Queen Jen's Gems

 There's a quote by David Viscott that says, "To love and be loved is to feel the sun on both sides." I love this quote! The sun gives us warmth and brightness when it shines outside. It's the same with love, today's gift of focus 💛. When we look at the definition of love, we see it's a deep affection and commitment to someone or something. Love involves showing care and respect and a willingness to support and nurture them. Love should be more than words. I know we are quick to say we love someone or something. The real question is do we really. I've learned over my life journey to use my words wisely and that my actions are seen and are loud. I have learned not to take "I love you" for granted. When I have conversations with my family and friends, many of us end our conversation with "I love you." You see, the gift of love is wonderful to give 😊. The words are good, but we also need to have actions. It's praying, showing up, cal...

 Over the last few weeks, I have been sharing about different gifts that we can give and receive. So far, I've shared about the gift of presence, time, encouragement, and our lives. I'm so very grateful for all of them! Today, I want to discuss another gift and that is the gift of help. We have all needed help before, and we have all been able to give help. We have all seen the Help Wanted signs outside of stores. Help is needed in different areas. Help may be different depending on the circumstances, but all help matters. The word help means to assist someone and involves action. When we're able to give or receive help, we should be appreciative. All ages can help 😊. I am so grateful for the help I have received over the years. I'm especially grateful for the the help in the hard and challenging seasons in my life. It's good to have support and know others are there for you 💗. I've learned it's okay to ask for help. It's okay to ask questions. My help...

 Yes, You! You are a gift💝!! There is no one else like you, and there will be anyone else like you. You are precious. You are valuable. You are worthy of good things. Your life matters 😊. We should not take our lives for granted. We should be thankful each day, each moment, each hour, each second we have. Life can bring many unexpected situations and experiences. Life can change in an instant! That's why it's important to cherish the gift of life itself and hold our head up high 💖. Don't let anyone take advantage of you and mistreat you. It's important that we surround ourselves with people that uplift and encourage us. We should be able to be ourselves in our circle. If you can't, check that circle! It's important that we walk into every room as ourselves. Someone needs you to be you. God needs you to be you. Being you is what matters 😊. Let your personality shine through. Let your gifts be shared. We don't have to try to impress anyone. At the end of t...

 For the last few weeks, I have shared about two gifts that we can give and receive. Those gifts are presence and time. Both of these are very valuable! If you haven't read those blog posts yet, be sure to go back and check out "The Gift of Presence" and "The Gift of Time." Today, I want to share about another gift that we can give and receive. Today's gift of focus is encouragement 😊! All ages can give and receive this gift! When we look at the meaning of encouragement, it means the action of giving someone support, confidence, or hope. It also is a persuasion to do or continue something. In our world like never before, encouragement is needed. We need to support and give hope to others often 💗. We never know what someone is currently going through. We never know what someone will face in the future. However, in that present moment, we can give an encouraging word. Encouragement doesn't have to be a long phrase. It could be a " I see you, " ...

 Twenty four hours. That's how much time we get in one day. We all get the same amount of time. Sometimes (perhaps a lot of time!), it doesn't feel like we have that much time in a day. It seems like we blink and we wonder where the time went. I have learned over time to appreciate and cherish the time I have 😊. Each new day I live to see is a new 24 hours to live and make the best of it. I have learned not to take the time I have for granted. I've learned not to take people or any opportunity I'm given for granted. I've learned the importance of making time for God, myself and others. When I start my day with God in the Word and prayer, I navigate my day and time in it much better than when I don't 🙏. Then, throughout my day, I have to make sure I'm talking to God, so he can lead me in the right way. I'm always looking at my days and constantly working on how to make the best use of my time. Distractions do happen, but then I have to get back on track...

 My spring break summed up in two words 😀!! Sunshine and smiles! Over the past week, I was blessed and fortunate enough to have a week off from work for my spring break. I enjoyed myself very much!! It kicked off with getting my hair done 💚. I got a new flat twist hairstyle that I love! Getting my hair done always leaves me so refreshed and with lots of smiles. I took the art class at church on Wednesday, and that was lots of fun! I painted my flowers, and they always make me smile. I enjoyed the days that the weather was nice outside, and the sun was shining bright. On those days, you could find me outside reading and walking at some point. If you rode by my house on one particular day (Friday, April 4th to be exact 😉), you would have seen me outside in my front yard blowing bubbles. Yes, you read that correctly! I was just as happy and content as I could be. I was enjoying the sunshine and smiling really big as I was blowing in the bubble wand and spinning around in a circle w...