July 21st, 2024
…but I realized 2 days ago that I’d forgotten all about it while in the throes of recovery from my hip surgery! I’d been having a rough go of it and had actually mentioned the word frequently over the last week – “I need to be patient with my body and myself…”, etc., but the fact that I had chosen that word to guide me throughout the year was lost to me for a time. Having that realization and thinking back on the intention and process I used in choosing that word has suddenly made my recovery a more positive process! Since we’re halfway through this year (!!), we thought it’d be fun to revisit our words of the year (if you participate in that exercise) and see if they’ve brought any revelations or changes to your lives. Even if you don’t personally have a particular guiding word, it’s always interesting to hear others’ choices and perspectives. And if nothing else, we can talk about…Patience! We hear it’s quite the virtue…
Please stay afterwards for our community potluck in the backyard (it’s supposed to be cooler weather?). Bring a favorite dish to share and your own reusable plate please. We’ll provide utensils, cups, cloth napkins and a variety of beverages.
Inch by Inch (still applies from last week!), Colleen and Mark
Quotes to ponder
“A word of the year is a single word you choose that can guide you through your year and be a north star to come back to when you might feel like you’re faltering from your goals or values. It can be something that feels empowering, comforting, or even a little daring.”
~ goodgoodgood.co
“Nothing is impossible. The word itself says ‘I’m possible!'”
~ Audrey Hepburn
“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”
~ Michael Altshuler
“You make a choice: continue living your life feeling muddled in this abyss of self-misunderstanding, or you find your identity independent of it. You draw your own box.”
~ Duchess Meghan
“For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end.”
~ Michelle Obama
“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.”
~ A.A. Milne
Patience is not the ability to wait. Patience is to be calm no matter what happens, constantly take action to turn it to positive growth opportunities, and have faith to believe that it will all work out in the end while you are waiting.”
~ Roy T. Bennett
Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest
(dates subject to change)
Sunday, July 21st – In Person POH Gathering, 10:30 a.m. with Community Potluck afterwards.
Sunday, July 28th – ZOOM Paths of Heart Gathering, 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, August 4th – NO Paths of Heart Gathering
Sunday, August 11th – NO Paths of Heart Gathering
Sunday, August 18th – In Person Paths of Heart Gathering, 10:30 a.m. with Community Potluck afterwards
Sunday, August 25th – NO Paths of Heart Gathering
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
Gratitude remains for friends and family stepping in to do household and garden chores during Colleen’s recovery. Thanks also for the cards, calls, texts, and emails of love, encouragement, and support. We are also OVERWHELMINGLY GRATEFUL to several folks who stepped up to make significant monetary contributions to Paths of Heart in our time of need! We are again solvent, though we will still need to explore more steady and permanent fixes to this ongoing challenge if we are to continue our passionate work in the coming years. Thank you all for whatever support you can give and have given in the past.
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!