December 10th, 2023
As I sit down to write this newsletter, our Jewish friends are celebrating the start of Hanukkah, their festival of lights. The month of December with its lengthy, cold nights beckons the light as a central theme in most of our seasonal holidays and celebrations ~ The Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa. This Sunday on ZOOM, we’ll explore seeing the light in ourselves and others, and being the light to others! Here’s the link:
Paths of Heart ZOOM Gathering
Time: Dec 10, 2023 10:30 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86875243883?pwd=eDdGTXZHSWNqdGtmdllXMldjcnJ5QT09
Meeting ID: 868 7524 3883
Passcode: 340047
Wishing you light and peace, Colleen and Mark
Quotes to ponder
“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”
~ Desmond Tutu
“Nothing can dim the light that shines from within.”
~ Maya Angelou
“As we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence actually liberates others.”
~ Marianne Williamson
“There is always light. If only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.”
~ Amanda Gorman
“There are two ways of spreading light; to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”
~ Edith Wharton
“Just as one candle lights another and can light thousands of other candles, so one heart illuminates another heart and can illuminate thousands of other hearts.”
~ Leo Tolstoy
Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest
***Dates subject to change! Please always refer to latest newsletters for latest information and updates***
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 at 7 p.m. Myles and Emma Sloniker will join us in merry music making! Please RSVP as space is limited. Donations to Paths of Heart that night are most appreciated.
Sunday, December 31st – NO Paths of Heart. Happy New Year!!
Sunday, January 7th – In person POH Gathering, 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, January 14th – ZOOM POH Gathering, 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, January 21st – NO Paths of Heart Gathering
Sunday, January 28th – In person POH Gathering, 10:30 a.m.
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.
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.
Our last Song Circle of 2023 is December 19th (Songs of the Season). We hope you’ll join us for a holly, jolly time!
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 all those who donated during our Facebook Giving Tuesday Campaign and those who remembered us on Colorado Gives Day! The Facebook Campaign will be up for another 5 days should you wish to support our non-profit. Thank you!
Colleen is grateful for another beautiful visit with her Dad in NJ. Myles also joined for a couple of days – even more fun!
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!