Sixteen Years of Sweet Becoming

Jun 22

Hey, Collective,

There are moments that feel stitched by something greater than us. Moments that are woven not just with memory, but with meaning.

Today is one of those moments.

Sixteen.
Sweet, sacred sixteen.
A threshold, a turning.
A girl steps forward
not into perfection,
but into presence.

One is unity
divine alignment,
the seed of beginnings.
Six is humanity
messy, miraculous,
always reaching.

Together, they form sixteen
a number stitched with grace.
Lovingkindness made real.

Maya is sixteen.
We are sixteen years into a marriage
that brought her into being.
And today, this photo:
Devon, holding her at one day old.
Her eyes wide, already searching.
His hands steady, already knowing.

This image is more than memory.
It is a mirror.
A prayer.
A promise kept.
A time capsule of lovingkindess.

Power of Discovery: When Memory Meets Meaning

On June 15, 2009, Devon cradled our firstborn, Maya, in the quiet tenderness of new fatherhood. I captured the moment in a photo that still takes my breath away. His visitor sticker stamped the date, 06-15-09, which is exactly 16 years ago today. The day after our firstborn entered the world.

That image pulled me into reflection.
Devon’s first official Father’s Day would technically be June 21, 2009, but this?
This photo is the moment it all began.
His first Father’s Day in spirit, heart, and devotion.

This photo, this moment, reminds me:
We grow in spirals, not straight lines. We come of age again and again, returning to the truth of who we are.

Devon holding his firstborn, Maya, 16 years ago on June 15, 2009. Maya was one day old, staring intently at her daddy.

He had prepared his whole life for this.
Already practicing with Jojo since she was one, but there was a longing, one rooted in love and legacy, to create a human together.
That dream was fulfilled six years later… just four months before our first wedding anniversary.

And yesterday? We celebrated Maya’s Sweet 16. A full-circle moment.

It was her coming of age.
And our reminder of all the ways she’s still becoming.
She’s become the bridge between our worlds.
Devon’s artistry and musical mind.
My science-nerd curiosity and love for questions.
She’s forging a path right at that sacred intersection of art and science, and I cannot wait to see where it leads.

But before we get to where she’s going… can we pause for where she’s been?

Discovery Curiosities

What moment in your life feels like a circle closing, a loop returning?
What did your 16-year-old self dream of, and what part of that dream still lingers?
Whose gaze saw you before you knew how to see yourself?

Power of Discernment: A Princess Tea Party and the Power of Asking

A few weeks ago, Maya announced she wanted a Princess Tea Party for her Sweet 16.

I must admit, I was a bit befuddled.
A Princess party? At sixteen?
My mind went straight to plastic tea sets and toddler birthdays.

But then she laid out her vision:
A high tea.
Pinterest mood boards of china, lace gloves, and 19th century elegance. 
Finger sandwiches. Buttery scones. Endless sweets (because yes, she got her father’s sweet tooth).
She sent photos. She chose her palette of blush pink, sage, beige, and gold.
And I saw it. I saw her.

Maya's Sweet 16 Princess Tea Party

The party began with a craft:
Each guest designed their own princess hat, a whimsical welcome into Maya’s creative world.

And then came Emma, our youngest, who designated herself the butler for the day, arriving in full costume: bowtie, vest, drawn-on mustache and all. She served tea with a flourish, kept the laughter going, and fully committed to the role. She didn’t just support her sister’s vision; she added her own flavor of joy to it.

Then Maya hit play on a playlist she curated: all 1960s music.
She knew her friends wouldn’t recognize the songs,
but she wanted to introduce them to the sounds that shape her joy.
To the decades that speak to her soul.
This was her way of saying,
“This is me. And I want you to know me.”

From there, the vision unfolded:
A low picnic table I once built for Jojo’s graduation, now repurposed with blankets, floor pillows, candles, linens, flowers, and color-coordinated joy.
Green tea, pink, and gold teacups holding jasmine green tea. Her favorite Costco chocolate cake as the centerpiece. A tent filled with black and white portraits of Maya from every year of her life, hung gently as sacred bunting.

This wasn’t just a party; it was a declaration.

For a child who often represents the middle-child storyline (people pleasing, perfectionism, shrinking), this was different.

This was Maya saying,
“I know what I want.”
“I trust my vision.”
“I want to be seen and celebrated, exactly as I am.”

Discernment Curiosities

What vision are you holding that feels “too different” to say out loud?
What would it look like to name your desire unapologetically?
How might celebration be an act of self-trust?

Power of Determination

There is a lesson in all of this.

When a child asks clearly for what they want, listen.
When they speak their vision, help build it.
When they step into themselves, step back and marvel.

Maya even made a summer bucket list this year.
“Picnic with friends?” Check.
“Try new foods?” Check.
She’s leading herself into joy, into creativity, into the kind of curiosity I pray she never loses.

This is her coming of age.
Not because the world said so.
Because she did.

Determination Curiosities

What part of your younger self’s dream are you now ready to bring to life?
What would it look like to offer yourself the same tenderness and celebration you’ve longed to receive from others?
What would your week look like if you made one decision each day rooted in your full self—not your filtered self?

The Invitation

So here’s the invitation this week:

Let a photo remind you of how far you’ve come. Let memory be more than nostalgia, let it be a teacher.
Create something tender for your younger self.
Celebrate the version of you that dared to dream, even if no one else understood the vision.
Let your children and the younger generation surprise you. Let your stories return. Let your joy become its own kind of truth-telling.

If this reflection stirred something within you, I invite you to subscribe to my Substack for weekly roundups and early access to the Living in 3D Power podcast (new episodes drop every Wednesday).

Looking for a workbook to help you embody your own dreams? Comment, DM, or email “June Workbook,” and I’ll send you a complimentary copy of a workbook I curated for my paid subscribers to help freedom dream by centering the body to return to what’s still possible.

As always, please go to our website to suggest further questions or topics we can discuss. And don’t forget to listen (or re-listen) to Episode 22 where Emma and I talk about summer break and being human. Then send it to someone who helps you feel safe enough to be seen.

Suggest Podcast Questions

Together, let's keep building spaces where authenticity leads and restoration follows.

And if you're a leader ready to build a culture rooted in restoration, courageous truth-telling, and liberatory leadership, I’d love to work with you.

In solidarity, action, and love,

Amber