Juniper, watching you learn to drive the dinghy has been one of those slow and beautiful memories that grows a little more every time I think about it. Little by little you went from holding the tiller with careful hands to moving through the water with a quiet confidence. I could hear the soft buzz of the outboard and see the way the bow lifted as you found your balance, each trip making you a little stronger and a little surer of yourself.

It all came together in St. Lucia, on the day you took your first trip to shore and back entirely on your own. The water was calm and bright, and the shoreline stretched out ahead of you like an invitation. You sat tall, steady, and focused, steering the dinghy across the bay with the kind of poise that comes from growing into yourself one small step at a time.

I watched every second. My heart felt full in a way I can still feel now. Juniper, I want you to know how proud I was seeing you guide that little boat on your own path. It was one of the proudest moments of my life.