June 23rd, 2024
Hi Everyone! We’ve missed you! We are back from our various travels (trying to get it all in before Colleen’s surgery!) and are excited to see you at this Sunday’s in-person gathering. Besides acknowledging Summer Solstice and the lessons we can glean from Nature’s seasonal rhythms, we wanted to talk about our Community, as we have found ourselves at yet another “crossroads” financially, since we explored our challenges two years ago with our participant survey. The “Pandemic Years” (or something else?) still seem to be affecting attendance and donation patterns. We continue to hear similar stories of challenges from other non-profits, so we know this isn’t unique to just Paths of Heart. Still…what is the solution? This Community is so important to us – yes, TREASURED – and yet, there frankly needs to be more support for it to continue. We’d love to hear your ideas, treasured friends! We’ve been gathering with you for over 10 years now and we’d love nothing more than to continue doing so!
Sunshine and flowers, Colleen and Mark
Quotes to ponder
“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.”
~ Margaret J. Wheatley
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”
~ Coretta Scott King
“The summer solstice is a time for strength and vitality for action and movement.”
~ Carole Carlton
“…This is the solstice, the still point of the sun, its cusp and midnight,
the year’s threshold and unlocking, where the past lets go of and becomes the future; the place of caught breath, the door of a vanished house left ajar…”
~ Margaret Atwood
“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much”
~ Helen Keller
“The need for connection and community is primal, as fundamental as the need for air, water, and food.”
~ Dean Ornish
Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest
Sunday, June 23rd – In Person POH Gathering, 10:30 a.m. Sorry, no potluck this time!
Sunday, June 30th – (Change in Schedule) NO Paths of Heart Gathering (Colleen’s hip surgery got moved up!)
Sunday, July 7th – ZOOM POH Gathering, 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, July 14th – In Person POH Gathering, 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, July 21st – In Person POH Gathering, 10:30 a.m.
Please mark your calendars for the above scheduled dates!
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’ve had a fun couple of weeks, first down in the San Luis Valley of CO celebrating in community with Suzanne Rouge. Colleen took full advantage of the healing waters of the Joyful Journey Hot Springs and got healing touch sessions with Sue Walker! Then we were off to North Carolina, visiting childhood friends of both Colleen and Mark, seeing Myles on tour, and visiting with Colleen’s niece and family. We are so grateful for these friendships and opportunities!
What are you grateful for today?
“Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.”
~ Henry Ward Beecher
“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.”
~ Willie Nelson
“If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.”
~ Meister Eckhart
“Gratitude is the sweetest thing in a seekers life – in all human life. If there is gratitude in your heart, then there will be tremendous sweetness in your eyes.”
~ Sri Chinmoy
“Gratitude for the present moment and the fullness of life now is the true prosperity.”
~ Eckhart Tolle
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!