1. Name a highlight in your day? Reading a memory post off of FaceBook written by Hannah (daughter).

2. Where did you see God in your life today? I woke up, and have air in my lungs.

3. What made you smile? Zeus our Great Dane.

4. Who are you most grateful for and why? Hannah and Noah (my children), it has been my honor and privilege to be the mother of such amazing humans. They are my rock, and heart. They have always inspire me to be my best.

5. Why are you grateful for your home? Due to my husbands Traumatic Brain Injury we spend most of our days at home, so I am thankful for a beautiful and roomy place to spend my days. Plenty of space for gatherings…..because life is all about the people in it.

6. What made you laugh today? My best friends snap chat.

7. What are you learning about yourself? That I do not need approval from people to be happy.

8. What are you learning about God? That He never changes.

9. What is your favorite Bible verse? Philippians 4:13

10. What prayer have you seen answered recently? I did not have cancer. Praise the Lord!

11. What do you love about your spouse? That He loves God, and is a man of great faith.

12. What do you love about your parents? That they are unwavering in their service to God, and their love for their family and friends.

13. What do you love about your friends? Mary Jo that you know how I am even in my silence. Rhonda that I can 100% be myself, and laugh…..we have some great times. Heather that I can count on as a prayer warrior in my life, and Kara that time stands still in our friendship, no matter how long it has been…..its always like yesterday.

14. What is a luxury that you are thankful for? My initial thought was heat, but after looking up the definition of luxury I would have to say jewelry…..or purses.

15. Where is your favorite place? Why? Any beach, it is calming…..reminds me how AWESOME GOD IS!

16. What is your favorite food? Pizza…..the best Gino’s in Chicago!

17. What skill are you thankful for? All that I have learned as a nurse.

18. What is your favorite season? Summer…..the pool, the sweet tea, friends, vacations, etc.

19. What is your favorite scent? Blueberries

20. What is your favorite creation? Babies

21. What attribute of God is most significant to you? God is love! Where would I be without His perfect love……His love is unchanging, and has nothing to do with me. He loved the lost me.

2020 has been challenging for all of us. Take a few minutes and answer these questions for yourself. Gratitude will set the tone for your day, or end it on a beautiful note. My love and prayers for a blessed ending of 2020.

A few days ago my dad, and I were talking about the condition of the world. We are living in a time that everything is acceptable, and the things that are not most people turn a blind eye too……including Christians. All the evil, and unknowns in the world can definitely cause fear. At the end of our conversation I basically said, “I thank God there is more than what is to come for us.” Dad said an, “Amen, and that we have hope.”

For Christians death is just a new beginning. It is just a passing from one life to another. Death for the saved is a homecoming with their Lord and Savior. Think for a second what death is to a lost person……We so often forget (myself included) that the Kingdom of God is at hand. You can watch the news, and see it coming. I saw a post by Kirk Cameron that read, “If you had the cure to cancer wouldn’t you share it? you have the cure to death, get out there and share it.” We get to comfortable….yes, I am preaching to myself. We have got to start sharing the gospel. It is fine we share our services times, our titles, our praise teams, our programs, outreaches, our classes, and groups. None of those things in itself will lead a lost person to heaven…..yes God can use them, but the gospel is the cure for death, that this world so desperately needs.

So if you are reading this I am gonna give you the gospel…….the cure for death that I found on February 5th, 1986.

Romans 2:11 For there is no respect of persons with God. (God loves us all)

Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one. (none of us are good, or worthy on our own)

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (we all sin and miss the mark)

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ( He demonstrated His love for us, and did not merely die for us, but in our place)

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (we can live forever through Jesus)

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (so simple confess, believe, your saved).

Deliverance, safety, preservation, healing, and soundness is all yours.

My email is listed on my blog. Please feel free to contact me with any questions on getting to know my Lord and Savior. My love to you all!!!!!!! God is so good!!!!!!!

Have you ever dropped a beautiful glass, and it shattered? It seems like there are a million pieces. How can that ever be put back together, so it is useful again? Have you felt that way? I know I have over the past year. It seems like tiny pieces of yourself are all about. Will we ever be able to be repaired? Sometimes it feels like there is no glue strong enough to repair the devastations life can throw at us. The brokenness can make you unrecognizable, even to yourself. The great suffering, destruction, distress, betrayal, loss, it seems to all become insurmountable. People always say you will heal in time (I do not think they know what to say), but some hurts and circumstances just do not feel like that is possible. The valley gets so dark, and low. You stop living life, you exist. You stop doing things you once loved, and enjoyed so much. I stopped writing, reading, celebrating…….I avoided people I love. The valley can get so bad you stop walking, and you just take a seat there. It seems no one even really noticed the brokenness killing you/me day by day, and minute by minute. Emotions (natural instinctive) can be so strong. Lets be honest, some emotions can make us act crazy! Happiness, sadness, anger, anticipation, fear, loneliness, jealousy, disgust, surprise, and trust.

Christians battle brokenness as well. It is just seldom talked about. It is easier to talk the talk, than walk the walk. That meaning pretending everything is all right. By pretending you do not have to face the giants, and mountains in front of you…….or worry what others will say.

God has called me to keep it real. I am a hot mess at times. I do not always have it together. I fail daily. Honesty is a hard thing to find nowadays. I want my brothers, and sisters in Christ as well as a lost world to know God gave us emotions. It is ok to feel. It is fine to be real. it is natural to have moments, and seasons of brokenness.

As I sit at my desk writing (I write on paper before typing….dating myself). Thinking of the pieces I am still trying to put back together. Which I have had little luck with in my own power. When I give God that broken piece from a betrayal that ripped my heart out, that piece from a loss that seemed I could never bear. He masterfully pieces me back together. In His care I am of use, and so are you.

It is a lie to say we will not have bad days, or a rough sea in this life. So to anyone riding unicorns that toot out sparkles, and slid down rainbows……do not take advice from these people. Life is a journey. We know there will be hard times. That is why we can not stand on our emotions, we must stand on a firm foundation…..God’s word.

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle (scorch) upon thee. Isaiah 43:2

Give God the broken pieces. I myself am a work in progress. I always feel the need to help God….knowing He does not need my assistance. Stay in your word. Stay in prayer. Music does wonders for those broken times in your life. Grab a hold of a “True Godly Friend.” A person that truly loves you, and wants the best for you. In those low times, let them speak life to you. God gave us each other. He made us relational beings. We need each other.

God can fix all of our brokenness. If you are like me you just have to open your blood stained hands, and release those broken pieces to Him. When we allow Him to work, I know he will turn us into an even more magnificent masterpiece than before. That is the love of our Father.

Why blog? I honestly feel like we are all so much more similar than we think. Our battles may be different, but we are all warriors the same. I want to inspire, encourage, and motivate others. I want to be relatable, so people know they are not alone. Writing is therapy for me personally. Turning feelings into pictures by words, is healing to me. My blog will cover real life issues. The beautiful, mundane, and the ugly. Thus the blog name Everyday McCool. A reality blog if you will. I would love to connect with anyone I can better their life. If I can provide a smile, a laugh, or a throw you hands in the air, “Praise the Lord, Hallelujah,” I am not the only one. I want to connect with anyone God puts in my path. I pray I can share Jesus in a real life relatable way. I am going to write from my own highs, and lows. My life, circumstances, and experiences will prayerfully touch you. I wanna sprinkle love, peace, and hope with each written word. I plan to be a ladder, life boat, and a light to each reader. My prayer is that I fill one of those 3 L’s every time I write. Even if it is just for one person. You are worth it!!!!!