In her last several weeks, Rachel rarely wore shoes except her black rubber sandals. When she entered the house, she quickly kicked them off to be more comfortable.

Two days after Rachel passed into a new realm, as I moved the furniture back to where it was before the hospice bed invaded our home, I found my daughter’s sandals under her favorite recliner. Tears welled in my eyes. A lump swelled in my throat. She’d worn those shoes into my home, but not out.

I was heartbroken.

Then I thought of Moses on a mountain, and God saying, “Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.”

That’s why Rachel had left her shoes. As sacred and loving as our home had been, she’d gone to a holier place. She’d stepped into the presence of the Divine.

Someday, I’ll leave my shoes behind and walk home without them. And I’ll be with Rachel again.