Most of my life I’ve been moving in a westerly direction, growing up in Detroit then moving to Texas and finally ending up in the mountains of Colorado. But now, I’m looking East. The reason is that, as a Catholic I’ve been seeing things happening in the Church that are unsettling, so much so that I have to question things I thought I believed about the Church and the reasons I joined it in the first place. Given that, I’ve decided I must begin looking into the Eastern Church and, for the first time in my life think about moving in an easterly direction.
Living near the 7,000 foot elevation mark gives you a different perspective on things. The air is thinner, usually dryer, the sky bluer, and you can sure kick a football further than almost anywhere else. It’s a place where the higher mountain roads lead you to beautiful meadows full of wild flowers and mountain streams and views that go on forever.
Exploring, perhaps joining, Eastern Christianity is very much like entering the rarified atmosphere found here in Colorado. Instead of bluer skies and thinner air, however, I’ve found an atmosphere full of great antiquity and substance, of incense, icons, sights and sounds. It’s a place where the higher mountain roads lead to serious fasting, continual prayer, and, it is hoped, ever growing union with God. Together, the thin air of Colorado and the rarefied atmosphere of Orthodoxy form the backdrop for everything I plan to write on the new blog.
Coming down from the mountains, I can also offer you some bare facts about myself: I’ve lived in Colorado for just over 15 years now and I live within a whisker of 7,000 above sea level. I’m a Viet Nam vet who went on to become a CPA although I worked most of my career in private industry, not doing tax returns and audits. I’m now retired and firmly convinced being retired isn’t the same thing as being dead. There are all sorts of crazy, wonderful, beautiful things that I see all around me every day. I’m grateful for that. Now that I have some time on my hands, I appreciate the chance to experience and learn about new things, from Eastern Orthodoxy to reading great books, drinking good beer, listening to Bach and Mozart, watching what’s going on in the world, and taking photos of this beautiful state I live in.
So, while it’s true I’m looking East, and I’ll be writing about my journey in an easterly direction, I also expect to write about living in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region and, it’s fair to say there’s a good chance some of my other interests will surface as the progress of this blog unfolds. An while I’ll be posting about my journey eastward, I won’t pretend to claim this is an Orthodox blog, it’s a blog by someone who wants to learn much, much more about Orthodoxy. Maybe some day, though, it will be an Orthodox blog, who knows. In any case, I hope you’ll enjoy the journey with me.
A bit of housekeeping, I plan on posting every Wednesday sharing my experience on the journey. I may post something, quotes from something I’ve read or something I’ve learned that I can’t wait to share on other days as the spirit moves.
To contact me, please use the contact form, below. I welcome your feedback.
An Easterly Direction 
Thanks for becoming a follower of my blog. I find you story very intriguing, and wish you al the best in your journey.