In "Toward the Water: A Contemplative Journey," the first light of day reveals a hatchling making its way across the sand, drawn by the distant promise of the ocean. Observing this scene on Sea Island’s quiet shore, I was reminded of how every journey—no matter how small—carries its own weight of uncertainty and hope.
The turtle’s slow, deliberate progress becomes a meditation on presence. Each grain of sand, each pause, reflects the challenges and rhythms that shape all living things. There’s a stillness in the air, broken only by the gentle movement of this young traveler, and in that stillness, a sense of connection to something larger.
This photograph invites viewers to reflect on their own paths—how we are all called forward by instinct, by longing, or by the quiet pull of possibility. In the vulnerability of the hatchling, there is a reminder of the courage it takes to move toward the unknown. The image is both a celebration of nature’s resilience and an invitation to find peace in the act of moving forward, one step at a time.