A Journey to Become
Stories of Children and the People Who Love and Care for Them
First Edition, 2 November 2026 · 344 pages · 108 stories · Free PDF · Print edition ISBN 978-1-0655149-6-1
“Here you are. We have been waiting for you. Show us who you are.” A grandmother turns a newborn round to face the family and says the three things every child deserves to hear. A Journey to Become follows that last sentence through 108 short stories, from before birth to the day a young person walks out into their own life.
A grandad of sixty-three, bringing up his baby grandson on his own, learns the four cries, and one night hears a fifth. A foster carer keeps her hands in her pockets so a seventeen-year-old mother can learn to hold her own baby. A boy of ten reads the number on the front of the bus for his nan, whose eyes are failing. A teacher crosses out eleven detentions in ordinary blue biro: These were my mistake, not Ollie’s.
Most of the stories are imagined, and eleven are true. None of the grown-ups gets everything right. Each story takes about ten minutes to read and ends with a question to carry through the day.
For parents, grandparents, foster and kinship carers, teachers, and anyone who has ever had a child placed in their arms, their care or their path, and for the child you once were.
The book follows children through four Parts: Before You Arrive (before birth and the first year), The Garden Years (birth to seven), The Finding Years (eight to fourteen) and The Leaving Years (fifteen to twenty-one).
The stories grew from the same ground as Thesis 10, Education for the New Age of Aquarius, but they need no knowledge of it. The book is also presented on the Narayana Joy Akasha Sanctuaries website.
One parable at a time: each story read aloud in full, then explored in a gentle conversation. New parables are added as they are made.
▶ Watch the Parables PlaylistHas love changed a life you know? Share your story →
Listen · The Full Podcast (69 min) Read · The Whole BookOffered free as a PDF, with a short video overview and the full podcast. These are stories, not guidance: if a child is in danger, call 999.