December 21st, 2025
This Sunday we celebrate the Winter Solstice, that mystical, magical event marking the shortest day and the longest night in the Northern Hemisphere, the beginning of Winter, and the start of the Sun’s “waxing journey through the sky, offering hope for the coming months where light will once again reign” (Monika Carliss). We celebrate rebirth with the increasing light which provides warmth and sustenance to the Earth and thus to our bodies and spirits. We will rejoice with music and poetry ~ a seasonal, holiday concert for our community! Please join us!
Be the Light, Colleen and Mark
Quotes to ponder
“The rebirth of the sun at winter solstice signifies renewal for the earth as she embarks on another cycle of life. And, because we are children of the earth, we can take part in this sacred cycle, feeling the renewal of our own life.”
~ Scott Awbrey
“The winter solstice has always been special to me as a barren darkness that gives birth to a verdant future beyond imagination, a time of pain and withdrawal that produces something joyfully inconceivable, like a monarch butterfly masterfully extracting itself from the confines of its cocoon, bursting forth into unexpected glory.”
~ Gary Zukav
“Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light. ?I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.”?
~ Sarah Williams
“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.”
~ Edith Sitwell
“Winter Solstice is my favorite time of year. It’s the dark of the dark, the interior time, a time when we can palpably feel magic stirring, ever so softly, but oh so deeply. It’s a time when we get to hold ourselves gently as we review and let go of the last trip around the sun, and open to what awaits in the coming light.”
~ Alison Marks
“Give light, and the darkness will disappear of itself.”
~ Desiderius Erasmus
Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest
Sunday, December 21st, 10:30 a.m. – in lieu of our Christmas Eve concert, we’ll be doing a whole hour of holiday music for you during our regular Paths of Heart Gathering time! However you celebrate this time of year, may you have a Peaceful Winter Solstice, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and Blessed Kwanzaa!
Sunday, January 4th, 10:30 a.m. – ZOOM Paths of Heart Gathering
Sunday, January 18th, 10:30 a.m. – In person Paths of Heart Gathering
Sunday, February 1st, 10:30 a.m. – ZOOM Paths of Heart Gathering
Sunday, February 15th, 10:30 a.m. – In person Paths of Heart Gathering
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! Hopefully, you’ve read this notice in the last few newsletters – we’ve decided to take Christmas Eve off (for the first time in 20 or 30 years?!) and therefore will not be doing our annual Christmas Eve Concert this year. We know this has been an annual tradition for many of you as well, and we thank you for your support and understanding in our decision. We intend to resume it next year! We hope you’ll decide to join us for our MORNING Solstice concert on 12/21 instead!
Giving Opportunities
During this season of giving, with #GivingTuesday just passed and #ColoradoGivesDay next week, we hope you’ll consider Paths of Heart in your end of year giving plans! Paths of Heart welcomes and appreciates your generous donations in support of our gatherings and other events! Remember, we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, so your donations are tax deductible. Many folks find online donations very convenient and these 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.
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
We took a short trip to see friends in St. Paul for a long weekend and had a fun and relaxing time! Even though the weather was bitter cold, the warmth of friendships, music, good food, and much laughter kept us warm!
What are you grateful for today?
“Be mindful. Be grateful. Be positive. Be true. Be kind.”
~ Roy T. Bennett
“Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.”
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”
~ Epicurus
“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”
~ A.A. Milne
“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.”
~ Maya Angelou
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!
