Giving Thanks

Wednesday, November 25th

On this Thanksgiving Eve we want to wish you all a “Happy Gratitude Day” and hope you can freely count many blessings in your lives, even amidst the turmoil and uncertainty that so many of us are facing. We just learned of yet another family we know who are all sick with Covid, and we are praying for the highest and best in their recovery. We are missing Myles this Thanksgiving yet are grateful to be able to spend the day with Emma and Ethan – we’ll have a simple and quiet meal together and probably start another puzzle! Enjoy your holiday weekend in a safe and satisfying way and may your lives be full of both thanks and giving! With gratitude and love,
Colleen and Mark

Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest

There seems to be a good deal of interest in meeting via Zoom for our Paths of Heart Gatherings. We’ve heard from folks out of town and in other states who are eager to join in, too, which will be fun! We are planning our first Zoom meeting for Sunday, Dec. 13th at 11 a.m. Mountain Time. Only those who RSVP will be sent the link to join.

You Matter Marathon – Paths of Heart participates in this international movement throughout the month of November every year. Since we didn’t get to meet in person for our last 2 gatherings, we’d love to hear your stories of how you are sharing your YOU MATTER cards. Please send them to us and we’ll post in future newsletters. For more information about this movement go to: https://youmattermarathon.com/

“Paths of Heart” Labyrinth – What a joy it was to envision and oversee the creation of our labyrinth and Zen Garden this spring/summer! This was intentioned to be a community space, so know that you are always welcome to drop by and walk or sit – 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 walk it on a dry day!

Giving Opportunities – We wanted to remind you of some ways you can support Paths of Heart, two of which won’t cost you a penny. 🙂

King Soopers Community Rewards Program – if you shop at KS and have a rewards card, you can “link” it to Paths of Heart and King Soopers will donate a portion of your dollars spent (around 5%) to our non-profit. Go to https://www.kingsoopers.com/i/community/community-rewards to sign up and link your card. Our organization name is Paths of Heart and organization number is RG782. Let us know if you want help signing up!

Amazon Smile – We do love shopping locally and very often do, but Amazon sometimes fits the bill. If you are an Amazon shopper, you can make a difference this holiday (and any time!) by shopping at smile.amazon.com/ch/81-4175487 to generate donations for Paths of Heart!

In addition, there are 2 days coming up that have always been beneficial to Paths of Heart: #Giving Tuesday (Dec. 1st) and #Colorado Gives Day (Dec. 8th). We will be setting up a Facebook Fundraiser for Giving Tuesday, and you can always donate directly from our website as well. Paths of Heart is technically not a “big enough” non-profit to be included on the Colorado Gives Day website, but as a symbolic gesture, you may donate directly on our website if you so choose. https://www.pathsofheart.org/donate/
We greatly appreciate you considering us in your end of year giving plans. We know this has been a tough year financially for many individuals and non-profits, including Paths of Heart, and we do not take your generosity for granted. Thank you so very much!

Gratitudes

We are grateful for blue Colorado skies, bike rides, masked walks with friends, a crackling fire in the woodstove, a good book, time for quiet contemplation, and our Paths of Heart Community.
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

Change in Plans

Thursday, November 12th

Dear Fellow ‘Gatherers’ ~ As we continue to read and listen to our Governor’s suggestions and pleas to really cut back on all types of social interaction with others not in our “bubble”, and as we personally learn of local folks closer and closer to our ‘circle of friends’ testing positive for the virus, we’ve come to the difficult decision to suspend our backyard in-person gatherings till further notice. We probably didn’t have too many possible ones left due to falling temps, and it feels like the right and responsible thing to do in this moment, as we would never want to put our friends’ and families’ physical health in jeopardy. We realize this decision may affect some people’s mental and spiritual health (ours, too – we love hanging out with you!), so we plan to stay in touch through regular newsletters as well as discuss options for online gatherings going forward. We’d love your feedback about whether an online platform would be of interest to you. As you know, we weren’t crazy about the idea this past spring, but maybe we’ve gotten comfortable enough with Zoom and the like over these many months to entertain giving it a shot if there is enough interest! We deeply appreciate your continued financial support of Paths of Heart during this time and also want you to know we COMPLETELY understand if folks desire to pull back on that for the time being. This change of plans has us feeling a bit like the scorched trees in our beloved forests, but we know that growth and renewal will eventually follow.  Holding you in our hearts,
Colleen and Mark
info@pathsofheart.org
www.pathsofheart.org
970-484-9600

Firmly Grounded in The Moment

Sunday, November 8th

Holy Moly! Anyone else reeling from the suspense of “What will happen next…?!” Truth is, we can never really know the future and being anywhere but in the present moment (especially in times of uncertainty) is bound to cause anxiety, frustration, fear, you name the emotion and you might be feeling it! However, being grounded in the present moment within your immediate surroundings can often bring an inner knowing of peace, serenity, and calm. We invite all of you to live in each moment and nowhere else as we navigate these murky waters of our lives. Let’s help one another through! See you in the Paths of Heart backyard (117 Evans Dr., Fort Collins, CO 80524) this Sunday AFTERNOON @ 1PM (we’ve decided this will be our start time till further notice!) and remember to RSVP ( see the “Looking Ahead” section below for details). The weather looks like it will hold but bring layers and check your email for any last minute cancellations! Love you all,
Colleen and Mark

Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest

THIS Sunday, November 8th, 1 pm (note time change – this is what we decided as a group going forward, to allow for more warm up!) – Our next Paths of Heart Gathering in the backyard at 117 Evans Dr. in Fort Collins. We will be limiting the number of people on any one Sunday, so reservations (and masks!) will be required. Enter through the back gate. Once everyone is seated and our meeting begins, we’ll have the opportunity to remove our masks if everyone present is comfortable with that. We will be seated at least 6 ft. apart. Reply to this email or call 970-484-9600 to RSVP.

We are planning on scheduling a gathering every Sunday through at least November, knowing that cancellations due to weather will be very possible.

You Matter Marathon – We participate in this international movement throughout the month of November every year. For more details go to: https://youmattermarathon.com/

“Paths of Heart” Labyrinth – What a joy it was to envision and oversee the creation of our labyrinth and Zen Garden this spring/summer! This was intentioned to be a community space, so know that you are always welcome to drop by and walk or sit – 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 all those who are supporting Paths of Heart financially during these challenging times. Expenses still exist, even when we can’t meet in our regular way these days. Several have chosen automatic monthly donations through Paypal, which is a big help.  Let us know if you’d like more information on this option.
https://www.pathsofheart.org/donate/

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