March 8th, 2023
Aaahhh…my favorite season is just around the corner! Don’t we all look forward to the “promise” of Spring? The magical greening up and first shoots of grape hyacinths and colorful crocuses? I know it doesn’t feel that way quite yet, but it IS coming…we MUST believe in Spring (thank you Michel Legrand and Jacques Demy for the song)! After almost a month of missing you, we have several Paths of Heart gatherings coming up to tell you about! The first will be a ZOOM gathering on March 19th, followed by an in-person gathering and potluck on Easter Sunday, April 9th. We are hoping that Judi and Rudy Lucero will get to travel again from Grand Junction to be with us on Easter! Judi will surely have her flute in hand if so! There is also a special house concert coming up on Sunday, March 26th with Teresa Funke and Colleen Crosson, and while not a Paths of Heart event per se, I know many of you will be interested in it. Mark your calendars for these and more, and see details below in the “Notes of Interest” section. We’ll send the Zoom link next week.
Love and Appreciate you all! ~ Colleen and Mark
Quotes to ponder
“It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.”
~ Rainer Maria Rilke
“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.”
~ Margaret Atwood
“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”
~ Anne Bradstreet
“Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world.”
~ Virgil A. Kraft
“The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size.”
~ Gertrude S. Wister
Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest
Paths of Heart is in the midst of a “sabbatical” from regular Sunday gatherings, though we have recently scheduled a “sprinkling” of gatherings as our financial resources improve. We miss you!! You can read more about our decision here: https://www.pathsofheart.org/2022/10/11/important-paths-of-heart-update/
As our financial situation improves, we hope to reintroduce regular Sunday gatherings, and in the meantime, we have planned several other events to keep our community engaged and thriving. See below and mark your calendars!
Sunday, March 19th, 10:30 a.m. – ZOOM Paths of Heart Gathering. Link will be sent next week.
Sunday, March 26th, 2-4 p.m. -Teresa Funke and Colleen Crosson will present a “Blessings from the Pandemic” House Concert in our gathering space at 117 Evans Dr., Fort Collins. As we mark the third anniversary of the start of this unique and challenging time in our lives, they’ll reflect through written word and song on what this experience has taught us about what truly matters – individually and collectively – as humans co-existing in this complex world.
As in the past, they’ll pair some of Teresa’s inspirational blog posts — this time written during the pandemic — with uplifting songs of Colleen’s choosing that complement those written selections. Suggested ticket price is $35 and includes a copy of one of Teresa’s books or Colleen’s CDs. Your choice!
Space is limited, so RSVPs are REQUIRED, and it’s highly suggest you pay in advance to secure your seats. You can send payment through Venmo at @Colleen-Crosson or PayPal at colleencrosson@gmail.com.
The concert will run 90 minutes and be followed by light snacks and conversation so you can reveal some of your blessings as well. If you were one of the many who took up baking during the pandemic, feel free to share your favorite snack with us! We hope you can make it!!
Easter Sunday, April 9th, 10:30 a.m. – We’ll have our traditional (in-person) gathering followed by an Easter potluck (hopefully outside!). We hope Judi Lucero can join us on flute that day, too!
Sunday, April 23rd, 10:30 a.m. – ZOOM Paths of Heart Gathering
Sunday, May 21st, 10:30 a.m. – in person Paths of Heart Gathering
Sunday, May 28th, 10:30 a.m. – ZOOM Paths of Heart Gathering
We’ve restarted our Paths of Heart Song Circles, usually the last Tuesday of every month, 7- 8:30 pm. Come join us for an informal gathering of singing together. Bring your life affirming song suggestions! $10 suggested donation. We will provide a variety of teas to drink. The following dates are scheduled. Please RSVP!
March 28th
April 25th
May 30th
Giving Opportunities
Paths of Heart will continue to welcome and appreciate your generous donations as we work to bolster our finances and get back to Sunday gatherings at some point in the future. During the pandemic, online donations became increasingly important to our organization, and are always gratefully accepted on our website, https://www.pathsofheart.org/donate/. There is an option for recurring monthly donations, if you so choose. We have also added Venmo as a way to easily donate to Paths of Heart! Just type in @PathsofHeart to find us in the Venmo app. Thanks so much for supporting the continuation of Paths of Heart. Remember, we are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, so your donations are tax deductible!
Another easy way to further support Paths of Heart is through the 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! This one small gesture (by just 25 or so families at this point) helps to generate over $1,000 a year for Paths of Heart, so we appreciate your consideration in participating in this valuable program!!
“Paths of Heart” Labyrinth and Zen Meditation Garden
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 in the labyrinth to be slippery when wet, so it’s best to walk it on a dry day. Unfortunately, it’s been covered with snow much of this winter. Hoping for some melting soon!
Gratitudes
We are grateful to be hearing some signs of spring in the air as the birds start to return! We are also MOST grateful that Colleen’s Dad is recovering from Covid and is rapidly regaining his strength! Happy 94th birthday, Dave!
What are you grateful for today?
“Live a life full of humility, gratitude, intellectual curiosity, and never stop learning.”
~ GZA
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
~ John F. Kennedy
“When I pray, I always thank Mother Nature for all the beauty in the world. It’s about having an attitude of gratitude.”
~ Miranda Kerr
“This is a wonderful day. I have never seen this one before.”
~ Maya Angelou
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!