As parents, we’re told time and again, “Don’t blink, or you’ll miss it!” But I don’t think it’s about whether or not we blink.

We tip-toed backwards and shut the door. When I lifted my eyes, my son stood waiting. Could it be a worried look on his face?

She cried without stopping. I was a nerve-wracked, shaking failure. Sleep-deprived, I grew up over burp rags and dirty diapers.

What had I always wanted to write onto the canvas of our days but dropped down to the bottom of the schedule, left unattended? These were the things I was resolving to make a priority.

This is motherhood in its simplest, most beautiful form. And it is something each of us can give, even in our most exhausted and depleted moments…

My mother was the queen of tradition-making. She worked to keep the main Gift of Christmas the main gift of our attention. But in all the activities, she recognized the simple power of connection.