October has almost arrived, and with it comes a different kind of invitation.
September often asks us to begin again; whereas October, I think, asks us to deepen. The days are shortening properly now, and the light has turned softer and lower, leaves are gathering in the lanes, hedgerows are thinning, and fungi appear almost overnight! There is a sense of the year drawing inward.
For home-educating families, October can easily become a month of trying to keep September’s momentum going. We may feel that we ought to have found our rhythm by now, ought to be more organised, ought to be getting through more books, more lessons, more plans. But perhaps October does not need more effort from us, perhaps instead it can be the month when we allow our days to become a little quieter, slower, and more particular.
This is a lovely time to follow fewer things more deeply. To read aloud in the lamplight. To watch one tree changing week by week. To cook something warm together. To notice the evidence of creatures in the garden or hedgerow. To let handwork, conversation, poetry, baking, nature study, and ordinary household life take their rightful place alongside books and lessons.
So I have made another little free October Joy page for you.
It is only one page, & deliberately so. There are a few gentle permissions for the month ahead, some cosy September pleasures, small nature-noticing ideas, three very short journal questions, and a September blessing. Nothing needs to be worked through in order, and there is absolutely nothing to keep up with. This is not a September reset, nor a challenge, a routine, or a list of things that we ought to be doing. It is simply a small reminder, from one busy mother to another, that beginning again does not have to mean beginning everything again.
You might pin the page beside your calendar, slip it into your planner or morning basket, or leave it somewhere you will happen upon it during a busy day.
May September bring you golden afternoon light, and the grace to find steadiness without asking more of yourself.
You can download the free page here: October Joy
From my home to yours,
When I tried to download October Joy it came up as September Joy. Hope you can update this, I love your journal prompts and monthly meditations!
It’s showing the September Joy, not the October one.