Resilience

Sunday, March 29th

Resilience

Good Day Dear Ones ~ It is Sunday morning as we write this, our first Sunday after returning from our vacation and it is so eerily strange not to have the room all set up, waiting for you to arrive.  Instead, there is a 1,000 piece puzzle in mid-completion in the middle of the room, and a Scrabble board on the table.  We returned to a life vastly different from the one we left 2 weeks ago.  Like many of you, our entire family became unemployed overnight, and the future is very uncertain. To top off our re-entry, Colleen fell seriously ill seemingly upon crossing the threshold of our front door and has spent the last 5 days resting and recuperating, after an unexpected visit to the ER.  It does not appear to be the Corona Virus, but we are self quarantining for the suggested period, not unlike the rest of you in self isolation.  These are strange times and we may experience bouts of anxiety, fear, anger, loneliness.  Yet, what we know is that we humans are also highly resourceful, courageous, and resilient and we will get through this together ~ as families, as  communities, as nations, and as a planet, if we move through our days with kindness, generosity, love, and service for the greater good of all.

One of the reasons we wanted to go back to the Big Island of Hawai’i this year was to see the changes that had taken place since we were there 2 years ago, right before the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano.  We were awestruck by the vast stretches of newly formed volcanic rock, the utter disappearance of some of the magical places we had last visited, and the immense destruction that had taken place.  Yet we also noticed new life amidst the ruination ~ if you look closely in the picture above you will see little ferns growing in the solidified lava’s crevices, and we walked on long stretches of new black sand beaches created by Pele.  We drove down smooth, newly constructed roads with lava still steaming on either side, and witnessed new construction of houses to replace the ones buried and destroyed by fire and lava.

Our affirmation is that we will emerge from this current situation as better, more caring people, with even more awareness of and gratitude for the beauty that exists in great abundance in this world, if we but open our eyes to it and become a very part of it.  We will learn a new way of living, with even more awareness that we are indeed connected to all living things, and that we need one another to survive.  Be safe and be well!  Colleen and Mark

Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest

Once we get our grounding, we will continue to pursue new ways to gather with you at Paths of Heart during this time.  We are considering a Zoom platform for Sunday gatherings, if that is something our community would like, and if anyone has any other ideas, please share them.  We could also just continue to send a weekly newsletter with inspirational writings, quotes, links to music, etc.  Let us know which you’d prefer!  In the meantime, we would love hearing from you, how you are doing, what “coping strategies” you are finding helpful, what new lessons you may be gleaning from these times.  We look forward to the time we can all be together again and I’m sure we’ll have a grand potluck celebration when all is clear!

During this challenging time, if you have the means to continue your financial support of Paths of Heart, we would be most grateful.  Even though Mark and Colleen are not receiving compensation for Sunday gatherings at this time, there are still ongoing expenses such as our monthly charitable contributions to Children International, FOCO Cafe, and Water4, website hosting and maintenance, and office expenses.  You may donate online, https://pathsofheart.org/donate or send a check to Paths of Heart, 117 Evans Dr., Fort Collins, CO 80524.  Thank you so much for considering! 

Remember to reside in love and not fear, always.  So much love to you all!!

Gratitudes

“The dominant characteristic of an authentic spiritual life is the gratitude that flows from trust – not only for all the gifts that I receive from God, but gratitude for all the suffering. Because in that purifying experience, suffering has often been the shortest path to intimacy with God.” ~ Brennan Manning

“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” ~ Anonymous

“You cannot do a kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be too late.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Today I choose to live with gratitude for the love that fills my heart, the peace that rests within my spirit, and the voice of hope that says all things are possible.” ~  Anonymous