Month: June 2020

Sunday, June 28th

The Path of Gratitude

We talk about gratitude a lot here at Paths of Heart (and individually, in our day to day lives!). There is no better place to be than in a state of gratitude.  It makes the challenges, big and small, seem somehow more bearable and most of us know that the more we express gratitude in our lives, the more we’ll see (and have) to be grateful for!
We are so grateful for all who came to our first Paths of Heart Gathering since March last Sunday!  We gathered in a beautiful circle in the backyard and mostly just “checked in” with one another and celebrated our lives.  We also took a “tour” of the labyrinth and celebrated its awesomeness!!
We thought our next gathering might be in two weeks from that Sunday, but when we realized that is 4th of July weekend, we all agreed that July 12th would be a better choice.
We’ll again be in the backyard, appropriately distanced, and masks will be required upon entering.  Please RSVP, as we will continue with a small number (10 -15 participants) for the foreseeable future.
We will also be taking a week off from the newsletter next week, so your next reminder for our gathering will be around the 8th or 9th of July.  Have a wonderful couple of weeks and a safe Independence Day celebration!

Looking forward to seeing you again!  Colleen and Mark

Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest

July 12th -Our next Paths of Heart Gathering in our backyard. We will be limiting the number of people on any one Sunday, so reservations (and masks) will be required. Reply to this email or call 970-484-9600 to RSVP. We are still deciding how often we will meet.  It will most likely be once or twice a month, as we continue to monitor state and local guidelines for gatherings.

Know that you are always welcome to drop by and walk the labyrinth – you do not need to let us know in advance. Do note that we have experienced the outer “halo” of glass blocks to be slippery when wet, so it’s best to come on a dry day!

Gratitudes

We are grateful for…everything!

What are you grateful for today?

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.” ~ Anthony Robbins

“If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.” ~ Meister Eckhart

Sunday, June 21st

The Importance of Celebration

There are so many reasons for celebration, even amid the turmoil we may be experiencing in our personal lives, our communities, our country, and our world at this point in time.  It is always our responsibility to “be the change”, and shine our individual lights brightly, as we do our part to “right the wrongs” of larger society. Today (Friday) is Juneteenth, such an important day for us ALL to celebrate as the day that slaves on the last frontier of slavery (Texas) in the U.S. were freed. As we celebrate, let it also be a day of remembrance, reconciliation, and action, as there is still so much to be accomplished before we see true equality and justice in our world. This weekend we’ll also be celebrating the Summer Solstice (along with a new moon and a “ring of fire” solar eclipse!), Father’s Day, and our first Paths of Heart Gathering since early March! We’ll be in the back yard, well-distanced, and face masks will be required. You will also need to RSVP if you haven’t already, as we will start out small, with just 10 -15 participants. The labyrinth will be ready to walk, before and after our gathering (one at a time, please). We’ll see how this goes; we have heard from several folks that are not quite ready to attend public gatherings, while others are eager to do so. This may turn out to be an every other week event at first or…something else – more is always being revealed! If we have inclement weather, we may need to postpone and will let all that have signed up know that morning. As of today, we still have a few spots left, so RSVP soon if you want to join us!
  
Can’t wait to be with you, Colleen and Mark

Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest

Father’s Day, June 21st -We will return to in-person Paths of Heart Gatherings in our backyard! We will be limiting the number of people on any one Sunday, so reservations (and masks) will be required. Reply to this email or call 970-484-9600 to RSVP. We are still deciding how often we will meet.  It will most likely be once or twice a month, as we continue to monitor state and local guidelines for gatherings.

Gratitudes

We are grateful for every little bit of moisture we are experiencing from recent rains after SO many 90+ degree days!  Transplanting so many “salvaged and saved” plants (mentioned in last week’s newsletter) has been hard on the plants AND the planters!  🙂

What are you grateful for today?

“Be mindful. Be grateful. Be positive. Be true. Be kind.” ~ Roy T. Bennett

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.” ~ Alphonse Karr

“Today I choose to live with gratitude for the love that fills my heart, the peace that rests within my spirit, and the voice of hope that says all things are possible.” ~  Anonymous

Sunday, June 14th

Anticipation!

We are getting excited for next Sunday, June 21, when we’ll be celebrating the Summer Solstice, Father’s Day, and as many other things as we please with our first Paths of Heart Gathering since early March!  We’ll be in the back yard, well-distanced, and face masks will be required. You will also need to RSVP if you haven’t already, as we will start out small, with just 10 -15 participants. The labyrinth will be ready to walk, before and after our gathering (one at a time, please). We’ll see how this goes; we have heard from several folks that are not quite ready to attend public gatherings, while others are eager to do so. This may turn out to be an every other week event at first or something else – more is always being revealed! If we have inclement weather, we may need to postpone and will let all that have signed up know that morning.
  
Can’t wait to be with you, Colleen and Mark

Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest

Father’s Day, June 21st -We plan on returning to in-person Paths of Heart Gatherings in our backyard. We will be limiting the number of people on any one Sunday, so reservations (and masks) will be required. Reply to this email or call 970-484-9600.

We have been enjoying our individual visits with folks on Sunday mornings!  It gives us some semblance of normalcy, and it feels great to feel connected in this way.  Mark and Colleen will continue to be available this Sunday on Facetime (or FB Messenger or Zoom if you prefer!) from 10:30 a.m. – noon (when we’d normally be hanging out with you at Paths of Heart), in  ~15 minute increments to simply chat or maybe share a poem or a tune with you that you love. Let us know (you can reply to this newsletter) what time (and platform) is best for you and we’ll confirm with that time or the closest available. June 14th will be the last day for these chats.

Gratitudes

This week our friend Luis came through again, notifying us of a whole yard of flowering plants that were going to be demolished and thrown in the landfill. Colleen dropped everything and made several trips to rescue so many beautiful and diverse plants and has been busy most of this week finding homes for them here and at friends’ houses.  We are grateful that we could add more beauty to our landscape and bring others joy as well!

“Be mindful. Be grateful. Be positive. Be true. Be kind.” ~ Roy T. Bennett

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.” ~ Alphonse Karr

“Today I choose to live with gratitude for the love that fills my heart, the peace that rests within my spirit, and the voice of hope that says all things are possible.” ~  Anonymous

Sunday, June 7th

Synchronicity!

We seem to be in a weird time warp…It’s Saturday night (again!) and the newsletter still isn’t done. It’s strange being on such a different (non)schedule and we’ve been tending to so many different things other than our music gigs, including joining the conversation and protests for #BlackLivesMatter. We have a better understanding now of the concept that all lives cannot matter until black lives matter. It’s important to take a stand to end the pervasive systemic racism in our country.
This week was also exciting, watching the labyrinth take shape and come nearer to completion, and then…we ran out of bricks! These are older bricks that we gathered from a job site a couple of years ago, saving them from going into the landfill. But after stacking 6 pallets full and not knowing at the time what the heck we were going to use them for, we let the rest go. They are apparently not your standard brick, and we spent most of this past week searching for a match. THEN, I went to the home of some friends whom I had not seen for many months and they had these beautiful glass blocks lined up across their front porch. “Need any glass blocks?” Terry asked, and an idea was born. They were the perfect size and now the outer ring of the labyrinth glistens in the sun like a halo, in shades of aquamarine (Colleen’s birthstone) and patterned clear glass. We were going to post a picture, but there’s still some work to be done and we just want you to meet it in person and walk it when we have our first (outdoor) Paths of Heart gathering since early March on Father’s Day, June 21st. Since we’re figuring we can only have 10 -15 participants at first, you’ll need to let us know if you plan to be here, and when the appropriate number is reached (maybe it’ll be more by then?), you’ll be added to the waiting list or be the first on the list for the following week.  We’re all in new territory and we’ll just see how this goes.
Also, if anyone would like to make a tax-deductible contribution specifically to the labyrinth project, we would be most grateful. It has been quite an undertaking!!  Our Paths of Heart family and friends will always be welcome to visit and walk the labyrinth at their leisure.

Be well and be kind,  Colleen and Mark

Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest

Father’s Day, June 21st -We plan on returning to in-person Paths of Heart Gatherings in our backyard. We will be limiting the number of people on any one Sunday, so reservations (and masks) will be required. Reply to this email or call 970-484-9600.

We have been enjoying our individual visits with folks on Sunday mornings!  It gives us some semblance of normalcy, and it feels great to feel connected in this way.  Mark and Colleen will continue to be available for the next 2 Sundays on Facetime (or FB Messenger or Zoom if you prefer!) from 10:30 a.m. – noon (when we’d normally be hanging out with you at Paths of Heart), in  ~15 minute increments to simply chat or maybe share a poem or a tune with you that you love. Let us know (you can reply to this newsletter) what time (and platform) is best for you and we’ll confirm with that time or the closest available. Depending on demand, if all the slots fill up for this week, you’ll be first in line next week!   

Gratitudes

Thank you to Matthew Robinson for the long hours and creative skills he has poured into the labyrinth project!  Thanks to Luis Luna for the heads up on the bricks up for grabs 2 years ago that have now been woven into this beautiful structure, and for clearing the space with his big machine!  And thank you to Terry and Skip Polzin for inviting me to dinner that serendipitous evening where the glass blocks presented themselves.  We love synchronicity!

“Be mindful. Be grateful. Be positive. Be true. Be kind.” ~ Roy T. Bennett

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.” ~ Alphonse Karr

“Today I choose to live with gratitude for the love that fills my heart, the peace that rests within my spirit, and the voice of hope that says all things are possible.” ~  Anonymous