November 12th, 2023
We are definitely steeped in the “letting go” experience these days as we proceed slowly and steadily with emptying out our entire basement in order to mitigate water seepage issues. You may have noticed (how could you not?) the big “Pod” taking up most of the driveway…
I know it’ll actually feel good, in the end, to have purged many items we have not used in years and find the salvageable things new homes. But the decision making process can be hard! Some of us can be so sentimental about our “stuff”. And that’s just the physical side of things. Emotional release of possessions, feelings, past hurts, and more adds a whole ‘nother layer into the mix! As we watch the last of the autumn leaves drifting past our windows, we’ll explore this perpetual fall topic of Letting Go – another example of valuable lessons from nature!
Need a wok? Colleen and Mark
Quotes to ponder
“Holding on is believing that there’s only a past; letting go is knowing that there’s a future.”
~ Daphne Rose Kingma
“To let go is to release the images and emotions, the grudges and fears, the clingings and disappointments of the past that bind our spirit.”
~ Jack Kornfield
“The day I understood everything, was the day I stopped trying to figure everything out. The day I knew peace was the day I let everything go.”
~ C. JoyBell C.
“I realise there’s something incredibly honest about trees in winter, how they’re experts at letting things go.”
~ Jeffrey McDaniel
“Let go of something old that no longer serves you in order to make room for something new.”
~ Roy T. Bennett
“There is a huge amount of freedom that comes to you when you take nothing personally.”
~ Don Miguel Ruiz
“The greatest step towards a life of simplicity is to learn to let go.”
~ Steve Maraboli
Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest
***Dates subject to change! Please always refer to latest newsletters for latest information and updates***
November 1st – 30th – YOU MATTER Marathon. More info at https://youmattermarathon.org/
Sunday, November 12th, 10:30 a.m. – In person POH Gathering, 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, November 19th – NO Paths of Heart Gathering
Sunday, November 26th – In person POH Gathering, 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, December 3rd – NO Paths of Heart Gathering, 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, December 10th – ZOOM POH Gathering, 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, December 17th – In person POH Gathering, 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, December 24th – no morning gathering, but we WILL be celebrating the Season of Light and Peace at our Christmas Eve concert! More information to come!
Sunday, December 31st – NO Paths of Heart. Happy New Year!!
Please mark your calendars for the above scheduled dates!
Guest Presenters and Musicians Wanted! Now that we’re meeting on a more regular basis we’d love to get back to having other folks present a topic on some Sundays and having other musicians sit in as well. Please get in touch if you’re interested! A small honorarium is available.
We’ve restarted our Paths of Heart Song Circles, usually the third or last Tuesday of every month, 7- 8:30 pm. Come join us for group singing in an informal and safe space. You are welcome to bring an instrument and song suggestions of love, life, and peace especially! $5.00-10.00 suggested donation. We will provide a variety of teas to drink. You are welcome to bring other beverages of choice. Please RSVP at least a day or two in advance! Since attendance has been rather inconsistent of late, we’d like the opportunity to make alternate plans if sign-up is light.
The following dates are on the calendar:
November 21st (singing songs of Gratitude!)
December 19th (Songs of the Season)
Giving Opportunities
Paths of Heart continues to welcome and appreciate your generous donations as we work to bolster our finances and return to regular Sunday gatherings. 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 an easy way to 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.
Gratitudes
We are grateful to envelope ourselves in gratitude this month of November, which we fondly call Gratitude month! Even in the midst of a number of challenges in our lives personally, there is SO MUCH to be grateful for! We just booked Myles’ flight home for the holidays and are so looking forward to us all being together during that special time. It also means he’ll be with us for our Christmas Eve concert – Yea!!
What are you grateful for today?
I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.
~ Brene Brown
What I’ve learned is there’s a scientifically proven phenomenon that’s attached to gratitude, and that if you consciously take note of what is good in your life, quantifiable benefits happen.
~ Deborah Norville
“If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.”
~ Meister Eckhart
“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
“Just an observation: it is impossible to be both grateful and depressed. Those with a grateful mindset tend to see the message in the mess. And even though life may knock them down, the grateful find reasons, if even small ones, to get up.”
~ Steve Maraboli
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!