July 9th, 2023

On the heels of Independence Day, the concept of freedom is on our minds. As a side note, we experienced “freedom” from the internet and our (cable) office phone line for 2 days because of an outage, so I’m scrambling to get this newsletter out that I actually started on Wednesday morning! 🙂 Freedom has so many different meanings and some freedoms seem particularly and unfortunately challenged these days. Join us in lively conversation this Sunday! Our gathering will be followed by a festive potluck in the backyard.

Live free ~ Colleen and Mark

Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest

Our Paths of Heart “sabbatical” has ended, and we are meeting on a more regular basis now! We hope you’ll be able to get in the rhythm of celebrating life with us on Sundays 2-3 times a month. As you can see below, Gatherings have now been scheduled through September. We know some folks have asked for a “regular” schedule (such as the 2nd and 4th Sundays). However, we’ve experienced that vacations and special events often disrupt that “best laid plan” plan for all of us, so for now we are going with what works within our family schedule. Adjustments may be made as we continue to assess attendance and finances. We may also consider an earlier start time in the summer if that’s something the majority of folks would like. Let us know your thoughts!

Sunday, July 9th, 10:30 a.m. – In person POH Gathering with a potluck afterwards. Please bring your own (reusable, washable) plates. We’ll provide utensils, cloth napkins, cups, and a variety of beverages. We strive for near zero waste at our events, and we appreciate your cooperation in helping us do so!

Sunday, July 23rd, 10:30 a.m. – In person POH Gathering with Buddy Mondlock as our guest musician! He’ll also be with us in concert in the evening!

Sunday, July 30th, 10:30 a.m. – ZOOM POH Gathering

Sunday, August 6th, 10:30 a.m. – In person POH Gathering with a potluck afterwards

Sunday, August 20th, 10:30 a.m.- ZOOM POH Gathering

Sunday, September 10th, 10:30 a.m. – In person POH Gathering

Sunday, September 17th, 10:30 a.m. – In person POH Gathering with a potluck afterwards

Sunday, September 24th, 10:30 a.m. – ZOOM POH Gathering

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 Presents…” We had a wonderful House Concert with Jeff Plankenhorn in June! There were 31 folks in attendance and Jeff put on a heartwarming show! We have a couple of other house concerts on the horizon for all music lovers who enjoy an intimate listening room and a chance to meet the artists and chat in an informal setting. Help us spread the word! You may pre-pay for any of these concerts on our regular donation page  https://www.pathsofheart.org/donate/ OR with Venmo @PathsofHeart. Though tickets may be available at the door, pre-paying is the only way to guarantee your seat so it’s highly suggested! Please indicate which concert you are paying for in the special instructions or memo line. Hope to see you!

Sunday, July 23rd, 7 p.m. concert with a potluck at 6. – Buddy Mondlock (a brilliant songwriter and author of “The Kid”, one of my all time favorite songs!) from Nashville, TN. $20 suggested donation. Learn more about Buddy at https://www.buddymondlock.com/

Friday, August 4th 7 p.m. concert with potluck at 6 – Megan Bee, our friend and songwriter artist from Athens, OH. This will be Megan’s 3rd appearance in our house concert series! $20 suggested donation. Learn more about Megan at https://meganbeemusic.com/

Please mark your calendars for these awesome shows and tell your friends!!

One other upcoming show! Though this isn’t a POH event, we though you might like to know about a Garden Party/House Concert that Colleen, Mark, and Emma are doing tomorrow, July 8th at the home of Lee and Sam Cooper. Please reach out if you’d like details. All are invited – the more the merrier!

We’ve restarted our Paths of Heart Song Circles, usually the 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. We had a small but delightful circle this past Tuesday – thanks to those who made it!
The following dates are scheduled so far:
July 25th
August 15th (3rd Tuesday due to scheduling conflict)
September 26th

Giving Opportunities
Paths of Heart continues to welcome and appreciate your generous donations as we work to bolster our finances and get back 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. We DO love all this rain, but we hope the weather will be more labyrinth-friendly soon!

Gratitudes

Well, I didn’t think I’d still be talking about the rain for about 2 straight months, but we are still so grateful for it!! After being in a drought for many years, it’s really glorious to see the landscape so alive with color and the greenest of green! It fills me with joy and it makes my life so much easier without my complicated watering regimen. Just as long as the rain doesn’t interfere with tomorrow’s outdoor concert – ha ha!

What are you grateful for today?

“Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.”
~ Henry Ward Beecher

“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
~ Melody Beattie

“In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.”
~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“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