Second, we must pray for God's guidance in our lives. God has a plan for us. If we pray to live out that plan and approach God with an open heart and a willing spirit, we must believe that we are right where God wants us to be at this moment. God?s plan for us will reveal itself in His time, not ours. To view where we are now as our final destination is short-sighted. To believe that things will never change is to limit God's power and influence in our lives.

Third, we need to enjoy journey. We tend to always look ahead, waiting for something to happen. In process, we miss out in beauty of moment at hand. Life may not be exactly as we had hoped it might be, but where we are has lessons to teach us and memories to be made, if only we stop and pay attention. In "Mommy Madness," Judith Warner instructs us to "throw out schedules, turn off cell phone, cancel tutors. . . . Let's spend some real quality time with our families, just talking, hanging out, not doing anything for a while. And let ourselves be." I think that she has right idea. We need to take a good look around us and be thankful for what we have. Our life may be different from woman sitting next to us, but our task is to make most out of what we have been given. By savoring moment, we may be able to be a great deal more satisfied with who and where we are right now.

Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur has a Master of Arts Degree in Applied Theology, is editor of Spiritual Woman Newsletter (http://www.spiritualwoman.net) and author of "Letters to Mary from a Young Mother" (iUniverse, 2004).

© Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur 2005

Proper storage of jewelry when not in use is essential to keep your golden treasures clean and new. When storing your jewelry, be careful that pieces do not tumble against each other to avoid scratching and loss of radiance. Ideally, store your jewelry in a fabric-lined jewel case, or a box with compartments or dividers or store each piece in individual soft cloth pouches.

It is important to check stone settings of your jewelry periodically for any damage to gold prongs or bezels. Immersing jewelry in rubbing alcohol for a few seconds will restore gorgeous sparkle to cloudy stones. It is very important to dry jewelry thoroughly after cleaning before wearing or storing. Remember that Pave set (glued in stones) jewelry should never be immersed in water while cleaning gold jewelry.