I’ve always been a working mother. That helped me learn how to juggle many hats, be more flexible and find joy in the moments. Especially when our girls were young, life was particularly hectic. Now that they’re both in college, the daily schedule isn’t as filled with their schedules, but juggling, flexibility and joyful moments are still very much part of my life.

Recently, our girls came home for their winter breaks. I worked some, but also took off time to spend with them. For those of you that have college-aged kids, you know that their hours are quite different from most parents. They stay up very late and sleep even later. There are frequent comings and goings between visiting friends, running errands and taking day trips. With our different schedules, it was important to grab time with them when I could, even if it was brief.

When I think back to the girls’ winter break, it was full with wonderful memories of both short and extended exchanges. Time together sometimes included a car ride and conversation on the way to an errand. Sometimes the moments were longer when we had leisurely meals together. This beautiful collage included walks in the snow covered woods, sipping tea and coffee at assorted cafes, snuggling and watching movies, grocery shopping, cooking, listening and dancing to music, visiting family, having friends over, laughing, donating blood, going to our favorite cupcake shop, getting lots of extra hugs and seeing our girls enjoying each others’ company.

Our lives are made up of moments. Joy is present if you allow yourself to feel it. What moments have you recently enjoyed with your kids? I’d love to hear one or two of your favorite memories.