"Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness , and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of God appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up." When God saw that he had turned aside, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then God spoke,"Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground."   Exodus 3:1-5

Outside our kitchen window stands a winged euonymous bush. At this time of year it is so bold in its bright reddish, orange leaves that it is clear where it gets its popular name….‘burning bush." Yesterday….wasn’t it a glorious day?.…I worked from home.I found myself distracted over and over by its brilliance, drawn to its autumn beauty. In my distraction I was comforted by thinking about what poet Mary Oliver might say,…….’what else should I have been doing?!’

Later as I walked past the bush….yet another stop to take in its glory….I got in my car and headed out to some appointments. One stop was at a friend’s new yoga studio. As I walked into the entry way, I was greeted by a lovely framed sign: Barefoot Zone.  On each side of the entry, shelves stood with shoes of various sizes and styles, obediently placed there before heading into ‘the zone’.Those who walked into the studio did not bring any grit or grime from their shoes into the space, only the sure, smooth print of their glorious feet. Grounded, nothing separated their flesh from the finely grained wood of the floor.

Last night I thought about these two seemingly disconnected experiences…burning bush, barefoot zone. I thought about God’s words to Moses…."take off your sandals, you are standing on holy ground." Whether it is the firey red of the winged euonymous or the still green grass of these waning days of fall, every day we are invited by the presence of the Holy One blazing forth before our very eyes, to stand on holy ground. Every day we are welcomed to the barefoot zone.

If you are out and about today and see a woman walking happily along, without her shoes, that most likely will be me. I am headed into the Barefoot Zone…..join me?