Collection: God is so Cool

First and foremost, let’s begin with one of my favorites, an expression that actually came from a customer idea. One day shortly after the initial launch of the Jake David line, a customer came in and asked Nikki how we came up with the shirt sayings. After Nikki talking through our concepts, she told Nikki she had an idea for a future shirt because it was an expression she couldn’t get out of her head. She explained that she had watched Jake’s funeral online, and during the eulogy, the line “God is so cool” stood out to her, enough that she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Nikki wrote it down on a post it note (where all of our 100 notes go), and it was put aside, not because we didn’t think it was a great idea but rather we were trying to get through the first wave of the collection.Fast forward a couple months; an old friend of mine stopped by the store one day. She and her husband moved a few hours away but were back in town for a couple days. She stopped by to say hi to me and check in. When she was leaving, she was just about to walk out the door but then stopped and looked back at me and said, “Remember, Krista, God is so cool.” I just stared at her. It took my breath away. I looked back at Nikki and said, “That’s it. We are moving forward with this.”What started out as part of the eulogy I was grateful enough to be able to write for my son has become so much more. The saying, “I know you all miss me, but God is so cool. ~Jake” resides on a shelf in our living room. My daughter created it on a letter board without us knowing, and as we sat down one evening, we noticed it. It took our breath away, made us smile, and reinforced the hope we have with Jake’s joy in heaven.It goes even further, though. My initial goal with this line was to honor Jake’s legacy, do good with it, but also to remind people of certain values and truths we need to see everyday. My hope is that when people see and read these shirts, they are reminded of what the words are speaking. In “God is so cool”, let me help you with the message, the message that I see in those words, the message Nikki helped me to see in those words.Weeks after the accident, after I returned to work, I really questioned my purpose, mostly here at Sunshine. It seemed to be a waste of time, wondering how I could pour my joy into something that seemed meaningless, wondering how I was going to put on a smile for my customers, how fake I was going to be. As Nikki always does, she reminded me that our customers would be the hands, the eyes, and the mouth of Jesus, showing me why I was here and bringing me joy. You know why? Because “God is so cool”. He showed up in the smiles, the hugs, the comfort, and the laughter of our customers. My customers are so cool.It wasn’t just my customers that have shown me signs. It’s everyone around me who has shown me not only glimpses of Him but also of Jake. I was driving into town one day and having a rough spell (lone drives in the car are the worst), when some road construction was going on. As I was sitting at the stop sign that a gentleman was holding, he turned around to tell me to go through and gave me the biggest smile. All I saw was Jake. God is so cool. When someone sends me a text through the day, reminding me that my family is in their thoughts and prayers or whatever message that makes me smile, it’s a reminder: God is so cool. When my kids’ friends come up to me at places and give me a hug, I know Jake is working through them. God is so cool. When my nieces and nephews send me random texts with old pics of them with Jake and an “I love you”, I know that God is just so darn cool.So when you see this shirt walking around on probably a really cool person, share a smile with them, send a text to someone who might be on your mind, offer up a prayer, give someone a tight squeeze, remind someone how much you love them, and just let God work through you. It’s all actually pretty simple stuff. He’s not complicated. He’s not overdramatic. He’s pretty real. And he’s pretty cool.