Queen Jen's Gems

 In our day to day routine, we go from one activity to another. We may go from one place to another. We may go from one place to another. As we move throughout our day, sometimes we go quickly, while other times, we may go slowly. Regardless of the pace we go, we are desiring to have a certain outcome or reaching a certain destination. Sometimes, we do find ourselves running rather than walking to where we are going. When you run, you're going at a fast pace. What have you been running to lately? What is grabbing your attention? What is taking up your energy? The Bible in Proverbs 6:19 tells us what God doesn't want us running to. The verse says, "A heart that plots wicked schemes, feet eager to run to evil." We should definitely not be running to evil. We should not be running to wrong choices, habits, and conversations. Those are not worth our time or energy. They will leave us feeling drained. However, running isn't always a bad thing 😊. I remember one time wh...

 Our words have meaning. Our words have impact. Our words can make a difference. Words can hurt, but they can also help. Words can tear down, but they can also build up. Words can leave us confused, but they can also bring clarity. Our words should not be taken lightly. As someone who has been a recipient of hurt words and one who has said hurt words to others, I know more than ever the importance of words. Today, I want to to talk about our words 🙏. But, more specifically, I want to talk about the last words we exchange or leave with others. It's the last greeting, text message, words in email, or conversation that I want to focus on specifically today. You see, two of my favorite people are no longer here with me anymore. Those two favorite people are my Mom and Dad 💜💙. It will be almost 4 years that my Mom has been gone on January 18th. My Dad has been gone almost 23 years on April 14th. From this day, I can remember last words I exchanged with each of them in their last mome...

 Well, here we are! We have made it to another year! Praise be to God 💚!! I'm so grateful for every lesson and blessing that 2023 had for me. I'm definitely not the same woman I am now that I was in January. I have gotten better and grown so much! There are certain mindsets and perspectives that have shifted in a good way for me. I still have areas to improve, but I'm thankful for the progress 💚. Today, I want you to reflect back with me over the year. I want to share with you my glows (goals I accomplished and things that went really well) and grows (things I can keep improving and being consistent with). To be honest, some of them could fall into both categories as things that went really well, but I want to do more consistently in the new year. As I share my glows and grows, I hope you are encouraged and inspired 🙏. I hope you know that you are not alone in the challenges you face. Glows 1. New adventures - From art shows to paint night to hiking to birthday celebrati...

In our day to day routine, the amount of times we move may vary. Since every day can be different, this may look different on different days. Some days, there may be times that we do a lot of sitting. Other days, we may be so on the go that we wish we had time to sit! You know those days you feel like the Energizer Bunny and you keep going and going? However, have you thought about moving intentionally? Have you thought about moving with purpose at some point in your day? Just like other actions in our life (talk, eat, sleep), we should also move with purpose 😊. This means intentionally setting aside 10, 15, 20 minutes or 1 hour of our time to exercise. Since there are many different exercises, this will look different for everyone and that's okay! There are so many ways to exercise! One of my favorite ways to exercise is walking 😊. I love fitness walking videos, walking outdoors in nature or walking on a track 💜. Walking is just one form of exercise. There's also jogging, s...

 When was the last time you expressed thanks to someone? Perhaps, it was a friend, co-worker, family member, or the cashier at the store. Perhaps, you took time to tell them thank you for something they had done or simply for being who they are. You could have noticed their compassion, care, concern, or consistency 💙. Now, I have another question for you. When was the last time you gave thanks to God? Today? Yesterday? Last week? I hope it was very recent 🙏. Yes, we just celebrated Thanksgiving, but every day, we have something to thank God for. All year round, we can cherish and be thankful for the people in our life. Growing up, I did a lot of complaining. As an adult, I have complained too, but I had to unlearn that. I'm learning to appreciate God and who He has placed in my life. I'm learning to appreciate all that I have 🙏. I have learned that someone else has its worse than I do. I'm learning that praise has to be my response in the midst of my toughest battles and...

 In this holiday season that's approaching, there will be many opportunities to take a seat at different tables. At those tables, I can imagine sounds that fill the air, such as laughter, conversation, eating, and playing games 💜. As we take a seat more often in this season, I want us to think about three things when it comes to the "table of life": what table we sit at, what we're bringing to the table, and what we can take away. Life allows us to interact with lots of people and sit at different tables. When we sit at different tables, we need to listen closely to what is being said and what is not being said. We should watch closely the motives, attitudes, actions, and body language. We need to be observant in friendships, work and romantic relationships, churches, and communities 🙏. These, in a sense, are tables we can gather at. Tables that don't allow us to be ourselves and are constantly negative should be avoided. Tables that make us feel worse when we l...

How many of you like to take naps? Some of you are quick to answer yes 😀. Some of you may say yes in hesitancy or say it depends on the situation. Still others may say no. You may even be the one that can fall asleep no matter where you are and what noise you hear around you. That was my Daddy - my favorite guy💙! I remember when we were on a bus trip one time. I look over and Daddy was sleeping sound even though the bus was noisy! Now, for me, I can't take a nap on a loud bus! A big shout out to those that can do that 😀! Now, I'm going to take you back a minute to elementary school when you had nap time. Do you remember that? I do. I also remember not liking naptime when I was in kindergarten. You might be wondering what child doesn't like naptime. This girl right here did not! I got in trouble at school because I didn't want to take my nap. Instead, I wanted to be curious and talk to my friends. Back then, I didn't appreciate the naps. Now, let's fast forwar...