The Art of Re(membering): A Summer with Our Inner Child
What a glorious summer it has been for The Art of Becoming here at our cozy little home on Remington. This was our very first summer in the space—and what a delight it’s been to watch the landscaping come to life, the light pouring through our big panel windows late into the evening. For those who’ve visited, you know: we’ve found a special place. A place where curiosity and courage are welcomed, where healing has room to breathe, and where community feels like home.
This season, through our inner child series, we lingered in the playful and profound practice of listening inward—to that small voice within each of us. Sometimes it’s a whisper, nearly lost beneath the noise of adulting and daily life. Other times, it speaks through our fears, our longings, or the ache of not quite knowing what we need—but knowing we need something. That voice belongs to the child we once were. The one who learned what was lovable, what was too much, what needed to be hidden, and what had to be earned. And as we have dared to listen, we have discovered that this child still carries a roadmap—not just to our past, but to our healing.
Many asked “why does inner child work matter”? In these months, we’ve been able to articulate and explore that most of us are still coping in ways that were shaped in childhood. These younger parts of us carry the emotional blueprints of our lives—the ache of unmet needs, but also the deep well of wisdom, creativity, and resilience that still lives inside us. Inner child work matters because it helps us notice where old patterns still drive our present. And through compassion, curiosity, and creativity, we begin to shift those patterns. We learn to offer ourselves the care we once longed for. Throughout the series, we have discovered that we can become the safe place we always needed.
This summer, through The Art of Becoming Collective, we invited our community into a tender and courageous journey of re(membering)—gathering the forgotten, silenced, or protected parts of ourselves and inviting them back into the light. In collaboration with local children’s book author and illustrator Megan Levaque, we engaged healing through story, imagination, and collective reflection. Megan’s luminous characters helped us rediscover the hidden terrain of our own hearts—reminding us that courage, joy, and belonging are not just childhood experiences, but lifelong invitations.
We kicked off the series by hosting 18 children for a day of co-creation—asking them what they wish grown-ups knew about being a kid. Their insights were priceless. One child reminded us: “Kids don’t need to be fixed. They need to be believed.” Another offered: “Sometimes adults forget to play, and that makes them tired.” Their wisdom became our compass.
If you didn’t get a chance to make one of the open houses, here is a summary,
We began with the themes of bravery and belonging. Through Megan’s storytelling and a circle of community, we remembered that courage grows in connection. We created “crowns of courage” from feathers, twigs, and flowers—symbols of the unique resilience we each carry. It was a time to dream again, to name our fears, and to know we weren’t alone.
In our second gathering, we turned inward. With the help of CJ’s demonstration using rock and water, we explored how early experiences shape our present-day reactions and relationships. We practiced re(membering)—bringing back the parts of ourselves that learned to hide. We learned that safety isn’t soft or passive—it’s the courageous soil where healing begins.
Mid-summer invited us to play. Imagination became a portal to strength and possibility through the theme of re-parenting. Through a collaborative exercise and a co-written group poem, Julie lead us through an invitation to explore the concept of reparenting—tending to our needs with gentleness and creativity. We reflected on the messages we wish we had heard as children and offered those words back to ourselves and each other.
We will close the series in the open air of Spring Park, celebrating the joy that comes—not from perfection or arrival—but from remembering who we are. We will play our way back to authenticity, exploring joy as a sign of healing and a form of resilience. Join us for a casual evening of shared laughter and reflection, where we will honor that joy isn’t earned. It’s your birthright. We’ll create “joy jars” as a symbol to remind us to come back to the wisdom of our authentic selves, long after our series ends.
If you’ve walked with us through this series—or if you’re just arriving now, know this: inner child work is not a one-time event. It’s a slow, lifelong invitation to come home to yourself.
Sometimes that homecoming begins with a story. Sometimes with a question. Sometimes with the quiet decision to say to yourself what you always needed to hear: You are safe. You are not too much. You are already enough.
We hope this summer has planted seeds. Know that we at The Art of Becoming are available year-round to process questions or emotions this might bring up. And we hope you'll keep listening to that small voice—because it may be leading you back to something beautiful.
