husband and felt like I had truly met the person that God had chosen for me, I felt nothing but gratitude for God and for my blessed life. He gave me the right person at the right time and I am so thankful for that.
My faith saved me. May God’s peace reside in all of our hearts.
