The boys and I had such a fun day today making Christmas cookies with Nana (my mom)! There is something so magical about being in the kitchen with my little guys this time of year. Making and decorating endless cookies, trying each batch to make sure they are perfect, dancing along to the music, and making precious memories, is something I cherish.

My mom is so good about stopping her very busy life to create special moments with her grandsons (yep, my brother, sister and I all have boys! Nine total!). I can’t help but think that the wisdom she’s gained throughout her life as a mother, is the driving factor in making the decision to put life on hold in order to connect and build meaningful relationships with those that mean the most to her. We are all busy. And although some compete to be the busiest, as if it’s something to be praised, it really holds no merit if we aren’t producing real fruit with the time we are investing.

To be honest, I almost called my mom yesterday to tell her that we couldn’t make it today. We almost missed out on such a magical day filled with special memories, because we had a very long list of important things to do. My Grandpa would always tell me “work comes before play”. If the work isn’t done first, then the fun will have to wait. But what if by waiting you miss out on moments you can’t get back?

Sometimes I get so caught up in getting things done that I forget to really live. To enjoy these moments with my kids. To make the most of the time I get with them. TIME: It’s one of those free gifts we get in life, however, we all seem to be short on it, never having enough of it to do all the things we need to do.

Christmas has a way of making us reminisce. We think about our childhood and the memories that were made while we were young. It makes me realize how important my job is to create meaningful moments that my kids will hopefully never forget. Sometimes we have to prioritize what’s most important in life because we only get so much time in a day. Sometimes we have to choose the things that matter most even when it doesn’t make sense. We will always have a list of things to do, but sometimes those things can wait. Sometimes those thing SHOULD wait. It’s true when they say the best things in life are free. Time is something that you can’t get back once it’s gone. So, with Christmas being one of the busiest times of year, choose to slow down, choose to be present, and choose to enjoy the precious moments this gift of life gives!