Competition brings out the beast in me.  I’m a winner.  I like to win.  I want to win.  So, it should come as no surprise to you that I can turn any simple thing into a competition.  Now, don’t get me wrong.  I don’t walk around like a big bully challenging people to duels.  I have a healthy appreciation for games and fun.  Being the big sister to Bible Study Brother helped shape his fiercely competitive nature.  I keep him on his toes. We were in a store one day getting groceries.  Occasionally, we like to have fat kid collaboration meals.  We decide on a meal that we want to…

Just last week, I was asked what I thought were my strong traits.  Patience is the first thing that popped into my head.  I expounded on my ability to wait out situations.  I really hyped myself up the more that I discussed it.  Yup…that’s me…patient Patty.  And then……life happened.  I had to confront some uncomfortable truths. Not too long ago, there was a viral video challenge going around.  Parents would secretly record their children.  They would place a bowl of candy or treats in front of them.  The parent would promise the child that they could have the candy, but they just had to wait for a moment.  The parent…

Navigating family dynamics has been a struggle at various times in my life.  The older I get, the more life that I live, the more I realize that everybody’s family has issues and struggles.  When I was younger, I would get so frustrated.  Why couldn’t my family just act right?  Why couldn’t we get it together and be “normal” like everyone else’s family?  I had a fairytale idea of normal.  I guess I was seeking perfection out of others.  Even though I knew that I could not live up to the idea of a perfect daughter. I was so fed up with my family when I was younger that I…

Once upon a time, people would go on vacation.  They would get on planes.  They would pile in their cars and go on road trips.  They would take cruises.  With the state of affairs in the world now, many people have decided to hold off on vacations.  I was sitting and thinking about some of the many trips that I’ve taken, and one vacation floated to the top of the list.  Initially, it made me laugh.  As I thought of it more, I realized that a great lesson emerged from the experience.  Ya’ll ready for our trip?  Let’s go to Jamaica! When Bible Study Mama turned fifty, we turned her…

I haven’t arrived at the place in my life where I make all the right decisions.  As a matter of fact, I spend a lot of time questioning my choices.  “Was that the right move?”  “Maybe I should have ______.”  “How did I end up here?” You would think that with all of my second-guessing that it would take me a long time to make up my mind about anything.  And your thinking would be wrong. Although I weigh my options when a decision has to be made, I don’t tarry long.  I do the thing that feels good to me.  Now, don’t get me wrong.  I will pray and…

The past two weeks have been hectic.  The nation has had a lot to process.  In all my emotional ups and downs, I forgot to keep you guys up to date.  After weeks of wondering “how long Lord?”, I finally got a reprieve.  My job opened back up last week, and I dove back into the swing of things. Of course, I have had to adjust to the new normal.  Face shields and masks have been added to my daily attire.  They are my new accessories.  And let me tell you about my new accessories.  THEY ARE HOT!  Like, not as in stylish “hot” but temperature hot.  Put a big…

Although Bible Study Brother can be long-winded, so can I.  Someone posted a question on biblestudygirl.com.  I thought about my response for a while.  I was trying to be as concise as possible in my response, but it kept getting longer and longer.  Baby, I had to quit and just say that I’ll answer it in the form of a blog so I could gather my thoughts in one place.  The question wasn’t super deep, but it really made me think about my experiences in the church.  The question was how does one start to serve in ministry. I grew up in the church.  I was going to say that…