Bare feet

My wife, Ingrid, comes home today from a spiritual retreat in New Mexico. While talking with her briefly yesterday, we discussed the idea of Holy Ground and our perception of what makes it Holy. Then, I found this piece online last night that introduced a beautiful new paradigm to my awareness.

Approaching

Our first response in approaching
another people,
another culture,
another religion,
is to take off our shoes
for the place we are approaching is holy.

Else we may find ourselves treading on another's dream.

More serious still,
we may forget...
that God was here
before our arrival.

We have, at our church, a lovely worship leader who never wears shoes while she sings. Months went by before I asked her why she chose to remain bare foot. After all, I really like shoes and I thought it weird that she never wore them. She explained that once, before a vocal performance in a Night Club, she was going to be singing Gospel songs. She began to feel "out of place" and then God spoke to her backstage and told her to remove her shoes, that she was on Holy Ground. She has rarely worn shoes since. I find it both wonderful and comforting that God claims a bar as a Holy place. I wonder where else we might find Holy ground. I imagine, it's all around.

Comments

[Karen]

Hi Joe. I've been admiring your work from afar in Canada for a few months now (I'm a photographer too). Your work is beautiful and your perspective on life and art is inspiring. I just had to leave a comment today, with your question of "where else might we find Holy Ground?" This is a mighty theme for me this year. Back in November, my boyfriend proposed when we were back home visiting my family in Victoria, BC. Although I was surprised, excited and all of those things a bride-to-be usually experiences, first and foremost I was overwhelmed, and felt like a very little girl in a very big commitment. My reaction surprised me, and in reflection and prayer, I realized that stepping into marriage felt like stepping onto Holy Ground, and like Moses or Isaiah, I felt like "Who am I, to tread there?". I had never quite seen it that way before, but I don't think I could ever see it any other way from now on. And so, in a sense, in our work, I think we are photographing a brush with Holy Ground every day. =) Hmmm, maybe I should cut wedding shoes out of the budget?! -Thanks for this post. Karen

[Joe Photo]

Wow Karen. Thank you for your thoughts and I wish you warmest blessings on your engagement. Holy Ground is all around. Hmmm that sounds like a chorus for your wedding song. I vote for you to be without shoes:)