Find Your Inner Light: A Homeschooler's Guide to Renewal

EP214: Dear homeschooler, do you feel guilty for taking time for yourself yet overwhelmed by the daily demands of homeschooling? Find your inner light. Listen in to a homeschooler’s guide to renewal in this episode of the Art of Homeschooling podcast.

Jean dives into the power of the seasons and the turning point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox as an auspicious time to double up on emotional and physical self-care.

Imagine taking a few minutes each day with the intention of renewing your own inner light, focusing on your head, heart, hands, health, and home as the light returns this January.

Find the Show Notes here  https://artofhomeschooling.com/episode214/

Join the Inspired at Home Community

Chapters

• 1:23 An invitation to find your inner light as a homeschooling parent
• 3:25 When and why should you double up on physical and emotional self-care
• 4:55 This is the season to gather your light.
• 7:10 How to create a mini-retreat for self-renewal inspired by head, heart, hands, health, and home

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:09

You're listening to the Art of Homeschooling podcast, where we help parents cultivate creativity and connection at home. I'm your host, jean Miller, and here on this podcast you'll find stories and inspiration to bring you the confidence you need to make homeschooling work for your family. Let's begin what to even say? As I record this episode, fires have devastated huge parts of Los Angeles. My husband just received a very difficult diagnosis and the day this episode comes out is Inauguration Day here in the United States. I'm holding so much compassion for all those who are suffering right now. I know many of you are feeling this too, especially the challenges of returning to a routine and homeschool rhythm while balancing the emotional weight of the world. This can really impact our ability to focus and maintain a rhythm. Maintain a rhythm. So today I'm inviting you to find tiny moments of light in your life and imagine all the listeners here on the podcast doing the same.

Speaker 1: 1:36

When there seem to be no words, I often turn to poetry. Here is one of my favorite poems Hope is the Thing with Feathers by Emily Dickinson. Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all. And sweetest in the gale is heard, and sore must be the storm that could abash the little bird that kept so many warm. I've heard it in the chillest land and on the strangest sea, yet never in extremity. It asked a crumb of me. This poem speaks to me so deeply and always leaves me feeling uplifted anytime I encounter it First. I love birds and I am so touched by the idea that hope is asking nothing of me, yet gives me so much. May this little poem offer you solace and inspiration for whatever you're feeling or experiencing today.

Speaker 1: 2:48

I often find that when my own words seem lacking, I can turn to little snippets of others' words through their poetry and find comfort. Through close to 25 years of homeschooling three kiddos, I found that poetry is not only good for language arts lessons, but also as a tool for emotional resilience and connection. This is what poetry means to me, and I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to pass that along and share that with my children, to have had the opportunity to pass that along and share that with my children. To me, this is just one way of gathering the light during dark or difficult times. So here is my best advice I've learned that when life gets hard.

Speaker 1: 3:38

It helps to double up on self-care, not just physical. Double up on self-care, not just physical, but emotional. To remember that rest is like resistance against the darkness and daily struggles. To feel our feelings and give them the space and attention they deserve so that we can allow them to move through us. Easier said than done, I know. So here's my question for you today what do you do to replenish? Now? I have some ideas for you here.

Speaker 1: 4:15

I've been starting my day with a very short guided meditation and taking lots of moments to pause throughout the day just to feel gratitude for whatever is right in front of me the big, fluffy snowflakes, our dog Gus with his head resting on my foot, sipping my hot chai tea in my favorite blue mug. How about you? Do you journal, meditate or simply take a moment to pause now and then? If not, this is your reminder, this is your invitation to build more little moments like this into your day. I know that, as homeschooling parents, we often feel guilty about taking time for ourselves. That's why I think it helps to start with tiny moments. These are the kinds of things we do together inside my Inspired at Home community every January, because this time of year, after the hustle of the holidays, I find that as homeschoolers, we often need to take a moment to fill back up before diving back into the lessons with our kiddos. I love that the light outside is actually slowly returning here in the Northern Hemisphere and each day is growing longer, by just a few minutes, so that by the end of January on Groundhog's Day or Candlemas or Imbolc whatever you choose to call February 2nd, you choose to call February 2nd we'll be halfway to spring. This day is known as a cross-quarter day, a powerful turning point of the year, the halfway point between winter solstice and the spring equinox, which is why I like to encourage parents to gather your light during the month of January by renewing your own spark with your head, heart and hands.

Speaker 1: 6:16

In the Inspired and Whole community, we focus on a masterclass called Gathering the Light. Each January, we walk through five steps to renewal for the new year. I created this community and this particular masterclass because I know that, when life feels overwhelming, a supportive homeschooling community plays a critical role in helping us, as parents, to navigate challenges Because, let's be honest, homeschooling can feel a bit lonely at times. Today, I invite you to reflect on what gathering the light means to you, especially if life is feeling heavy right now or you're feeling a bit sluggish. Perhaps it's small joys, moments with your children or connecting with nature as a homeschooling parent. Perhaps you fill back up through stories or creating art. I go through this renewal process every year, step by step myself head, heart, hands, health and home, just taking a few days to focus and gather my resources, find balance and reflect on these realms through meditation, art, poetry and other nourishing practices. The themes of head, heart, hands, health and home can together support a sense of harmony and with these steps we experience some guided self-care, kind of like a mini retreat for the new year.

Speaker 1: 7:51

You might like to gather art supplies and self-care items before you begin, but I'm going to encourage you to create a little mini retreat for yourself. You could gather watercolor or drawing materials, magazines for collaging, your favorite tea, a candle, chocolate, essential oils, incense anything that brings you pleasure and makes you smile, and then you might come up with just one nourishing activity for each of these areas. Here are just a few examples For head, you might choose a word of the year. For the heart, find a poem to memorize and recite to yourself each morning. For the hands. Perhaps you want to create a piece of art with your word of the year at the center For health, what's one activity you could add to your day to help your body or mind feel fed? And for home, you could clear off and reset one little shelf, perhaps in your family room with a nature scene or just a spot for a candle.

Speaker 1: 8:57

If you want to join me and other heart-centered homeschoolers from all over the world for gathering the light, we'd love to welcome you inside the Inspired at Home community. Simply visit artofhomeschoolingcom slash inspired at home for more details. Inside the masterclass, I have provided a motivational message and a journal page for each of the five themes head, heart, hands, health and home. And this year, in 2025, we'll be having a week of group Voxer chats from January 27th to the 31st, where we'll be sharing inspiration and insights with each other. So, whether you choose to join me and the sweet homeschooling community inside Inspired at Home or create a little mini retreat of your own, I want to encourage you to honor your own emotional state and then gently guide your children back into a homeschooling rhythm and lessons. You might think of these five themes and choose one little action, like I said, or practice that you could do to enliven that particular area of your life. Choose a few actionable intentions that can have a big impact on your mindset right now.

Speaker 1: 10:10

Remember, homeschooling doesn't have to look perfect after the holidays. Sometimes, gathering the light is about celebrating the small wins, looking for little, tiny moments of light and inspiration. Start by lighting a candle and reading a poem or a story that inspires hope. No matter how heavy things may feel, the light always returns. We can kindle it in our homes, our lessons and our hearts. May you gently find your way and know that I am by your side. Thanks for tuning in today. You can find the show notes for this episode at artofhomeschoolingcom, slash episode 214. That's all for today, my friend, but here's what I want you to remember Rather than perfection, let's focus on connection. Thanks so much for listening and I'll see you on the next episode of the Art of Homeschooling podcast. You.