A quick [ok, maybe not so quick] two part story of why I [we] developed Faithful Gear™.
Several years ago I took my daughter [who was 9 at the time] to the mall to shop for clothes. While scanning through countless racks of tops I noticed dozens of shirts displaying phrases which were, shall I say, ‘nasty’. Some of them read: “you’re ugly”, “life sucks”, “I’m bad deal with it”, “I’m so hot I could steal your boyfriend”, “I hate you” “you’re a loser”, etc., the list goes on. These shirts were not in the adult section of the store, they were only available in kid sizes--I asked. Disappointed, I decided to look in other stores to see if I could find an age appropriate, clean comment style shirt. I wanted something inspirational, something suitable for a child [or adult] to wear. To my dismay, I found these nasty shirts [and worse] in practically every store. I wondered what type of parent would buy a shirt like this for their kid? What message does wearing a nasty shirt send… and what does it say about the person wearing it? I made it my business to inquire with store managers as to why they didn’t offer an alternative shirt with an uplifting, decent, positive message? Management response was unanimous. I was told, “we would love to stock shirts like the ones you describe, but corporate doesn’t send us any” and “do shirts like this exist?” It was then that I decided to one day create my own line of wholesome shirts for adults, parents, teens, and little kids. Shirts everyone would be proud to wear.
2004 was a hectic and ultimately, life changing year for me. I’d spent the last five and a half years arguing with my former husband, going to bed at 10:00pm and waking up at 3:45am, commuting three or more hours a day to my radio job in Washington, D.C. I was fatigued and emotionally empty from the incessant battle. I thought I was capable of handling just about anything, but I felt my life rapidly spiraling out of control. The holidays were fast approaching. I was doing everything for everyone else. I was lonely, sad, angry, frustrated, annoyed, and most of all, I was lost. I wondered why my life was so unbearable. I could no longer tolerate the verbal abuse from my ex husband. I was nearing the end of my pitiful rope. I needed help, and fast. It was Friday, December 10, 2004. I was stuck in traffic after work on the way to pick up my daughter. I had 12 miles to go and 5 minutes to get there. Four lanes of brake lights lay in front of me. Worried about my daughter, I dashed off the nearest exit. I started to cry and then I started to pray. I prayed out loud to God. I prayed for God to get me to my daughter quickly. I prayed for God to bring me relief. I prayed for help, for answers, for an end to this crazy life I’d created. Like George Bailey, I prayed for God to ‘show me the way’. I promised God I would turn my life over to Him if he would just tell me what to do. Out of absolutely nowhere I heard a voice say, “you need to be here on Sunday”. I glanced and reached down to turn off my radio, but it was already off. I looked up and directly in front of me was a church. I got it! Immediately! I said, “God, I hear you, thank you for answering my prayers, I will do as you instruct”. I pulled up to the school and collected my daughter with 30 seconds to spare. Sunday came, as promised I got up early, woke my daughter asked her to get dressed, pulled our Bibles from the bookshelf, hopped in the car and a few minutes later arrived at that church. It’s the largest non-denominational Christian church in the area. The preacher’s message felt as if it had been written specifically for me. Everything he said touched me in ways I’d never experienced before. Realizing the life I was living wasn’t really mine, I turned it over to God. I knew this would be the beginning. We joined the church that very day. Since then, my and my daughter’s life has been happy, balanced, positive, and peaceful. My faith is undeniable and unshakable. I believe once people fully comprehend that God controls their life and that He’s placed each of us here for a very specific purpose, every little thing falls into place. Over the last twelve months I’d been praying about things most people would probably find insignificant; our culture and society and the messages being sent to our kids via the internet, MTV, tabloids, reality TV, etc. I’ve been asking God to use me in the way He sees fit.
A week before Christmas, 2006, I had occasion to visit the same store in the mall where I first saw the ‘nasty shirts’. To my amazement, the shirts were now available not only in the children’s’ section, but the teen, and adult departments as well. Talk about a sign! I knew God had a plan for me and now my direction was clear. I was to move forward with the line of respectable shirts.
It’s taken many years but the wait is over. This world in which we live needs constructive change. With great faith we introduce to you, Faithful Gear™, a distinct collection of moral message shirts for adults, teens, and children.
The first in the series of Faithful Gear™ is our “stop and think” shirt that says it all FAITHFUL™. Who knows, you may change someone’s mind about cheating…or reassure the person who didn’t, or my personal reason for wearing it, you’ll tell the world the kind of person you are.
We hope you’ll wear Faithful Gear™ with pride and conviction.
You’ll make a positive statement everywhere you go!
Be faithful, to God, to your family, to your spouse or partner, to yourself, to your friends, to everyone, and everything. Watch how your life changes.
Feel Free to send your suggestions and comments.
Please help us spread the word about Faithful Gear™.
Bookmark our site and check back often.
Thank you for your support!
As always we remain, FAITHFUL
God Bless, Diana & Sophie
[ back to top ] |
