Monday, June 25, 2007

Sibling Contract

Tonight my youngest came downstairs with a request from his brother as he normally does. You see, Adam sends his brother to do his dirty work alot. I think is pretty typical of an older sibling. Alex came down asking for tape, so my husband took it to Adam so that he could also tell him not to boss his younger brother around. My husband then asked Adam what that was in his hand, and Adam said it is a Contract. My husband asked Adam what the contract was for. Adam said it was a contract for his brother. My husband asked him what it said.
Alex can't come into my room except to play Playstation and to sleep in my bed.
Apparently, Alex had messed Adam's room up, and Adam had had enough. So he decided to write a contract for his 5 year old brother.
The funny thing about it all, is that Alex signed it.

June 18th


June 18, 2003 was a day I will never forget. It was a day that changed our lives in so many ways. That morning Adam was on his way to work. He had been riding to work with a friend, Bernie Kugland, and they had to be at work at 4:30am. Bernie was driving that morning, and they were on I-64 when a car struck them from behind sending them into the guardrail, and flipping time after time. Adam blacked out, and the next thing he new he was standing in the median. At 4:05 I woke to a phone call, I didn't recognize the number, but something told me to answer it. I picked up, and it was a man on the other line telling me that my husband was in a car accident and was being taken to University Hospital. He knew nothing else. I didn't know what to do. I called my mom, and my sister. My sister came at sat with the boys, and I headed to the hospital to meet my parents. That drive was the longest, I couldn't get there fast enough. I just prayed that he was ok. I didn't know what to expect. When I got to the hospital, they took me to Adam. He was banged up pretty bad, but he was sitting up talking to the doctors. A little time went by, and Adam kept asking about Bernie. He said, he was messed up pretty bad. A doctor came and got me and pulled me into the hall. There was a counselor, and she informed me that Bernie had passed away. I dropped to my knees. It was like time stopped at that moment. When I went back into Adam, the doctor told him about Bernie, and reassured him that there was nothing that he could have done. The next few months were very hard for Adam and Bernie's family. We found out more details of the accident. The accident was caused by a 24 year old drunk driver who had fled the scene on foot after his car died. He was convicted a year later of second degree manslaughter, only to be released 6 months later.
At the funeral someone said to Adam, "God's not threw with you yet. That is why you are still here. You know that don't you". Adam replied, "I am starting to see that." You see this was before we starting going to church. We weren't involved in church, we both believed in God. I look back at the past 4 years and I see how God has worked in our life. He was there in the midst of that time when we didn't know why it had happened. A co-worked of my mom's told her that as she passed the wreck coming into work that morning, that traffic was backed up miles. She looked over and a group of people were huddled on the side of the road praying. I was amazed how people could care that much about people they didn't even know. I didn't understand it then, but I know find myself doing the same thing. If we see an accident, I tell the boys to pray, and I do the same.
Adam wore his seat belt that morning. He never wore his seat belt. Some say that saved his life, but now i know that God had his hand on him the whole time. When Adam blacked out, he saw images of the boys. He says it was like when they say your life flashes before you eyes. I like to think that God was showing him that he had more for him to do. I thank God everyday for saving my husband that morning, and as I look back and see him working in our lives even when we weren't seeking him, I thank him for being there even when I didn't realize he was.