The holidays are upon us, and I have one simple holiday wish for you this year.

Amid the hustle and bustle of the next week or two, I pray you’ll find a few moments of quiet and calm in which to take in the blessings of this season. I wish you a moment’s peace. (If you need one right now, try this.)

I remember in the days before my wedding, someone gave me an invaluable piece of advice. She suggested that I take an extra moment at the front of the church, at the end of the ceremony just before my new husband and I processed out, to pause and take in the image of all of our loved ones gathered together. She reminded me that it was a congregation of people unlikely ever to be in one place again. She was right.

To this day, I’m grateful I paused to take it in. Without her advice, that moment would have passed unnoticed in the rush of emotions and the joyful anticipation of greeting guests and getting to the reception.There’s not a single photo capturing that moment – at least not from my vantage point – but it’s one that burns the most brightly in my memory.

The holidays are like that too, aren’t they? It would be easy to miss the most magical moments as we hurry through each activity, eyes ahead to the next. So amid all the wrapping paper and to-do lists, will you look for moments to slow down, take a breath, and take it in?

I’ve done it this December, and here are a few things I’ve noticed:

• My three year old turning off the gas fireplace as she whispered to herself “Now, we don’t want Santa to burn his bottom, do we?”…

• My six year old moving to prominent spots on the tree all the ornaments that HE’S made or with HIS photo…and whispering to himself.. “There. Now THAT’s better.”

• My nine year old’s confident and expressive voice reading a letter from Tiptoe the Elf to her siblings as they huddled at the foot of her bed…

• My mother’s hands rolling traditional nut-horn cookies on the wooden cutting board she’s used my whole life…

• My husband’s broad, exuberant smile as he videotaped our children gleefully climbing onto Santa’s lap to share their wish lists at Breakfast with Santa…

• Three little red-cheeked faces seated around our kitchen island, warming up their cold hands with hot cocoa after an afternoon of sledding and snowman making.

The holidays are a whirlwind for all of us. But let’s not allow  these special weeks to elapse in an exhausting marathon of must-do’s without finding a few opportunities for moments of pure joy…of gratitude…of awe.

Search out these wondrous moments and when you find them, pause to soak them in. I’m confident they’ll be among your favorite memories to unpack in the years to come.

Here’s to finding a moment’s peace before 2014 arrives!

If you’re ready to skip this article because the idea of “Me Time” sounds like an unrealistic fantasy within the demands of your life, stay with me for a second.

Me time doesn’t have to be a five-day getaway to a luxury spa or even a two-day girls weekend in a fun city. Me time can be the hour you book for a manicure, or the glass of really good wine you enjoy after the kids are in bed and the dishes are done. It can be a phone call to an old friend during your evening commute (or while you wait in your car at dance lessons or cheerleading practice). It can even simply be a series of stolen moments to remind yourself of who you are when you’re being the most authentic you.Issues arise when we start to live every moment of every day for someone else. Yes, we can be of great service to others when we put ourselves second, and we all need to spend some of our time doing exactly that. But, when we do so for too long, we lose touch with the things that make our souls sing and our hearts flutter. Art. Music. Sunshine. Sports. Reading. Running. Theater. Special people.

If I gave you 30 minutes right now to do whatever you want, would you be ready? Would you have a list of options from which to choose? Or would it take you time to even remember what it is you like to do?

If you’ve lost touch with your own desires, it’s time to reconnect with them. Spend your first bit of me time making a list of all the things that make you tingle with anticipation. Then make plans to go DO one of them. Soon.Stolen moments strung together are enough to rekindle your inner sparkle. Soon enough, that sparkle will shine through on the outside, too. You’ll find an extra spring in your step and a brightness in your cheeks. People will notice. Most of all, YOU will notice. You’ll start to believe it’s possible to do more of whatever it is you love. To play piano. To join a soccer league. To have a standing phone date with your college roommate. To learn to paint. To go to the opera. To start a blog.

It’s so easy to say we’ll make time later…when this season or that season has ended,when we finish the big project, when the kids are grown…but don’t wait. Begin today. Find the time to follow your heart’s desire and see where it leads you. I’m betting it will lead you back to yourself, which is right where you belong.