Sunday, August 16th, 2026
We were up in Poudre Canyon camping the last few days and the Cameron Peak burn scar, which covers over 200,000 acres, is still so eerily and painfully striking. We got our share of rain while up there and now there are life threatening flash flood warnings in the exact area we were and where a few friends still are (prayers!). This is often the case in burn scar areas where there is little to absorb the deluge of water when storms occur, and burned soil can be as water repellent as pavement. The extreme heat and massive wildfires across our country, Canada, Europe and around the world are not just environmental disasters, as our friend Scott Awbrey reminded us in an email last week. “They are a visible expression of imbalance – a sign that the living systems of our planet are under profound strain.” He stressed that “The Earth is not separate from us. We breathe because forests breathe. We drink because rivers flow. We are sustained by soil, sunlight, rain, and countless forms of life working together in sacred interdependence…We are being called to remember that stewardship is spiritual practice” and that “healing the Earth begins with healing our relationship to the Earth.” Please join us for this worthy discussion on what we can do to restore balance through awakened action.
With renewed resolve, Colleen and Mark
Here is the Zoom link for this morning’s Paths of Heart Gathering!
Time: Aug 16, 2026 10:30 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84127310112?pwd=y2BCmoOFYWTJLbXhhGSxNKwMBX6sya.1
Meeting chat link
https://us02web.zoom.us/launch/jc/84127310112
Meeting ID: 841 2731 0112
Passcode: 982945
Quotes to ponder
“When you realize the Earth is so much more than simply the environment, you will be moved to protect her as you would yourself.”
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
“It’s the living Earth. We are part of this.”
~ Joanna Macy
“There are no unsacred places; there are only sacred places and desecrated places.”
~ Wendell Berry
“We won’t have a society if we destroy the environment.”
~ Margaret Mead
“What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.”
~ Chris Maser
“Our planet’s alarm is going off, and it is time to wake up and take action!”
~ Leonardo DiCaprio
“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi
“It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment.”
~ Ansel Adams
Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest
Sunday, August 16th, 10:30 a.m. – ZOOM Paths of Heart gathering.
Sunday, August 30th, 10:30 a.m. – In person Paths of Heart gathering, followed by a potluck.
Sunday, September 13th, 10:30 a.m. – ZOOM Paths of Heart gathering.
Sunday, September 20th, 10:30 a.m. – In person Paths of Heart gathering, followed by a potluck.
Sunday, October 4th, 10:30 a.m. – ZOOM Paths of Heart gathering.
Sunday, October 18th, 10:30 a.m. – In person Paths of Heart gathering, followed by a potluck.
Giving Opportunities
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. Thank you ever so!
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 went camping this week and it was so sweet to be in nature with good friends. We hiked, played “jungle bocci”, enjoyed communal meals, conversation, and quiet time by the river. So much to be grateful for! And we came home to a really good rain in the Fort – yes!!
What are you grateful for?
“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!