Queen Jen's Gems

 How will you use your time today? How we use our time matters. We need to be aware and use our time wisely. In our day, we should take time for ourselves and others. I know it doesn't seem like there are enough hours in a day to get everything done, but let's aside time for what's important 💖. In order to know how to use our time wisely, we need to notice what needs our attention around us. I asked a question about two weeks in a previous blog post titled, "What Do You Notice?" I encouraged us to pay attention and be aware of needs we have. If you haven't read that blog post, please go back and check that out 😊!! In our noticing, I want to encourage us to take time to care. When we care about someone or something, it means we feel concern or interest and we attach importance to it. This past week, I had the wonderful opportunity to go with Bible Club students and adults to visit local nursing home residents. It was a great time! For anyone that has followed...

 Have you ever been in a slump of some sort and knew you needed to get back on track? Maybe it's been a reading slump. Maybe it's needing to get back to budgeting and looking at wants versus needs. Maybe it's not getting enough rest and taking needed breaks when you should. Maybe it was the deep cleaning or decluttering that had been neglected in your physical spaces. Whatever your slump is, know we all have one. We all have at least one or more things that we can improve and get better with managing and being intentional about. Before we start looking at our improvements, let's take a moment and thank God for all that is going right in our lives and for everything He's given us 😊. Let's thank God for the progress and growth. Let's thank God for every moment we have to live. Every breath counts and matters. Life is a gift and we should cherish it 💝. We should be thankful for the people God has placed in our lives. We should thank God for bringing us this f...

 Just for a moment, stop what you are doing and take a listen. What do you hear? What do you see? Who do you see? What do you notice? Life can have us in such a rush that we forget to take time to stop and pay attention to who and what is around us. Sometimes, we forget to pay attention to our needs. It's important that we check in with ourselves and pay attention to what's going on in our body and mind. It's important that we notice our responses, attitudes, and actions. It's important that we notice what makes us happy and what drains us. It's important that we notice what helps us stay calm and what is centered around chaos. In this season especially, we need to pay attention to us 💗. Let's not just notice us, but let's notice who and what is around us. Our environment matters. Today, I come to encourage us to pay attention to details. It's about noticing the big and small. It's about being aware in our daily interactions and routines, as well as...

 Have you ever packed a suitcase or container so full that when you opened it the contents inside spilled out? You might have forgotten you put something inside it or you realize you forgot to pack something very important to you. A lot can fit in a box or container when we pack it a certain way! This season brings packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, which I absolutely love volunteering with💗. One of my good friends leads the local organization of Operation Christmas Child in which we pack shoeboxes to send to kids around the world filled with hygiene items, school supplies, shoes, clothes and toys. My friends is always encouraging us to pack the shoebox as full as we can😊. Now, there are shoeboxes of all different sizes. However, you would be surprised at how many items can fit in a shoebox!! When I'm packing shoeboxes, I'm mindful of what age I'm packing for and certain items to place in the shoebox. I'm always mindful to at least put something fun, som...

 Have you ever felt like you were working towards something (a goal, good habit, progress on a goal, etc.) and you weren't seeing any visible results? You were doing the work, but it seemed like nothing was changing. You're taking steps forward in the right direction, but it still seems like nothing's happening. Things are moving, but it seems to be going too slow for you. You're trying to maintain a positive mindset, but you're between faith and doubt constantly. If you can relate to any of these, you are not alone! Today, I want to encourage you to keep doing what's right no matter how big or small it may seem 😊. Sometimes, we feel like we're not seen or what we're doing is not working. Others see it too, but they may not always express that verbally. Know that God always sees us and that's what matters! Being consistent is so important and effective. We have to be consistent in taking care of ourselves 💗. We need to be consistent in doing the be...

 Change can be good. Change can also be scary. Change doesn't always have to be big. Change does involve action and being open-minded. As most of you all know, I love to read 😊!! Up until recently, realistic fiction and mysteries have been my favorite, go-to genres. I decided to mix it up more recently in the genres I read and started reading some historical fiction. I like history and find it interesting, but I never could get in the genre. I had read one or two here and there, but then I would fall back on my go-to genres. However, this summer, all of that changed 😊! I joined a Facebook group online for book lovers and many of the people in the group kept posting historical fiction books. These books looked very interesting and eye-opening, so I decided to read a few and I loved them. Now, if you ask me what my favorite genre is, my answer is...historical fiction 💙!! I'm glad I decided to be open-minded and mix it up! Over the last five years, I have also mixed up somethin...

 When was the last time you looked in the mirror and told yourself you were proud of you? I hope it was very recently 😊!! When we look back over our life, year, month, and even day, we can see that we have a lot to be grateful for. I don't know about you, but sometimes I can be hard on myself and get caught up in what hasn't happened yet. That's when I have to remind myself of all the things and people in my life I do have. I still want to keep growing, of course, but there's also a lot of things that God has already helped me accomplish. I'm so grateful for that 💜!! This year marks 20 years that I have been working at my current school division. To God be the glory because he has helped me and strengthened me all the way!! For 11 of those years, I was a teacher assistant and the other 4, I was a support teacher with a specialized reading program. I learned a lot in those years about myself, the classroom, people, education and life in general. For the past four y...