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
Quotes to ponder
“I think of the labyrinth meditation as a journey of the heart. You walk a seemingly convoluted path that ends up at the middle, or the center of your heart, and then you want to be open to what it has to say to you. Hopefully, when you’re through, you’re perhaps a little bit more open to change, and a more peaceful, loving being.” ~ Phyllis Pilgrim
“A labyrinth has only one path and you merely have to follow it. It’s a symbol of life or, rather, of life and death. Labyrinths twist and turn, but they have a beginning and an end, through darkness into light.” ~ Ariana Franklin
“Pas a pas, se va luenh.
Step by step, we make our way.” ~ Kate Mosse
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
About Paths of Heart…
Paths of Heart is a high spirited, heart-centered community where we gather together (in new and creative ways!) for music, poetry, commentary, and dialogue to create and nurture joy, compassion, gratitude, and love – in our own lives and throughout the world. Paths of Heart is a 501(c)(3) Human Services/Educational non-profit organization that uses the arts, especially, to encourage and propel seekers of a better, more peaceful world to find ways to serve, while becoming more kind and compassionate human beings.
We welcome you as we collectively and individually explore the sweet mysteries of life – this is an invitation into co-creation!
Visit us on the web at https://www.pathsofheart.org
We hope our physical paths may cross soon!