Queen Jen's Gems

 Happy December 💝!! Wow! We have made it to the last month of the year. Praise God for that!! I am so grateful for all God has done and is doing😊!! I'm thankful for every new opportunity, connection and adventure this year. I've enjoyed making new memories. I've learned to appreciate all the memories with my people. My house is full of photo albums, which I love it  and I am so grateful for💗!! At the end of November, I had the wonderful opportunity to make more new memories, which I want to share here with you today. My first new memory came the day before Thanksgiving. I was able to volunteer for the first time at the Operation Christmas Child processing center in Maryland with my friend Amy. It was an amazing experience! I felt the love and joy when I was greeted at the doors to check in😊. It was opening day at the building, and it was an exciting time! Once inside, you worked on an assembly line as boxes of packed shoeboxes came rolling down the conveyor belt the who...

 I love to-do lists! I use them at work and home 😊. As I balance different responsibilities, writing it down helps me to remember and helps me to be intentional. I'm also a visual learner, so seeing it really helps. At the beginning of my day, I can take a look at my list and see what I want to accomplish that day. Sometimes, I get too ambitious and write way TOO many things and other times, I write down a smaller list with 3-5 things. I'm working on writing down less. I've also learned that it's okay if everything doesn't get done on the list. The big question I ask myself now every day is, "Does it need to get done today?" If the answer is yes, then I do it. If it can wait, then it waits. Having plans are good, but I've learned plans can change! I can think of many occasions where I planned something, but it didn't go the way I planned or didn't happen it all. You can probably think of those times too! In deciding what plans to make, I'v...

 Who we surround ourselves with matters. Who we associate and connect with matters. Who we go to for advice and support matters. Take a minute and think about the people in your life who you can talk to about things, big and small. I hope you can think of at least one or more people. I know I can and that's a blessing 😊!! We all should have at least one or more people that we can share anything with, and we can count on them. When you have that, it's a good thing! I have learned more and more about the importance of my circle as a result of my life experiences. Has my circle changed over time? Absolutely yes! That's okay because growth and change constantly happen. Do I have people who have been rocking with me for a long time? Absolutely yes, and that's okay too! Being aware is important 😊. Just like being aware of our surroundings is important, so is being aware of our people and the energy they carry. Recently, I started teaching a new unit to my students where all...

 Walking is one of my favorite ways to exercise 💜! When we walk, we take steps forward. Footsteps can be heard by others and can leave footprints depending on the surface you're walking on. When you follow in someone's footsteps, it means you are imitating or doing something they did previously, like a job. Along with walking, I also love another "W" word: writing 😊!! In my blog writing, I love to encourage. I often encourage myself and my readers. Recently, my blog posts have reached a new level of opportunity to encourage a different audience and I thank God for it all!! It all started when one of my faithful blog readers suggested an idea to me in the summer. She said you should start putting a piece of your blog post in our local newspaper. I had thought about it briefly in the past, but it was only a passing thought. That's why our circle is important! I prayed on it and sat on it for a while. That same day, I reached out to another friend who used to work ...

 How will you use your time today? How we use our time matters. We need to be aware and use our time wisely. In our day, we should take time for ourselves and others. I know it doesn't seem like there are enough hours in a day to get everything done, but let's aside time for what's important 💖. In order to know how to use our time wisely, we need to notice what needs our attention around us. I asked a question about two weeks in a previous blog post titled, "What Do You Notice?" I encouraged us to pay attention and be aware of needs we have. If you haven't read that blog post, please go back and check that out 😊!! In our noticing, I want to encourage us to take time to care. When we care about someone or something, it means we feel concern or interest and we attach importance to it. This past week, I had the wonderful opportunity to go with Bible Club students and adults to visit local nursing home residents. It was a great time! For anyone that has followed...

 Have you ever been in a slump of some sort and knew you needed to get back on track? Maybe it's been a reading slump. Maybe it's needing to get back to budgeting and looking at wants versus needs. Maybe it's not getting enough rest and taking needed breaks when you should. Maybe it was the deep cleaning or decluttering that had been neglected in your physical spaces. Whatever your slump is, know we all have one. We all have at least one or more things that we can improve and get better with managing and being intentional about. Before we start looking at our improvements, let's take a moment and thank God for all that is going right in our lives and for everything He's given us 😊. Let's thank God for the progress and growth. Let's thank God for every moment we have to live. Every breath counts and matters. Life is a gift and we should cherish it 💝. We should be thankful for the people God has placed in our lives. We should thank God for bringing us this f...