Normal?

Today is the first time I've drank a cup of hot coffee somewhere besides the Children's Hospital. I'm sitting here at my desk (yes, still in my polka-dot pj's) and drinking this small bit of warm comfort. Nothing like coffee in your own home, right?

Maybe some people wonder why all my posts lately have been about the accident and the events that followed since last Sunday. Maybe you're wondering why we haven't said much about just about mine and Jonathan's day-to-day life. The simple explanation is that this, the craziness and daily hospital visits? That has been our day-to-day life. The moment the accident happened, our normal was changed. My Rodgers family isn't the same anymore. We're missing a part of what made us...us. Two of our guys have been through insurmountable pain, and will be for awhile. We're helping all the Rodgers in any way we can, and we would be doing the same if it was my side of the family that needed it. In the past, my family has gone through dark times and Jonathan is always more than willing to do his part to meet needs. We love both sides equally. And I can't say enough how thankful I am to God for giving us such strong, incredible, godly legacies with the Baileys and Rodgers. It's no small thing and we don't take it for granted. We honor them by being willing to help carry the burdens that both sides are given at times.

Let me put it this way. To me and Jonathan, family is a huge deal. We don't take our relationships with them lightly. We hurt when they hurt, we rejoice with them, cry with them and just do life together. That's not to say that we aren't our own unit as husband and wife. We realize there is a God-ordained-leaving-and-cleaving-you-are-responsible-for-yourself-now thing that took place the day me and Jonathan became one. We know that and live that way. And I'm happy to say that (praise God) our families, on both sides, respect and know that too. But they are still a huge part of out life. Just because we're married now doesn't mean that there isn't room for our families in our hearts. As I've heard my Mom say multiple times, "I believe there's room for everyone."

So for now our 'normal' is helping those we love who are hurting. We want to ease the burden anyway we can. For now, what that looks like is us driving 90 miles roundtrip so we can sit at the hospital to help watch kids. It's us bringing food or joking around with Timothy. It's letting Amos hit us with his Spiderman toys to keep him smiling. It's simply loving in the practical, needed ways. I'm so thankful God has blessed us the with ability and knowledge to do that. I pray we only give Him the glory for all this. 

It was Him who first taught us how to love. Not from a distance. Not from a lofty, pride-filled position. But from where we needed Him. Right down close in the ugly and broken and very humble ways. 

We love because He first loved us. 

The stickers we have to have in order to visit Amos. One for every day of the week so far.