December 1st, 2024

Happy Gratitude Day everyone! That’s what I like to call it. We are taking a break from the appetizers and food preparing to tell you how much this community means to us. Soon we will pass the 11th year of gathering with you all, whether we see you in person, on ZOOM, or simply connect with you through our regular newsletters. We have co-created something quite lovely together over the years, always evolving and ever growing in multiple ways. The photo above was taken by my guitar teacher from my high school days. So cool to have connected with him on Facebook in recent years, as I followed in his footsteps! The waterway he captured so beautifully is also not far from where my Dad lives in NJ, where we’ll be visiting soon. Even though outward appearances of our country and world may feel distressing, there is always much to be grateful for if we pay attention (and be astonished, says Mary Oliver!). See you on ZOOM this Sunday to share our joys (and concerns) and our gratitude for all life’s lessons (tell about it!, continues Mary O.). Here’s the link:
Paths of Heart Zoom
Time: Dec 1, 2024 10:30 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89789397795?pwd=cLJa4NWGeomeBxUSNdDEKFbMVdlFn9.1

Meeting ID: 897 8939 7795
Passcode: 005240

With deep gratitude, Colleen and Mark

Quotes to ponder

“All things have contributed to your advancement, your growth, your enlightenment, so include all things in your gratitude.”
~ Alan Cohen (I think!)

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others.”
~ Marcus Tullius Cicero

“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

“If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.”
~ Meister Eckhart

“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.”
~ Henry Miller

Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest

(dates subject to change)

For those who participate in #Giving Tuesday and #Colorado Gives Day, we hope you might consider Paths of Heart in your end of year giving plans. We are not a “big” enough non-profit to have a presence on the Colorado Gives Day website, but you can go directly to our website, pathsofheart.org to make a donation or venmo a gift @PathsofHeart. Colleen will also be creating a Giving Tuesday Fundraiser page on Facebook, as in years past. We so appreciate your support!!

Our annual Christmas Eve concert will take place at 7 p.m., December 24th (doors at 6:30) PLEASE rsvp as space is limited! Our program runs approximately 75 minutes.

Sunday, December 1st – ZOOM Paths of Heart Gathering, 10:30 a.m.

Sunday, December 15th – In Person Paths of Heart Gathering, 10:30 a.m.

Sunday, December 24th – Annual Christmas Eve concert with the Crosson/Sloniker family and perhaps some special guests.

Sunday, January 5th – ZOOM Paths of Heart Gathering, 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, January 19th – In Person Paths of Heart Gathering, 10:30 a.m.

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 as 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

Having a sweet, sweet day with Emma and Ethan. We trust you are spending the day exactly as you’d like, and we send love and light to all who might experience otherwise.

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!

“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.” ~ Ruth Reichl

November 17th, 2024

This has been quite a week and we’ve heard from many people who are grieving, angry, fearful, and more. We hear you, we see you, and we validate all the emotions you may be feeling at this tender time. We’ve relied on family, friends, and community to help process the unfolding circumstances in our beloved country, and have read amazing, heartfelt writings and songs to comfort and guide us as well. As our songwriter friend Carrie Newcomer sings, “We can do this hard thing…”
We’ll explore together some valuable, positive, human qualities we can embody during any and all difficult and uncertain times.
Holding you in love, light, and peace, Colleen and Mark

Quotes to ponder

“My friends, do not lose heart. We were made for these times…Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit and willing to show it. If you would help to calm the tumult, this is one of the strongest things you can do. There will always be times when you feel discouraged. I too have felt despair many times in my life, but I do not keep a chair for it. I will not entertain it. It is not allowed to eat from my plate…”
~ Clarissa Pinkole Estes

“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.”
~ Chuck Swindoll

“It is only in our darkest hours that we may discover the true strength of the brilliant light within ourselves that can never, ever, be dimmed.”
~ Doe Zantamata

“We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.”
~ Carlos Costaneda

“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.”
~ Roy T. Bennett

“My scars remind me that I did indeed survive my deepest wounds. That in itself is an accomplishment. And they bring to mind something else, too. They remind me that the damage life has inflicted on me has, in many places, left me stronger and more resilient. What hurt me in the past has actually made me better equipped to face the present.”
~ Steve Goodier

“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”
~ Albert Camus

Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest

(dates subject to change)

In the midst of Paths of Heart’s financial uncertainty, some generous souls have come forward to take us through the end of this year and a bit into the next. We are SO grateful! AND we really can’t continue to operate in this month to month fashion, so we still have some brainstorming to do, folks. Any suggestions from our regular participants on how to move forward in securing a bright future for Paths of Heart are always most welcome! The Gratitude Concert we thought might happen has been supplanted by another music opportunity for us that same weekend, so we’ll look forward to our Christmas Eve concert instead. We hope you’ll join us for our special annual event on December 24th! More details to come.

Sunday, November 17th – In Person Paths of Heart Gathering, 10:30 a.m.

Sunday, December 1st – ZOOM Paths of Heart Gathering, 10:30 a.m.

Sunday, December 15th – In Person Paths of Heart Gathering, 10:30 a.m.

Sunday, December 24th – Annual Christmas Eve concert with the Crosson/Sloniker family and perhaps some special guests. More details forthcoming!

Gratitudes

We are grateful for the love and inspiration of our friends and family who have carried us through this past week. Special thanks to my RAK sisters and COL Mighty Companions!

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