Finding Daily Awe in Difficult Homeschooling Seasons

Finding Daily Awe as We Grow Through Difficult Homeschooling Seasons ~
Written by Debbie Douse of An Adventurous Education

I started the year listening to the clinking of glasses as the nurses and doctors welcomed in 2024, sat by the bedside of my stepdad in intensive care. Next to me was my mother, in the latter stages of dementia, understandably spiralling out of control at the prospect of losing her beloved husband.

Our relationship has never been an easy one.

I prayed beside her and clearly remember hearing the words, “Pace yourself my child. This is going to be a long and difficult journey, but I will be with you.”

This has proven to be true. The last few months have been emotionally painful, as I process grief alongside childhood/adulthood trauma and a new cancer diagnosis for my mum. But God has been there every step of the way, directing my steps. It has been a rough old ride, but these times of phenomenal change have also brought huge personal growth.

Elizabeth Gilbert quotes Jim MacLaren as saying, “Suffering without catharsis is wasted pain.” Unfortunately, though, it has taken a toll on my family. The reality of homeschooling is that no matter how hard you try to hide it, whatever you feel, your kids sense deeply.

Set against this backdrop, we’re in the midst of external exam season in our homeschool. Harry is busy perfecting the art of interesting Spanish conversation for his upcoming oral exam. Rosie, on the other hand, sifts through piles of statistics and social theorists’ perspectives to decide what’s required to write a top-mark essay in her sociology exam.

Maintaining their focus amongst all that’s going on is a learning opportunity, but overwhelming nonetheless.

A Different Focus

Although there is vast growth happening in all directions, we also carry this sense of heaviness in our hearts, pressure on our brains and weight on our shoulders. We need to usher in the light. And what better way to do this than finding daily awe.

Dacher Keltner defines awe as “the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your understanding of the world.” For me, it’s those humbling moments when you encounter a deep sense of appreciation for the enormity, beauty and magic of the universe.

They’re the wow experiences in life: standing atop a mountain looking down at the world beneath your feet; watching a bumblebee gathering nectar from a foxglove; singing Ave Maria alongside congregation members; an emotively written piece of poetry; walking a new route to the shops; a child’s infectious giggle; or simply witnessing the kindness of others.

Snippets of wonder that anchor you in the present moment. I often find that I experience awe when travelling, but it can be found just as easily from home.

Finding daily awe in our lives can bring enormous health benefits, such as calming down our nervous system, quietening negative self-talk, slowing our heart rate, deepening our breathing and releasing the ‘feel good’ hormone oxytocin.

Our Daily Awe

In this difficult homeschooling season, here are three simple ways we’ve incorporated finding daily awe into our lives:

1. A Sensory Writing Exercise

Not wanting to add too much to their already full schedules, we instead did a simple writing exercise, sat outside in our tree bed (an awe-inspiring place). We imagined what awe felt, looked, tasted, smelled or sounded like for each of us. Here’s my daughter Rosie’s:

2. A Book of Awe 

I bought a beautiful book with the sole purpose of sharing our moments of awe, either a written excerpt or a photo that captures a precious moment.

3. Lunchtime and Bedtime Awe Focus

Lunchtime and bedtime are the two points in the day we’re all together.

So they are the perfect time to ask each other the simple questions: What are you planning to do/have you done to find awe today?

There will always be heavy seasons. But focusing on simple flashes of daily awe brings us sharply into the present and takes us out of our own heads, as we appreciate how small a role we play in this vast universe.

Last week, alongside three friends, I walked a 22-mile pilgrimage from the sea to Canterbury Cathedral.

It was closed when we arrived, but as pilgrims we were allowed inside. Just entering that sacred place with its towering ceilings and long history felt awe-inspiring. Then we were given a blessing.

Holding hands with tears falling, the lady held each of our heads in turn as she prayed over us. That to me was pure awe. Life may be hard, but we never stand alone.

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