Wow, Dropsie.
That's a whole lot of patient and painful endurance right there. I'm really moved by the power of it, the power of deciding to deliberately hold your position because your love is stronger.
The other really powerful thought it brought to mind for me is "this must be exactly what it's like for a 'recovered' alcoholic to watch a person in active addiction." It's like... you know where the door is, but everyone has their own secret code to the lock that only they can figure out. Hard to watch, I'm sure. (Understate much, O?)
O