Queen Jen's Gems

 That statement alone is powerful! At some point in our lives, we may have felt like we were all by ourselves and no one else could relate to what we were going through. We may have even felt like no one else cared, and we couldn't share with anyone what we were going through. If you have felt any of the above, at any given point of time, you are not alone! I have felt all of these before. Today, I want to reassure you that you are not alone 💖. I know it may look and feel that way, but you're not. Everyone's life story is different. However, I guarantee if you were to take a closer look at our stories, you would find some common themes. At some point, we all have or will experience rejection, failure, loss of something or someone, frustration, disappointment, hurt, feeling different, and not knowing what to do in making a tough decision. While the situations may come in different forms, many of the same themes are interwoven throughout them. Our story is important and shou...

 Gifts come in all shapes and sizes. Some are big, some are small, some are round, and some are tall. Gifts may be wrapped up in a box tied with a pretty bow, or be in a gift bag surrounded by colorful pieces of tissue paper. Gifts are usually given on special occasions, like a birthday, graduation, or holiday. There are times when we give or receive gifts for no special reason and just want to let someone know you were thinking about them 😊. Today, I want to talk about a gift that can be given every day. All ages can give and receive this gift. I have learned that gifts don't always have to be tangible and felt with a touch. I have also learned that we also don't have to wait for a special occasion to give. Today's gift I want to talk about is our presence 💖. I want to share how we can be present in the moments, for others, and ourselves. Our presence matters. We are seen, heard, and loved. At some point or another, you may have felt overlooked and not seen (I know I hav...

 I am so grateful for the gift of life! If we can't find nothing else to be thankful for, we can be thankful for the life God has given us 😊. I have learned not to take my life for granted, nor the people God has placed in my life for granted. We only get one life to live, and we should live it well. We don't know when it will be a last chance to do something or say something to someone. We don't know when it will be the last time we see someone, whether that be at work, store, school, church, community, family or friends. We don't know when a day will be our last day. That's why it's so important to live out today. I'm reminded of Matthew 6:34 in the Bible that says, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." I want to live my life well each day. I don't want to just go through motions and routines, but I want to make sure I'm living my best life 😊💖. When we loo...

 Where are all my book lovers at? Does anyone love to read? If you do, we have something in common 😊. Reading is one of my happy places! I have learned and become more open to reading different genres or types of literature. My go- to genres are usually realistic fiction, adventures, and mystery. Lately, I have also added historical fiction, poetry and nonfiction in the mix. Each month, I try to read at least one fiction book and one nonfiction book, so I can have a balance 😊. All the genres tell a different story and have something different to offer. There are books that I have been SO excited to read, and couldn't wait to see what happened next! That's a book I want to keep reading and reading! With other books, I have been slow and more hesitant to turn the page because I didn't want to know what happened next or read the unexpected. Then, when I turned the page, sometimes what I predicted did happen and that made me happy 😊. Other times, it's totally unexpected ...

 Happy March! We made it to see a new month- praise God!! If you're reading this right now, that's one win 💖. You're still here and that's something to be thankful for!! As we have just entered this third month of the year, I wanted to take a moment to reflect back over my January and February. Today, I want to take a minute to look at my progress and wins. I'm choosing to take a closer look at the glimmers and good things that happened. I realize that the size doesn't matter. A win is a win, no matter how small 😊. If you read my "Change of Plans" post back in January, I gave you a glimpse into my January which definitely had the unexpected and adjustment to plans that needed to be made. If you haven't read that post yet, go back and check it out for sure 😊! In the midst of that, I still found things to be thankful for! Then, February comes along and I miss a few more days of work due to the snow. Winter has shown itself this season! It was in t...