October 22th, 2023
There is a heaviness being felt around the world as this past week saw yet another round of senseless upheaval, heartless violence, and vast destruction in the Middle East. It can be a challenge not to be overcome by sadness, helplessness, anxiety, or fear. And yet we must strive to rise above the chaos of the world, to do whatever small thing we can, right where we are, to promote kindness, foster peace, spread love, and feel joy within our families and in our communities. We’ll be sharing some inspirational readings and songs from friends, writers, and musicians. As Clarissa Pinkola Estes tells us, “We were made for these times…”
Please join us for this Sunday’s in-person gathering, followed by a potluck luncheon in the sunshine of the backyard. We’ve missed you!
Peace and love, Colleen and Mark
Quotes to ponder
“I know that a song cannot stop a war. I know a poem cannot change a history of trauma and continuing violence. And yet, it is still possible to create something of beauty, to shape a space for empathy at the center of a song or poem, where we can still encounter what is shared and human, where we can still recognize one another as connected, even in disconnected times.”
~ Carrie Newcomer
“This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully,, more devotedly than ever before.”
~ Leonard Bernstein
“Why must our solution always be bigger guns, bigger bombs, bigger prisons, bigger walls? Why are we so afraid?
~ Kate Dardine
“How can we evolve from war consciousness to peace consciousness? It comes down to us. We’re the peace. We’re the ones. We’re the peaceful world for which we long…We will know the blessings of peace when we learn and practice the ways of peace.”
~ Susan Skog, Peace in Our Lifetime
Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest
***Dates subject to change! Please always refer to latest newsletters for latest information and updates***
Sunday, October 22nd, 10:30 a.m. – In person POH Gathering with potluck following
Sunday, October 29th, 10:30 a.m. – In person POH Gathering celebrating Dia de los Muertos with Judi Lucero! You are invited to bring mementos of loved ones to place on our altar as we celebrate these beautiful spirit beings.
Sunday, November 5th – ZOOM POH Gathering, 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, November 12th, 10:30 a.m. – In person POH Gathering, 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, November 19th – NO Paths of Heart Gathering
Sunday, November 26th – In person POH Gathering, 10:30 a.m.
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.
We’ve restarted our Paths of Heart Song Circles, usually the third or 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.
The following dates are on the calendar:
October 24th (instead of the 31st, which is Halloween)
November 21st (singing songs of Gratitude!)
December 19th (Songs of the Season)
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. We DO love all this rain, but we hope the weather will be more labyrinth-friendly soon!
Gratitudes
We are grateful to have experienced exquisite fall foliage several times over in our recent travels to Sisters, OR, Idaho Springs, and Mesa Verde. Now we get to experience it right at home as Fort Collins is ablaze right now. How blessed are we?
What are you grateful for today?
“When gratitude becomes an essential foundation in our lives, miracles start to appear everywhere.”
~ Emmanuel Dagher
“When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.”
~ Tony Robbins
“The real gift of gratitude is that the more grateful you are, the more present you become.”
~ Robert Holden
“If you keep searching for everything beautiful in the world, you will eventually become it.”
~ Tyler Kent White
“Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you.”
~ Eileen Caddy
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!