Queen Jen's Gems

 Who or what is important to you? Take a minute to think about it. I'm sure some names and things come to mind. I know some come to my mind 😊! We value what is important to us. We treasure what is important to us. A treasure is something that is highly valued and cherished. We hold on to what we value. We appreciate what we value. We take care of what we value. What we talk about and post about often reveal our treasures. A treasure could be a material possession like a house, but it could also be something that is not tangible and can't be touched by physical hands like a memory. Our life is a treasure and should be valued 💗. We should take care of ourselves, so we are feeling our best, looking our best, and doing our best. We should want to look good not just on the outside, but also on the inside. We should treasure the small things as well as the big things. We should treasure things that give us peace and bring us joy 💗. Treasure the hug and handshake. Treasure the alon...

 We've made it midway through January 💖!! Can you believe it?! Praise God for blessing us to see this new year so far! In this season so far, I hope you have found glimmers of hope and peace. I hope you have found things and people to be thankful for 💖. January is a bittersweet, yet reflective month for me personally. I lost my Mom, my best friend, six years ago on January 18, 2020. Her birthday is January 26. Loss was not new to me as I had loss my Dad on April 14. 2002 and many other family members after that. It didn't make the loss any easier. My first real loss in my life was my Daddy and that was tough!!! My Daddy was my Math guy, my game man and the best Daddy a girl could have. Then when I lost Momma, both of my parents were gone and that hits even harder. As April 14, 2002 rocked my world, so did January 18, 2020. If either of your parents are still here, please appreciate them 😊. As I reflect back on these six years, a lot has changed. Challenges have happened, but...

 I love walking! Walking has so many benefits! It improves our mood, lowers our blood pressure and keeps our muscles from getting stiff and our heart healthy, among other things. When I'm not walking outside, I love following along with walking workout videos. I love the workout videos because it's a group of people who have so much energy and joy and make you feel like you're right in the room with them 😊. I absolutely love that 💖! Walking with others also has its benefits and makes walking even more fun! We just came out of 2025 and are currently walking into a new year. Praise God we have kept going and are taking steps forward! In moments we felt like we were by ourselves last year, we were not alone. God was with us every step of the way. He also sent others our way that walked with us too. They were supporting and encouraging us. In moments this year that we may feel like we are alone, I want to remind you that we are not. We are not walking through this life alone ...

 Happy New Year everyone 💝!! We have made it to see 2026 and that is truly a blessing! Praise be to God! I am so grateful for all the new that lies ahead 😊. When thinking about a new year, it often causes us to reflect back over the previous year. In reflection, we may think about what worked and what didn't work, what we need to do more of or less of or not at all. We may think about what brought us joy and who we were around when we felt joy and could be ourselves. We may also think about what drained us and took up unnecessary space in our hearts and minds. With all of that in mind, we can move forward and choose differently. We are at a different place than we were last year. We have some experiences, lessons, and blessings that we didn't have this time last year. We have a new view 😊. To view is the ability to see something or be seen from a particular place. It's being able to see or look at something with a certain attitude. As we continue to move into this new ye...

 Here we are...a few days away from 2025 ending and 2026 arriving 😊. As I reflect over my 2025, one word comes to mind...grateful!!! I first thank God because He's the reason I'm here and have made it this far 💖. I am grateful for new opportunities, new connections, and new adventures. I took leaps of faith when I tried new food experiences (Ex. I ate sushi for the first time!), embraced the inner child in me in riding carnival rides (High Roller is forever etched in my mind 😄!), and became a newspaper columnist (My biggest highlight for sure!). I am grateful that I was able to witness one of my friends receive an Everyday Hero award for all of her hard work and heart for community 💖. We even made TV, which was so neat! I am grateful that I saw family on happy occasions. I am grateful for all the encouragement, help, support, hugs, and love shown to me all year long 😊. I am so grateful to still be standing! It's not always easy, but I'm grateful for God walking wit...

 In this holiday season especially, we see wrapped presents under the Christmas tree and in the form of decorations. To add a nice touch to the gift, one may add a bow to the top 💝. We see gifts of all sizes wrapped up. Sometimes, we try to guess what's inside by shaking the gift or looking at the size and shape. It can be fun seeing exactly what's inside the wrapped present 😊. Sometimes, our guess may be right, while other times, it's wrong. After the gift is opened, there are different reactions to what's inside. Reactions could range from excitement to shock to disappointment. As we tend to focus more on giving in this season, giving is something that can be done in every season. What are we giving to others that we interact with on a daily basis? Are we giving encouragement, a smile, a hello, compliment, or a listening ear? What is being revealed in our hearts and lives even as conversations began to happen? What is being revealed as we walk by people without sayi...