The fourth work in the Faith Series celebrates the pilgrimage of searching- not only for sacred places, but also the unexpected moments that strengthen our faith. 

While my family settled in for a Saturday afternoon nap in Ruidoso, New Mexico, I felt the familiar urge to continue exploring. I convinced my husband to take a drive along a winding mountain road, never imagining where it would lead. Around a bend, a magnificent church came into view: The Mescalero Apache Catholic Church.

The church was surrounded by flowers, and its interior beautifully blended Native American imagery with Catholic iconography. As I photographed the space, I noticed a hummingbird trapped inside. Knowing how desperately hummingbirds depend on nectar, we gently guided toward an open door until it found its freedom. In that quiet moment, I couldn't help but feel our unexpected stop had a purpose. Sometimes we are called to sacred places not only to receive grace, but to extend it. Like the hummingbird, we all need nectar at different moments in our lives.

The Marian image int this piece came from another unexpected discovery. In a small bookstore near Wimberley, Texas, I asked the tiny elderly librarian if she had any images of Mary and the Christ Child. She disappeared for a few minutes before returning with a centuries-old devotional edger brought to Texas by German settlers. Wearing white gloves, she carefully turned its fragile pages, explaining that the book was never offered for sale and rarely opened. She graciously allowed me to photograph a handful of its sacred illustrations -a gift of trust that I have never forgotten.

By blending these two discoveries, Pilgrimage becomes more than a photograph. It is a reflection on the journeys we choose, the sacred encounters we never expect, and the quiet reminders that God often meets us along the road when we are simply willing to keep searching.