It is now Sunday but I have been off in the mountains for the last several days sans intarweb. I will try and catch up the blog just a little bit before leaving for the airport to begin the long trip home.

I’m not a very religious person as I tend to describe myself as more spiritual. I absolutely despise large churches and have yet to find one where I feel “something” is present. The only two times I’ve felt in the presence of a greater power was in a very small church in Madison, Florida and now a Russian Orthodox Church.

One of our hosts, Regina, took us to see this small church…more of a chapel…located near the offices where I was conducing business. The exterior of the church used traditional Russian architecture and nestled serenely in the snow covered woods was a beautiful sight in its own right.

Inside, the dark, single room combined the scents of incense, votive candles, and the wood that had been used to construct the church. There were several very old women quietly praying and I felt as if I had stepped back in time and and intruded upon another world or a simpler place.

I began a slow circle around the chapel observing the various religious painting and icons and then it came to me. There were no profound thoughts, no feelings of being saved, just the sense, that at that instance, everything was ok with myself and life. That there was balance and understanding and despite th occasional stumbles or mistakes, my path was clear.

I spent no more than twenty minutes inside the chapel but upon leaving, I felt as if I had taken the most extraordinary nap. I was rested and rejuvenated and looked forward to not only the coming days, but what else the future might have in store for me.