Queen Jen's Gems

 In our technology driven world, it is essential that our electronic devices stay charged up. Most people charge their devices at least once or more throughout the day. The lower the battery percentage, the slower your device may operate. We can use our device for a certain time without being plugged in, but eventually, we will need to plug it in again. In my homeroom class at school this past year, there was a laptop cart where students could put their Chromebooks at the end of each day. The computers would be able to charge overnight and then be all ready for the students the following day. You see, the big cords from the cart was plugged into the wall socket, but the students still had to plug in individual chargers to their computer. If not, the computer would just sit there and not be powered up. At the end of the day, I would always check the cart to make sure chargers were plugged into computers. Some computers had not been used much, so it wasn't a huge problem. However, so...

 On a scale of 1 to 10, how well are you taking care of your physical body? A score of 10 represents excellent and a 1 represents not at all. Would you rate yourself a 1, 10 or somewhere in between? I'm not a 1 or a 10, but I would fall somewhere around a 7. My rating is a lot higher now than it used to be as I am learning more of the importance of taking care of me. I am thankful for that 💖! We all have to take a honest reflection of areas we need to work on. For example, I know I need to work on getting 7- 8 hours a sleep each night. I know it's not consistent, but I'm working towards that goal 👏. Getting a certain number of hours and proper rest is one way we can physically take care of our bodies. We also take care of our physical bodies by drinking water, eating healthy food, limiting junk food and sweets, brushing and flossing our teeth and exercising regularly. All of these factors are choices that an individual makes. We choose what time we go to bed, what foods w...

What do you enjoy? What gets you excited? What puts a smile on your face every time you think about it? Your answers to these questions are a strong indication of things you love. Now, there are many definitions of love, but there is a particular definition I want to focus on for today. Today’s definition about love I want to focus on is about doing something with a strong enthusiasm. Being enthusiastic shows excitement. We usually get excited about something we love. What gets you excited may have started in your childhood or later in life as a teenager, young adult, or adult. Something I love to do is write 😀! My love for writing stories started when I was a child in my upper elementary/ middle school years. I was quiet in school and still am in ways, but once I get to know you, I do open up more. Teaching and speaking in front of people more has helped me build my confidence of public speaking. Writing was a great way to express myself (it still is!) and to encourage others. I did ...

It’s fun. It’s simple. It requires you to think and focus on the questions being asked. After careful consideration, you must choose wisely your response. It’s a game that’s easy to play anywhere and by all ages. At this point, you may be wondering about what game I am talking about. I am talking about none other than “Would You Rather?” Yes, the title of this blog post is the name of the game! My students absolutely love this game 😀! At the mention of this game, many of them smile and light up at the thought of playing. It makes them so happy. This makes me happy too! When my students play this game in my classroom, they physically move and choose a side of the room to stand on based on their answer. You see, the game consists of a series of questions being asked where players decide between 2 choices presented to them. For example, players may be asked questions such as, “Would you rather live at the beach or in the mountains?” or “Would you rather be an only child or have 10 siblin...

We all have twenty four hours in our day. In that day, we eat, sleep, work, go to school and run errands. Each day may look different, but the day usually involves two components: doing some task and interacting with others.  The task needed could be around the house, at school or work, going to an appointment or taking care of other business. The interaction with others may be face-to-face, online, on the phone, or through email or text. Even though we have 24 hours in a day, it doesn't mean we need to schedule something every minute of the day. We need to go to sleep and rest at some point in our day. When we are up and not sleeping, we don't need to be available to everything and everyone around us. Being available to everyone and everything is exhausting and mentally and physically tiring . When something or someone is available, it means it is at hand and accessible. When something is accessible, it is easily approached or entered. We can all relate to not being avai...

 Imagine you are in the middle of watching a movie or you're listening to a song or podcast and you're really into it. Then, all of a sudden, your phone rings, someone calls your name, you hear sounds or you have to get up for something. Maybe you were watching the video on YouTube and it stops because the Internet service has been interrupted. When that happens, there has been a pause. A pause happens when an action is interrupted briefly. We all have experienced a pause before whether it was in our control or not. Notice that a pause is not a permanent action. It will continue later. Whether that's one minute later or an hour later, it will begin again. Now, I will say that a pause can be frustrating or disappointing (especially if you were at a really good part of what you're watching!). It doesn't mean you won't ever get to see it, but now you have to wait. Videos aren't the only thing that have been put on pause before. Goals can be put on pause. There ...

 To watch someone or something means to keep a close eye and observe something carefully. It also means to stay awake on purpose and stay informed about something. To pray means to talk to God. Both words are action words and require us to do something on our part. Both require us to be intentional about looking to someone or something. When these words go hand in hand, they're a powerful team 👏!! In the Bible in Matthew 26:41, we see Jesus using both of these words in the same sentence. In a previous verse, Jesus was talking to 3 of his followers: Peter, James and John and had given them specific instructions (v.36-38). Jesus is about to go pray because he is sorrowful and has a heaviness of heart about events that are about to take place. He tells Peter, James and John to stay where there are and stay awake (v.38). In other words, they were to be observant and watchful. So Jesus leaves them to go pray. When he comes back, he finds that they all have fell asleep (v.40)! Then, Jes...