Queen Jen's Gems

 As we're in this holiday season. we tend to see family and friends more 💖. This season also causes us to reflect on the past memories of holidays and the people we shared them with. Many of our people are still here. However, many of us are also missing loved ones who are not here anymore 🙏. There's still that longing and hope that they could still be here. I miss my Mom, Dad, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who are no longer here. I'm grateful for the time I got to spend with them. I'm grateful for the conversations, laughs, visits, trips, and celebrations I shared with them 💖. Many of those memories are in photo albums. I love pictures as I have shared in previous blog posts 😊. There are some memories that didn't get captured with a picture, but they are in my heart. Here, I want to take some time and share memories that are near and dear to my heart. As I share my memories, I hope that you will be thinking about memories with your loved ones and frie...

 As we're approaching the holiday season, we tend to hear more songs and conversations related to joy. Now, I do love Christmas songs 💖!! One of my favorite Christmas songs, "Joy to the World, " has joy in its title. Songs, such "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "Hark the Herald Angels Sing (another favorite of mine)" includes being joyful in the lyrics of their songs. When we look at the word joy, it's about having pleasure and delight in something. Joy is not just something we can have during the Christmas season. Joy is something we can have all year round 😊. Not only can we have it all year round, but we can show it all year round. Joy is one of the fruit of the Spirit that should be seen in our lives in all seasons (Galatians 5:22-23). It doesn't mean every moment of the year is a good one, but it's in those moments we can still find joy in God. One Wednesday afternoon in October, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit local nursing hom...

 When we look at the world around us, we hear a lot of news. We hear news about sports, politics, entertainment, the arts, schools, colleges, churches, and community on a daily basis. In reading a newspaper of a particular organization or community, we will find out the events happening in that area. We will read and hear about news that is good and news that is bad. When we hear news, there are all sorts of different reactions. News can make us happy, confused, upset, surprised, anxious, or concerned. In our own lives, we can share good news that is going on with those around us. We should definitely rejoice with others when they share good news with us (Romans 12:15) 💖.  Then, there are moments that we don't always hear good news, and that's when we should be there for others and help others.  When we can't find good news anywhere else, we can always know there is good news found in God's Word. God's Word gives us hope 🙏. Today, I want to share with you good new...