My Favorite Time of the Day

I know some people love waking up early, beating everyone else in the house up. They love the peace and quiet and have time for a cup of coffee, some reading or prayer. Others love evening time when everyone else is in bed. Again they love the time alone.
For me, I love the time when I pick my kids up from school. A little after 2:00. We come home, they relax for a few minutes, maybe have a small snack, play outside. Then homework begins, we sit together at the table and I help them if or when they need it. Once that's finished, I usually prepare for dinner and the girls play or watch TV. We eat, I clean up and then it's shower time. And usually as a family we watch TV together for a little while before bedtime.
I can't exactly explain why this time is my favorite. I love seeing my girls after they've been gone all day. I love hearing about their day. I love the smile I see on their faces as I pick them up. And I think that because they've been apart for most of the day, they're ready to see each other. And they stay busy in the afternoons so there's little or no time for fussing with one another. And the time we spend together after school is good time, quality time. It's a time of bonding. I feel it and I know they do too.
For me, this time is good too as I know the long, stressful day is ending. I'm able to relax, unwind a bit and enjoy my family. I treasure moments with my kids. Stressful situations in life have made me stronger and more importantly they've made me love my family even more.
So my favorite time of the day is about to begin. My kids didn't go to school today. One has a sprained wrist and one a sore throat. So no homework today. But soon, dinner time will be here and our family time will begin. I hope there's many more days like this in the future!