Gratitude ~ in pig latin

Remembering Ms. Patty…

This year, I’ve lost more people I love than any year of my life. And the hits just keep coming. I know to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, and I’m grateful my loved ones knew Him. But there’s still a hole for each one. They all brought something much needed to my table in different seasons.

I met Ms. Patty in 2011 when I was giving my testimony at a local church. I was already friends with her daughter, Cindee, and was so happy she brought her mama so I could meet her in person.

Last night Cindee told me her precious mama had gone on to be with the Lord. This morning, I went back and read every single message Ms. Patty and I exchanged from 2011 to our last one on March 14, 2024. One theme ran through almost all of them: gratitude. She constantly reminded me to give thanks. She was honest about her own struggles, and she always related to me. It’s strange how you don’t see the magnitude of something until it’s gone. Some of her messages fit the moment she sent them… but they were made for me today. I’m gaining wisdom and strength from things she wrote years ago.

Her very first message to me was on May 3, 2011, after hearing my testimony. She sent a friend request and said she enjoyed hearing what I shared — that I had “come through a lot.” Then she ended with this exactly:

“BY THE WAY, I SPEAK PIG LATIN TOO. OVELA UOYA. OODGA IGHTNA, EEPSLA IGHTTA. ATPA.”

I remember laughing about that. When I first set up Facebook, I jokingly put “Pig Latin” as my official language. I never dreamed someone would dig deep enough into my profile to see it — or better yet respond in it. But that was one of Ms. Pat’s gifts: she saw you. She saw what you said, and she saw what you didn’t say... and she knew what to do with both. She jumped right into the mess with you and said, “Let’s talk about it.” Not many people do that.

I want to share a few pieces of her wisdom — the ones I’m leaning on today:

“I have finally learned that when JESUS said to give Him my problems and THANK HIM in all things, and let it go, He would take care of it. I pray, give it to Him, thank Him, and go about my business. It works.”

“Let me know if you ever want to talk. I truly do think of you often. Jesus loves you so much.”

Her willingness to be there with you was genuine and faithful.

Once she messaged me saying she was lying in bed wide awake and I was on her mind so decided to write me — only to realize she also needed to pee. She was perfectly human and honest to the core. She wasn’t just a faithful friend. She was funny.

In 2016, she messaged to tell me my oldest son was in the newspaper. I didn’t get the paper, so I may have never known. She knew my kids were my world and didn’t want me to miss a thing.

“Good morning. I pray for Grace, Favor, and Peace on you today. Keep a smile on your face. Stay thankful. Do NOT let the devil rob you of your blessings. Stay focused on JESUS. Love you.”

“Sweet beautiful Tina. I know where you are. I’ve been there more than once… Just keep thanking Him every day for what He is doing and be patient. I’ll keep you in my prayers. Love you girl. GOD’S GOT THIS.”

“GOD took care of you… You now have another good testimony that will help someone. Love u.”

“You should write a book… I started one called The Fate of a Key. Hold your head high. Love those handsome boys.”

“THANK GOD HE LOVED ME ENOUGH TO GET ME THROUGH SO MUCH CRAP. I COULD HAVE BEEN CHOPPED UP AND FED TO THE FISH.”

And this one — the one that feels like the message I needed at this very moment in my life:

“TINA. I FEEL COMPELLED TO WRITE YOU… YOU ARE ME ALL OVER AGAIN… I was looking for love in all the wrong places… I didn’t give my heartbreak to God. I took it back every time… I’m telling you this because I KNOW GOD HAS YOU. LET GO AND LET GOD. HE WILL DO FOR YOU WHAT HE DID FOR ME. I LOVE YOU. YOU ARE MY SISTER IN CHRIST.”

When I was discouraged or afraid, she didn’t coddle me:

“That is the devil talking. Get on your knees, pray, ask forgiveness, rebuke the devil RIGHT NOW. Get back in church. The devil is a liar.”

“Kick off your shoes and get into some praise and worship. Cry if you need to. Dance. Rebuke the devil again.”

And this little gem that still makes me smile:

“Patience isn’t easy. But God has this. Thank Him and let Him work. Now go to Walmart and buy something you want. Get with a girlfriend and tell funny jokes. Eat ice cream and pig out. Fixing to pray for you… Later gator — I’m in Fla., I can truly say that. Lol…”

She sent me pictures of sunrises and sunsets on the water because she knew the ocean refreshed me. She paid attention. Always.

Our last exchange was March 14, 2024. She sent a picture of herself and said, “Not bad for pushing 80.” I told her playfully to quit all that lyin'. She let me know quick she would be 76 soon — and honestly, she didn’t look anywhere close. Her wisdom carried her age, but her face and spirit did not.

This was the last photo Ms. Patty sent me. It’s a little blurry, but as she often reminded me, “wasn’t nothing perfect but Jesus.”

This is only a small sampling of what she shared with me. But one thing is certain:

She always pointed me to Jesus.

She always reminded me to be thankful.

She always saw me.

And she always told me she loved me.

We talked about Jesus, relationships, gratitude, warfare, dogs, plants — life. I didn’t realize it then, but reading back through the years, I see some things clearly. She had my back. She was more than a Facebook friend. She reached out when I needed it most. And even now gone, she’s still speaking and encouraging me to look to Jesus.

I will miss her — her wisdom, her humor, her steady encouragement, her love. I wish I could see her one more time. But I know one day, I will again.

So until then, my beautiful friend, ovelay ouyay, issmay ouyay alreadyway. Untilway eway eetmay againway.