Queen Jen's Gems

 You know the fine print words we tend to skip over and not read? The question asked to you about how your day went? The times when someone remembers a little known fact you shared about yourself or a situation? It all matters. It may seem small at the time, but it's really big. In fact, it's all the small things that add up to the big things 😊! When we think about details, it's an individual feature, fact or item. It is a specific piece of information. In my recent devotional time, I was reading Exodus 31 in the Bible. The chapter talks about how God had appointed skilled workers to design the items and clothing placed in the sanctuary. In addition to reading chapter 31, I also read Exodus 25:31-36 and Exodus 27:9-10, which shared how detailed the lampstand and curtains needed to be. It is very descriptive and detailed. Very detailed!! They were instructions spoken by God to Moses. You should definitely go back and read those Scriptures when you get a chance. It had me th...

 Let's go back in time for a minute. The year is 2020. Hearing that alone may bring up lots of different emotions. More specifically, think back to March 2020. I remember that month very clearly because I was teaching the Reading program at the middle school I'm at. I remember taking my students outside to enjoy a beautiful, sunny March day 🌞. I remember going to a staff meeting the next day that said school and work was going to look a lot different quickly, but the details were uncertain. I also remember my brother and I going to see the movie "I Still Believe" on a Sunday afternoon at a local movie theater. I remember seeing one of my Reading students and his dad at the movie the same day.  I remember my brother and I talking about how we enjoyed the movie 😊. We also discussed how we could relate to loss that was in the movie as we had just lost our Mom two months before in January. The very next day, that same movie theater we went to shut down ( unfortunately, ...

 Do you remember playing the game Tag growing up or perhaps you have played or seen it played recently? There are lots of twists to the game, but the general rule is one person is "It" and has to tag the other players in the game who are trying to run away from them. The other players are trying not to get caught by the person who is "It." To chase someone or something means to pursue in order to catch or catch up with. That's exactly what happens in the game of Tag 😊!! There are other games we can play that also involve something being chased. In life, we pursue different things as well. It may be people we chase, but it could also be goals, dreams, relationships, growth, status and likes. I read a Bible verse not long ago that stopped me in my tracks about what I should be pursuing. Looking at what we pursue will also have us looking at why we pursue what we do. It will have us looking at our motivation or the root of something. The Bible verse is in the book...

 Can you guess what today's topic is based on the title? It's something we should do constantly. It's something we should be doing in our rooms and physical spaces in particular. Have you guessed it yet? It's decluttering! To declutter means to remove unnecessary items from a room or area. Decluttering is something I'm constantly working on and something you probably are too! With being on my summer break currently, I have had more time to declutter spaces at home and I already see the difference 😊. Now, let me take you back a  minute to the middle of May/beginning of June when I decided to declutter the file cabinet in my classroom. I started by doing small sections at a time here and there after school. I had to decide what to toss and what to keep. I would get rid of papers I wasn't using or had multiple copies of and would only keep one of the copies. The papers I decided to keep were helpful, but the ones I tossed were not useful or outdated. By declutteri...

 Flowers are a beautiful part of God's creation! What fascinates me even more about flowers are the different varieties of flowers and how they are all unique in their own way 💖. Certain flowers bloom in certain seasons. Flowers also need to be watered and properly taken care of. When plants or trees bloom, they produce flowers. When flowers bloom, they open up. When we think about God's creation, flowers and plants weren't the only thing that was created to bloom. God created us to bloom, too!! Yes, me and you!! We are unique and one of a kind, just like flowers 😊. God wants his people to bloom. When we look at individuals blooming, it's when people are healthy, energetic, and attractive. It's having a freshness of energy and perspectives of life in general. Are we perfect? No! Can we keep making progress? Absolutely yes!! As you know, we are in the month of June, the sixth month of the year. We are at the halfway point of 2025! Self-reflection is always good to ...

 Many people have a goal of wanting to be in good physical shape. Most of us want to be able to walk, work, play, or dance for a certain amount of time without getting out of breath easily. Being physically fit is great as we should definitely take care of the bodies God has given us (I Corinthians 6:19-20). It is good to exercise as often and consistent as we can. Now, exercise is just one part of taking care of ourselves. There's also eating right foods, drinking enough water, and getting enough rest and sleep. I'm constantly working on these 😊. In addition to being physically fit, I want to share the acronym F.I.T. with you to be mindful of other ways we can take care of ourselves. Let's look at the F first. The F stands for Focused. When we focus on something or someone, we look at or concentrate on it. What we're focused on has our attention. Proverbs 4:25 says, "Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead." What has your attention today? No...