Category: Newsletter

weekly newsletter

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The Best Laid Plans…

Sunday, April 17th, 2022

Alas, though we all wish this “Covid Cloud” that has been hanging over us for so long would just disappear already, it is still very much present and unfortunately has hit home. After 2 negative tests earlier in the week, Mark and I both tested positive yesterday and are hunkered down in quarantine. This of course means there will be no Easter Celebration this Sunday, though we DO hope to move the celebration to the following Sunday, which is Orthodox Easter! We also apologize to those who we may have unknowingly exposed to the virus, as it’s hard to say when we were first contagious. Our symptoms are fairly mild and shouldn’t keep us down for long, but it sure does wreak havoc on the daily schedule of lessons, music gigs, and our beloved Paths of Heart! We’ll check in next week about Sunday the 24th, and please email or call us with any concerns or questions. Happy Easter and be safe out there!
Love, light, and wellness to you,
Colleen and Mark

Quotes to ponder

“The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley.”
~ Robert Burns

“Chaos is roving through the system and able to undo, at any point, the best laid plans.”
~ Terence McKenna

“When things go awry, if they are mostly an inconvenience to you or a threat to your ego, instead of getting furious, can you laugh? Sometimes even the best-laid plans, the most carefully planned events can turn out quite differently than planned.”
~ James Martin

“Carefully laid plans aren’t always the best. Sometimes Plan B is the real dream come true.”
~ S.J. D. Peterson

Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest

Paths of Heart Schedule (Sundays, 11 a.m.). We are considering moving our start time to 10 or 10:30 a.m. as the weather warms. Stay tuned for updates.

Mask Policy Update:
Though we had come to a general consensus that we were ready to do away with masks, we might want to reconsider in light of our family’s positive Covid results! For now, we are encouraging mask wearing again while indoors.

April 17th, Easter Sunday – NO Paths of Heart, due to Covid Quarantine 

April 24th – in person (subject to change).  We intend to move our Easter Celebration to this week (Orthodox Easter!) with a long-awaited-for POTLUCK after our gathering (hopefully outdoors!). Judi Lucero will be here from Grand Junction to join in the music! Ethan Roth will also join us on guitar, along with Emma Sloniker on vocals – a fine musical celebration indeed!

May 1st – ZOOM gathering

May 8th and 15th – Paths of Heart will take a couple of Sundays off. Our wood floors are being refinished and our POH meeting room will be holding the contents of half of our house while that happens!

May 22nd – in person

May 29th – in person

June 5th – ZOOM gathering

The above schedule is subject to change as we collectively craft the path of our gatherings going forward.  🙂

Sending prayers and affirmations ~ If anyone would like to receive our collective positive thoughts and prayers on a Sunday morning, please ask! We can be as specific or as anonymous as you’d like. Let us know if we can surround you and your loved ones in love and light!

Giving Opportunities – Paths of Heart continues (into its 9th year now!) almost entirely through your generous donations. What a beautiful thing! If you find value in what we do here each week, please consider donating to keep our non-profit running smoothly, with grace and ease. The past 2 years saw a severe drop in donations and we’d love to regrow our account balance to a more healthy and sustainable level now that we are meeting regularly again. During the pandemic, online donations became increasingly important to our organization, and are always gratefully accepted on our website, https://www.pathsofheart.org/donate/. You can even sign up for monthly giving, which we deeply appreciate. Thanks so much for supporting the continuation of Paths of Heart! We are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, so your donations are tax deductible!

Two ways you can further support Paths of Heart are detailed below:

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!

Amazon Smile – We do love shopping locally and very often do, but Amazon sometimes fits the bill. If you are an Amazon shopper, you can make a difference by shopping at smile.amazon.com/ch/81-4175487 to generate donations for Paths of Heart!

“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 (not usually a problem in Colorado!). We also welcome volunteers to help keep our labyrinth looking beautiful and free of debris and weeds. Thank you in advance.

Gratitudes

We are SO grateful to all who came to our house concert or just donated to the cause! It was a great success and so much fun. We were sad to suddenly realize the possibility of Covid spread, which we again deeply apologize for! All the musicians donated their time, so $1,285 was raised for Paths of Heart. We are also grateful to the outpouring of support for Paths of Heart in general during these challenging times. Our gratitude goes out to our survey committee who are working on specific questions to ask our community as we co-create the future of Paths of Heart. Thank you all!

What are you grateful for today?

“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.”
~ Henri Frederic Amiel

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

“Going to sleep with a grateful, open heart
is a powerful healing practice. Your dreams will become more inspiring and you will awaken in the morning
with a lighter state of mind.”
~ Dr. John Demartini

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!

“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.” ~ Ruth Reichl

Posted on

Prosperity Consciousness

Sunday, April 10th, 2022

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who joined in on the conversation about the future of Paths of Heart ~ not only “in person” and on Zoom over the last 2 Sundays, but through your numerous emails as well. We got so many valuable suggestions and as we compile them, we are also putting together a survey (thank you to Pat K. and Cynthia M. for heading up the survey team!) that we’ll send out with more specific questions for you, as Paths of Heart moves forward into a sustainable organization once again. Many of you also showed your love for POH by making extra donations and signing up for monthly giving. We deeply appreciate your faith in us and this community that we’ve co-created over 8+ years. It is evident that people value what they experience each week at “Paths” and we are even more committed to keeping it alive! One member did observe that most of the suggestions to remedy our financial concerns were “more in the direction of how to do less vs. how to bring in more.” It was an astute observation and got us thinking more about increasing our “prosperity consciousness”! Thus, our topic for this week. We hope you’ll join us at 11 a.m. this Sunday. Myles and Emma Sloniker will join in the music-making!
With love and gratitude always and all ways,
Colleen and Mark

Quotes to ponder

“Your mind is creative. Expand your thoughts and your imagination beyond your current circumstances, and your mind will create ways to turn what you think and imagine into reality.”
~ Remez Sasson

“Celebrate feelings of abundance within you so that you can experience the physical manifestation of prosperity now.”
~ Tanja Jaeger

“Your most precious, valued possessions and your greatest powers are invisible and intangible. No one can take them. You, and you alone, can give them. You will receive abundance for your giving.”
~ W. Clement Stone

“Prosperity in the form of wealth works exactly the same as everything else. You will see it coming into your life when you are unattached to needing it.”
~ Wayne Dyer

Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest

Paths of Heart Schedule (Sundays, 11 a.m.). We are considering moving our start time to 10 or 10:30 a.m. as the weather warms, and we’ll definitely meet at 10 a.m. on Easter Sunday to accommodate other family gatherings happening that day.

Mask Policy Update:
The general consensus so far has been that folks are comfortable with others being unmasked, though some are choosing to wear their own masks, which you are always welcome to do! We continue to assess our policy as conditions fluctuate concerning Covid.

April 3rd – ZOOM gathering

Special Event – April 9th, 7 pm (doors at 6:30) – Paths of Heart House Concert with the Sloniker-Crosson Clan – The concert is basically “sold out” at this point (thanks everyone!!), but if you’d like to be put on the waiting list, let us know, as last minute changes usually occur. If you aren’t coming to the concert but would like to contribute anyway, we’ll give you 3 of our CDs (you pick!). 

April 10th – in person, with Myles and Emma Sloniker joining in on the music.

April 17th, Easter Sunday, 10 a.m. start time – in person, with a long-awaited-for POTLUCK after our gathering (hopefully outdoors!). Judi Lucero will be here from Grand Junction to join in the music!  Ethan Roth will also join us on guitar, along with Emma Sloniker on vocals – a fine musical celebration indeed!

April 24th – in person

May 1st – ZOOM gathering

May 8th and 15th – Paths of Heart will take a couple of Sundays off. Our wood floors are being refinished and our POH meeting room will be holding the contents of half of our house while that happens!

May 22nd – in person

May 29th – in person

June 5th – ZOOM gathering

The above schedule is subject to change as we collectively craft the path of our gatherings going forward.  🙂

Sending prayers and affirmations ~ If anyone would like to receive our collective positive thoughts and prayers on a Sunday morning, please ask! We can be as specific or as anonymous as you’d like. Let us know if we can surround you and your loved ones in love and light!

Giving Opportunities – Paths of Heart continues (into its 9th year now!) almost entirely through your generous donations. What a beautiful thing! If you find value in what we do here each week, please consider donating to keep our non-profit running smoothly, with grace and ease. The past 2 years saw a severe drop in donations and we’d love to regrow our account balance to a more healthy and sustainable level now that we are meeting regularly again. During the pandemic, online donations became increasingly important to our organization, and are always gratefully accepted on our website, https://www.pathsofheart.org/donate/. You can even sign up for monthly giving, which we deeply appreciate. Thanks so much for supporting the continuation of Paths of Heart! We are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, so your donations are tax deductible!

Two ways you can further support Paths of Heart are detailed below:

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!

Amazon Smile – We do love shopping locally and very often do, but Amazon sometimes fits the bill. If you are an Amazon shopper, you can make a difference by shopping at smile.amazon.com/ch/81-4175487 to generate donations for Paths of Heart!

“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 (not usually a problem in Colorado!). We also welcome volunteers to help keep our labyrinth looking beautiful and free of debris and weeds. Thank you in advance.

Gratitudes

We’ve seen some lovely Paths photos in the last couple of weeks and we appreciate the graciousness with which folks agree to allow their use in our newsletter! Thanks to Serena Rusden for her England path featured this week, and also to Dave Leatherman for this beautiful bluebird here!

We remain grateful for all the good folks bringing humanitarian aid to Ukraine at this time. Here is one link shared from a trusted friend with family in Poland, of an organization there which is helping Ukrainian refugees.

https://www.siepomaga.pl/en/pah-ukraina?fbclid=IwAR2Ej5YMUz1aV1cqkaQXd_ekWknYjvQ_yInIP7I5NGkQL2jPPfuZUE5aBHw

In addition, World Central Kitchen and Doctors Without Borders are worthy organizations that would welcome our monetary support.

What are you grateful for today?

“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.”
~ Henri Frederic Amiel

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

“Going to sleep with a grateful, open heart
is a powerful healing practice. Your dreams will become more inspiring and you will awaken in the morning
with a lighter state of mind.”
~ Dr. John Demartini

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!

“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.” ~ Ruth Reichl

Posted on

A Paths of “Heart to Heart”

Sunday, April 3rd, 2022

Dear POH Community ~ Our topic this week will focus on the future of Paths of Heart and how we can, with your help, keep it alive and thriving, if it is meant to be. We shared some of our concerns with the folks who were present in person last week, and will discuss in more detail this week on Zoom. Since Path’s inception over 8 years ago, we have existed solely through your generous donations and have met our budget requirements most years with grace and ease. As we’ve already mentioned in these newsletters, the “pandemic years” changed that. Like many other businesses and non-profits over these past 2 years, our income has not kept up with our expenses, especially in this last fiscal year when we went back to meeting regularly on Sundays. At this juncture, Paths of Heart is unfortunately no longer self-sustainable in its current form. Our expenses are roughly $20,000 – $24,000 a year, yet our income this fiscal year has been half that. We would very much like your help in determining what might turn these circumstances around, especially if you are a regular attendee and/or you find Paths of Heart to be a valuable entity/resource in your life. It seems a large percentage of our community has been slow to “return” to our gatherings. We’d love to more fully understand why this might be ~ whether it’s simply still due to the pandemic, or whether a different day/time/frequency might better serve our community. These are some of the questions we’d like you to ponder with us as we come up with a new plan together! We’d sure love to hear your thoughts and suggestions! Here is the link for Sunday’s gathering:

Time: Apr 3, 2022 11:00 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82363490377?pwd=aEdhcHpMY1FRT2pKeWJRZUVJTmszQT09

Meeting ID: 823 6349 0377
Passcode: 044611
With love and gratitude always and all ways,
Colleen and Mark

Quotes to ponder

“We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.”
~ Dorothy Day

“One of the marvelous things about community is that it enables us to welcome and help people in a way we couldn’t as individuals.”
~ Jean Vanier

“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.”
~ Margaret J. Wheatley

“It is not more bigness that should be our goal. We must attempt, rather, to bring people back to the warmth of community, to the worth of individual effort and responsibility, and of individuals working together as a community, to better their lives and their children’s future.”
~ Robert F. Kennedy

Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest

Paths of Heart Schedule (Sundays, 11 a.m.)
We are considering moving our start time to 10 a.m. as the weather warms, and we’ll definitely meet at 10 a.m. on Easter Sunday to accommodate other family gatherings happening that day.

Mask Policy Update:
The general consensus so far has been that folks are comfortable with others being unmasked, though some are choosing to wear their own masks, which you are always welcome to do!

April 3rd – ZOOM gathering

Special Event – April 9th, 7 pm (doors at 6:30) – Paths of Heart House Concert with the Sloniker-Crosson Clan – The “Pandemic Years” were not particularly kind to the coffers of Paths of Heart, so we’ve decided to have a benefit concert to give our non-profit a boost! Since space is limited, we are asking folks that’ll be attending to prepay, either on our website
https://www.pathsofheart.org/donate/ (with the word “Concert” in the note/message section), or through Colleen’s Venmo: @Colleen-Crosson, or with a check or cash prior to the event.
Suggested donation for the concert is $25 (more if you can, less if it just doesn’t fit in your budget!). Feel free to bring a beverage of choice. There will be no intermission but we’ll hang out a bit afterwards with some light snacks/finger foods which you are also welcome to bring/share. If you can’t come to the concert but would like to contribute anyway, we’ll give you 3 of our CDs (you pick!). We hope you will join us!

April 10th – in person, with Myles and Emma Sloniker joining in on the music.

April 17th, Easter Sunday, 10 a.m. start time – in person, and we are fully intending to have a long-awaited-for POTLUCK after our gathering (hopefully outdoors!). We’ll also have some guest musicians TBA!

April 24th – in person

May 1st – ZOOM gathering

Sending prayers and affirmations ~ If anyone would like to receive our collective positive thoughts and prayers on a Sunday morning, please ask! We can be as specific or as anonymous as you’d like. Let us know if we can surround you and your loved ones in love and light!

Giving Opportunities – Paths of Heart continues (into its 9th year now!) almost entirely through your generous donations. What a beautiful thing! If you find value in what we do here each week, please consider donating to keep our non-profit running smoothly, with grace and ease. The past 2 years saw a severe drop in donations and we’d love to regrow our account balance to a more healthy and sustainable level now that we are meeting regularly again. During the pandemic, online donations became increasingly important to our organization, and are always gratefully accepted on our website, https://www.pathsofheart.org/donate/. You can even sign up for monthly giving, which we deeply appreciate. Thanks so much for supporting the continuation of Paths of Heart! We are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, so your donations are tax deductible!

Two ways you can further support Paths of Heart are detailed below:

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!

Amazon Smile – We do love shopping locally and very often do, but Amazon sometimes fits the bill. If you are an Amazon shopper, you can make a difference by shopping at smile.amazon.com/ch/81-4175487 to generate donations for Paths of Heart!

“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 (not usually a problem in Colorado!). We also welcome volunteers to help keep our labyrinth looking beautiful and free of debris and weeds. Thank you in advance.

Gratitudes

We are surely grateful for all the good folks bringing humanitarian aid to Ukraine at this time. Here is one link shared from a trusted friend with family in Poland, of an organization there which is helping Ukrainian refugees.

https://www.siepomaga.pl/en/pah-ukraina?fbclid=IwAR2Ej5YMUz1aV1cqkaQXd_ekWknYjvQ_yInIP7I5NGkQL2jPPfuZUE5aBHw

In addition, World Central Kitchen and Doctors Without Borders are worthy organizations that would welcome our monetary support.

We are also grateful that Myles Sloniker is coming to CO for a short visit in April. Much music and family fun will ensue!

What are you grateful for today?

“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.”
~ Henri Frederic Amiel

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

“Going to sleep with a grateful, open heart
is a powerful healing practice. Your dreams will become more inspiring and you will awaken in the morning
with a lighter state of mind.”
~ Dr. John Demartini

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!

“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.” ~ Ruth Reichl

Posted on

Spring’s Promise

Sunday, March 27th, 2022

It’s Spring!! We’re just beginning to see the signs here in CO – one lone crocus has popped up in the backyard, daffodil and tulip leaves are poking through in the front, and the grass is again a mottled GREEN! It’s always an exciting time here at POH “Heartquarters” as we look forward to being together in the backyard for regular potlucks and other events amid the flower gardens, labyrinth, and meditation garden. It’s a time of awakening and new beginnings and we’re ready to Celebrate! Please join us at 11 a.m. this Sunday. Oh, and be sure to read the “Looking Ahead” section – Myles Sloniker will be in town in a few weeks and we’re going to do a family house concert to benefit our Paths of Heart Gatherings. We hope you can come!
Love, love, love,
Colleen and Mark

Quotes to ponder

“Springtime inspires us to believe that, along with the earth, we too might change, release the past, and give birth to new ideas…. Even though it happens this way every year, we stand in awe, our insides trembling sweetly like the legs of a new foal as we too are reborn. This is when we fall in love again, speak without thinking, say yes to things we would normally refuse. It becomes more difficult to say no when the whole world around us appears to be an astounding affirmation of the resilience, richness, and plain, perfect beauty of life. ”
~ Madisyn Taylor

“Keep the ground in mind, cultivate curiosity, be willing to be surprised, and stay grateful for what’s here now. My hope for all of us is that we never get so busy, or move so fast, or look so far ahead, that we miss the little things. They often turn out to be the big things anyway, don’t they? The hard ground is giving. The birds are filling the treetops with song and calling all sleepy flowers to rise and bloom and sing along. And so they will. So they do! Us, too.”
~ Tracy Grammer

“Spring is a sensuous teacher. Every year she steps out of the darkness and cold and seductively dances around us. She embraces us with her light and warmth. She intoxicates us with her fragrance. Like a potent elixir, spring revives our hope. She breathes life into death and teaches us the lessons of renewal and rebirth.”
~ Lucretia Schanfarber

Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest

Paths of Heart Schedule (Sundays, 11 a.m.)
With the county mask mandate now lifted, we will remain conscious of everyone’s comfort level regarding masks at our gatherings and will make a group decision week by week. The general consensus so far is folks are comfortable with others being unmasked, though some are choosing to wear their own masks, which you are always very welcome to do!

March 27th – in person

April 3rd – ZOOM gathering

Special Event – April 9th, 7 pm (doors at 6:30) – Paths of Heart House Concert with the Sloniker-Crosson Clan – These past 2 “Pandemic Years” were not particularly kind to the coffers of Paths of Heart, so we’ve decided to have a concert to give our non-profit a boost! Since space is limited, we are asking folks that’ll be attending to prepay, either on our website
https://www.pathsofheart.org/donate/ (with the word “Concert” in the note/message section), or through Colleen’s Venmo: @Colleen-Crosson
Suggested donation for the concert is $25 (more if you can, less if it just doesn’t fit in your budget!). Feel free to bring a beverage of choice. There will be no intermission but we’ll hang out a bit afterwards with some light snacks/finger foods which you are also welcome to bring/share. If you can’t come to the concert but would like to contribute anyway, we’ll give you 3 of our CDs (you pick!). We hope you will join us!

April 10th – in person

April 17th, Easter Sunday – in person, and we are fully intending to have a long-awaited-for POTLUCK after our gathering (hopefully outdoors!). We’ll also have some guest musicians TBA!

April 24th – in person

May 1st – ZOOM gathering

Request for guest presenters and musicians ~ Please let us know if you’re interested in sharing a topic or joining in the music! If you have ideas of other speakers/musicians you’d like to invite to Paths of Heart, we would love your suggestions. A small honorarium is available to these guest presenters.

Sending prayers and affirmations ~ If anyone would like to receive our collective positive thoughts and prayers on a Sunday morning, please ask! We can be as specific or as anonymous as you’d like. Let us know if we can surround you and your loved ones in love and light!

Giving Opportunities – Paths of Heart continues (into its 9th year now!) almost entirely through your generous donations. What a beautiful thing! If you find value in what we do here each week, please consider donating to keep our non-profit running smoothly, with grace and ease. The past 2 years saw a severe drop in donations and we’d love to regrow our account balance to a more healthy and sustainable level now that we are meeting regularly again. During the pandemic, online donations became increasingly important to our organization, and are always gratefully accepted on our website, https://www.pathsofheart.org/donate/. You can even sign up for monthly giving, which we deeply appreciate. Thanks so much for supporting the continuation of Paths of Heart!

Two ways you can further support Paths of Heart are detailed below:

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!

Amazon Smile – We do love shopping locally and very often do, but Amazon sometimes fits the bill. If you are an Amazon shopper, you can make a difference by shopping at smile.amazon.com/ch/81-4175487 to generate donations for Paths of Heart!

“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 (not usually a problem in Colorado!). We also welcome volunteers to help keep our labyrinth looking beautiful and free of debris and weeds. Thank you in advance.

Gratitudes

We are so grateful for all the good folks bringing humanitarian aid to Ukraine at this time. Here is one link shared from a trusted friend with family in Poland, of an organization there which is helping Ukrainian refugees.

https://www.siepomaga.pl/en/pah-ukraina?fbclid=IwAR2Ej5YMUz1aV1cqkaQXd_ekWknYjvQ_yInIP7I5NGkQL2jPPfuZUE5aBHw

In addition, World Central Kitchen and Doctors Without Borders are worthy organizations that would welcome our monetary support.

We are also grateful that Myles Sloniker is coming to CO for a short visit in April. Much music and family fun will ensue!

What are you grateful for today?

“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.”
~ Henri Frederic Amiel

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

“Going to sleep with a grateful, open heart
is a powerful healing practice. Your dreams will become more inspiring and you will awaken in the morning
with a lighter state of mind.”
~ Dr. John Demartini

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!

“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.” ~ Ruth Reichl

Posted on

Forgiveness

Sunday, March 20th, 2022

The topic of Forgiveness seemed a natural progression as we’ve been diving more deeply into letting go and releasing. Oftentimes, in order to fully release trapped emotions such as pain, sadness, fear or anger, we must first learn the art of forgiveness. Interestingly, it is rarely a particular “event” that causes us anguish, but our interpretation of the situation. We do have a choice in how we internalize the perceived intentions of others. Perhaps it is time to change and expand our definition of forgiveness. There’s a lot to discuss here, and we hope you’ll join in the conversation!
Love, love, love,
Colleen and Mark

Quotes to ponder

“To transform energies we must experience them totally, working through them and forgiving them, which means seeing the perfection in them.”
~ Colin Tipping

“Forgiveness truly is heart medicine. It involves the healing experience of Divine contact. The Divine has many names, including the Holy Spirit, the Divine Mother, Father God, Great Spirit, Nature, or the “peace that passeth all understanding.” (Use) any name that works for you. The important thing for us to remember is the uniting, creative force of Love. Only this Love is real, and only Love has the power to heal and reunite us with our true nature.”
~ Ana Holub

“True forgiveness is when you can say, “Thank you for that experience.”
~ Oprah Winfrey

“Forgiveness has nothing to do with absolving a criminal of his crime. It has everything to do with relieving oneself of the burden of being a victim–letting go of the pain and transforming oneself from victim to survivor.”
~ C.R. Strahan

Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest

Paths of Heart Schedule (Sundays, 11 a.m.)
With the county mask mandate now lifted, we will remain conscious of everyone’s comfort level regarding masks at our gatherings and will make a group decision week by week. The general consensus so far is folks are comfortable with others being unmasked, though some are choosing to wear their own masks, which you are always very welcome to do!

March 20th – in person

March 27th – in person

April 3rd – ZOOM gathering

April 10th – in person

April 17th, Easter Sunday – in person, and we are fully intending to have a long-awaited-for POTLUCK after our gathering (hopefully outdoors!).

April 24th – in person

May 1st – ZOOM gathering

Request for guest presenters and musicians ~ Please let us know if you’re interested in sharing a topic or joining in the music! If you have ideas of other speakers/musicians you’d like to invite to Paths of Heart, we would love your suggestions. A small honorarium is available to these guest presenters.

Sending prayers and affirmations ~ If anyone would like to receive our collective positive thoughts and prayers on a Sunday morning, please ask! We can be as specific or as anonymous as you’d like. Let us know if we can surround you and your loved ones in love and light!

Giving Opportunities – Paths of Heart continues (into its 9th year now!) almost entirely through your generous donations. What a beautiful thing! If you find value in what we do here each week, please consider donating to keep our non-profit running smoothly, with grace and ease. The past 2 years saw a severe drop in donations and we’d love to regrow our account balance to a more healthy and sustainable level now that we are meeting regularly again. During the pandemic, online donations became increasingly important to our organization, and are always gratefully accepted on our website, https://www.pathsofheart.org/donate/. You can even sign up for monthly giving, which we deeply appreciate. Thanks so much for supporting the continuation of Paths of Heart!

Two ways you can further support Paths of Heart are detailed below:

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!

Amazon Smile – We do love shopping locally and very often do, but Amazon sometimes fits the bill. If you are an Amazon shopper, you can make a difference by shopping at smile.amazon.com/ch/81-4175487 to generate donations for Paths of Heart!

“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 (not usually a problem in Colorado!). We also welcome volunteers to help keep our labyrinth looking beautiful and free of debris and weeds. Thank you in advance.

Gratitudes

We are so grateful for all the good folks bringing humanitarian aid to Ukraine at this time. Here are some links shared from a trusted friend, of organizations in Poland that are helping Ukrainian refugees and their beloved animals.

https://www.siepomaga.pl/en/pah-ukraina?fbclid=IwAR2Ej5YMUz1aV1cqkaQXd_ekWknYjvQ_yInIP7I5NGkQL2jPPfuZUE5aBHw

http://uku.com.ua/english/index.html

World Central Kitchen and Doctors Without Borders are also worthy organizations that would welcome our monetary support.

We are also grateful for a short trip to the mountains where we are experiencing a beautiful, cleansing snowfall and a crackling fire in the fireplace with dear friends.

What are you grateful for today?

“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.”
~ Henri Frederic Amiel

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

“Going to sleep with a grateful, open heart
is a powerful healing practice. Your dreams will become more inspiring and you will awaken in the morning
with a lighter state of mind.”
~ Dr. John Demartini

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!

“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.” ~ Ruth Reichl

Posted on

More Release!

Sunday, March 13th, 2022

It’s evident there is more ground to cover after last week’s discussion on “Letting Go of the Past”. Other aspects of releasing were proposed by those in attendance so here we are for Part Two! Though we briefly covered letting go of both physical things and emotional “baggage” largely from the distant past, releasing is a healthy process that can happen very much in the present, even on a daily basis. The release of relationships that no longer serve us was also mentioned as an important topic to explore. So, this Sunday we’ll discuss these and more on our ZOOM gathering at 11 a.m. Here’s the link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88121678020?pwd=Uk1xRFNEMnhCbXBybnYrY2Vybk9ndz09
Meeting ID: 881 2167 8020
Passcode: 105707

And remember! This Sunday is the start of DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME, so advance your clocks FORWARD (one hour less of sleep!) before you go to bed Saturday night. 🙂

Love and (“more”) LIGHT,
Colleen and Mark

Quotes to ponder

“The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.”
~ Steve Maraboli

“You will find that it is necessary to let things go, simply for the reason that they are heavy. So let them go; let go of them.”
~ C. JoyBell C.

“Some people believe holding on and hanging in there are signs of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know when to let go and then do it.”
~ Ann Landers

“Accept yourself, love yourself, and keep moving forward. If you want to fly, you have to give up what weighs you down.”
~ Roy T. Bennett

Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest

Paths of Heart Schedule (Sundays, 11 a.m.)
With the county mask mandate now lifted, we will remain conscious of everyone’s comfort level regarding masks at our gatherings and will make a group decision week by week. The general consensus so far is folks are comfortable with others being unmasked, though some are choosing to wear their own masks, which you are always very welcome to do!

March 13th – ZOOM Gathering

March 20th – in person

March 27th – in person

April 3rd – ZOOM gathering

April 10th – in person

April 17th, Easter Sunday – in person, and we are fully intending to have a long-awaited-for POTLUCK after our gathering (hopefully outdoors!).

April 24th – in person

May 1st – ZOOM gathering

Request for guest presenters and musicians ~ Please let us know if you’re interested in sharing a topic or joining in the music! If you have ideas of other speakers/musicians you’d like to invite to Paths of Heart, we would love your suggestions. A small honorarium is available to these guest presenters.

Sending prayers and affirmations ~ If anyone would like to receive our collective positive thoughts and prayers on a Sunday morning, please ask! We can be as specific or as anonymous as you’d like. Let us know if we can surround you and your loved ones in love and light!

Giving Opportunities – Paths of Heart continues (into its 9th year now!) almost entirely through your generous donations. What a beautiful thing! If you find value in what we do here each week, please consider donating to keep our non-profit running smoothly, with grace and ease. The past 2 years saw a severe drop in donations and we’d love to regrow our account balance to a more healthy and sustainable level now that we are meeting regularly again. During the pandemic, online donations became increasingly important to our organization, and are always gratefully accepted on our website, https://www.pathsofheart.org/donate/. You can even sign up for monthly giving, which we deeply appreciate. Thanks so much for supporting the continuation of Paths of Heart!

Two ways you can further support Paths of Heart are detailed below:

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!

Amazon Smile – We do love shopping locally and very often do, but Amazon sometimes fits the bill. If you are an Amazon shopper, you can make a difference by shopping at smile.amazon.com/ch/81-4175487 to generate donations for Paths of Heart!

“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 (not usually a problem in Colorado!). We also welcome volunteers to help keep our labyrinth looking beautiful and free of debris and weeds. Thank you in advance.

Gratitudes

We are so grateful for the knowing that Spring is soon returning, even though our weekly snowfalls and cold temps might try to convince us otherwise! We eagerly await the appearance of green sprouting things… 🙂

What are you grateful for today?

“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.”
~ Henri Frederic Amiel

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

“Going to sleep with a grateful, open heart
is a powerful healing practice. Your dreams will become more inspiring and you will awaken in the morning
with a lighter state of mind.”
~ Dr. John Demartini

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!

“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.” ~ Ruth Reichl

Posted on

Letting Go of the Past

Sunday, March 6th, 2022

In light of our recent trips to Ohio where we are saying goodbye to Mark’s childhood home and packing up as well as releasing boxes and boxes of memories, the theme of Letting Go comes to mind. Even as the process can be painful, we are also taking comfort that this can be a time of renewal and new beginnings as well. We’d love for you to share your experiences of the release processes and rituals you’ve utilized when coming to a crossroad such as this. In gratitude,
Colleen and Mark

Quotes to ponder

“Holding on is believing that there’s only a past; letting go is knowing that there’s a future.”
~ Daphne Rose Kingma

“To let go is to release the images and emotions, the grudges and fears, the clingings and disappointments of the past that bind our spirit.”
~ Jack Kornfield

“Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energy moving forward together towards an answer.”
~ Denis Waitley

“You must learn to let go. Release the stress. You were never in control anyway.”
~ Steve Maraboli

Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest

Paths of Heart Schedule
(Sundays, 11 a.m.) With the county mask mandate now lifted, we will remain conscious of everyone’s comfort level regarding masks at our gatherings and will make a group decision week by week.

March 6th – in person

March 13th – ZOOM Gathering

March 20th – in person

March 27th – in person

Request for guest presenters and musicians ~ Please let us know if you’re interested in sharing a topic or joining in the music! If you have ideas of other speakers/musicians you’d like to invite to Paths of Heart, we would love your suggestions. A small honorarium is available to these guest presenters.

Sending prayers and affirmations ~ If anyone would like to receive our collective positive thoughts and prayers on a Sunday morning, please ask! We can be as specific or as anonymous as you’d like. Let us know if we can surround you and your loved ones in love and light!

Giving Opportunities – Paths of Heart continues (into its 9th year now!) almost entirely through your generous donations. What a beautiful thing! If you find value in what we do here each week, please consider donating to keep our non-profit running smoothly, with grace and ease. During these past 2 years when our meetings were necessarily sporadic and moved to ZOOM, online donations became increasingly important to our organization, and are always gratefully accepted on our website, https://www.pathsofheart.org/donate/. You can even sign up for monthly giving, which we deeply appreciate. Thanks so much for supporting the continuation of Paths of Heart!

Two ways you can further support Paths of Heart are detailed below:

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!

Amazon Smile – We do love shopping locally and very often do, but Amazon sometimes fits the bill. If you are an Amazon shopper, you can make a difference by shopping at smile.amazon.com/ch/81-4175487 to generate donations for Paths of Heart!

“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 (not usually a problem in Colorado!). We also welcome volunteers to help keep our labyrinth looking beautiful and free of debris and weeds. Thank you in advance.

Gratitudes

We are so grateful for this community of kind-hearted souls which feeds our spirits each week with your heart-felt sharing and infinite wisdom. We’re all in this together!
We wrote this last week, and we are still feeling it, even more strongly, as we look forward to being in the midst of you all, feeling your love, care, and support through this rather difficult journey we’ve been on. Thank you so much.

What are you grateful for today?

“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.”
~ Henri Frederic Amiel

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

“Going to sleep with a grateful, open heart
is a powerful healing practice. Your dreams will become more inspiring and you will awaken in the morning
with a lighter state of mind.”
~ Dr. John Demartini

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!

“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.” ~ Ruth Reichl

Posted on

Prosperity, Wealth, and Abundance

Sunday, February 27th, 2022
These terms mean widely different things to different people. We’ll explore the myriad ways in which we define these words and how we can attract and encompass their deeper essence into our lives more fully. Please join us in lively discussion this Sunday!

Richest Blessings, Colleen and Mark

Quotes to ponder

“Believe that what you desire is possible for you”
~ Caroline Zwick

“We’re all beings of energy. When our energy vibrates at a low level, we attract low-level circumstances. But when our energy is in a high vibration, we attract positive outcomes.”
~ Gabrielle Bernstein

“To receive what you desire, you must become a “vibrational match” for what you want to attract into your life. The easiest way to do that is to create positive emotions of love, joy, appreciation, and gratitude throughout your day.”
~ Jack Canfield

“Prosperity is a way of living and thinking, and not just money or things. Poverty is a way of living and thinking, and not just a lack of money or things.”
~ Eric Butterworth

Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest

Paths of Heart Schedule
(Sundays, 11 a.m.) As the county mask mandate is lifted, we will remain conscious of everyone’s comfort level at our gatherings and will make a group decision week by week.

February 27th – in person

March 6th – in person

March 13th – ZOOM Gathering

March 20th – in person

March 27th – in person

Request for guest presenters and musicians ~ Please let us know if you’re interested in sharing a topic or joining in the music! If you have ideas of other speakers/musicians you’d like to invite to Paths of Heart, we would love your suggestions. A small honorarium is available to these guest presenters.

Sending prayers and affirmations ~ If anyone would like to receive our collective positive thoughts and prayers on a Sunday morning, please ask! We can be as specific or as anonymous as you’d like. Let us know if we can surround you and your loved ones in love and light!

Giving Opportunities – Paths of Heart continues (into its 9th year now!) almost entirely through your generous donations. What a beautiful thing! If you find value in what we do here each week, please consider donating to keep our non-profit running smoothly, with grace and ease. During these past 2 years when our meetings were necessarily sporadic and moved to ZOOM, online donations became increasingly important to our organization, and are always gratefully accepted on our website, https://www.pathsofheart.org/donate/. You can even sign up for monthly giving, which we deeply appreciate. Thanks so much for supporting the continuation of Paths of Heart!

Two ways you can further support Paths of Heart are detailed below:

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!

Amazon Smile – We do love shopping locally and very often do, but Amazon sometimes fits the bill. If you are an Amazon shopper, you can make a difference by shopping at smile.amazon.com/ch/81-4175487 to generate donations for Paths of Heart!

“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 (not usually a problem in Colorado!). We also welcome volunteers to help keep our labyrinth looking beautiful and free of debris and weeds. Thank you in advance.

Gratitudes

We are so grateful for this community of kind-hearted souls which feeds our spirits each week with your heart-felt sharing and infinite wisdom. We’re all in this together!

What are you grateful for today?

“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.”
~ Henri Frederic Amiel

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

“Going to sleep with a grateful, open heart
is a powerful healing practice. Your dreams will become more inspiring and you will awaken in the morning
with a lighter state of mind.”
~ Dr. John Demartini

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!

“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.” ~ Ruth Reichl

Posted on

Keep On Keepin’ On!

Sunday, February 20th, 2022

“Keep calm and carry on.”
“Keep on truckin’ mama!”
“Keep Your Hand on the Plow.”
“Keep the Faith.”
There are so many ways to express this sentiment that even in the face of challenges, we humans have a way of persevering, of seeing the good in people and situations, of forging ahead no matter what and trusting that everything will be okay. We love that line in the movie, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, where the character Sonny Kapoor assures folks that, “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” (originally attributed to Fernando Sabino, a Portuguese author). It’s a light-hearted way of expressing our faith in the goodness of life, though appearances may sometimes suggest otherwise. Please join us Sunday as we ponder life’s mysteries!

Quotes to ponder

“If you were able to fall a hundred times as a child and rise, you are able to fall a thousand times as a grown up and soar.”
~ Matshona Dhliwayo

“The only thing I knew how to do
Was to keep on keepin’ on
Like a bird that flew
Tangled up in blue”
~ Bob Dylan

“Don’t just create a change for yourself, be a centre of change to others.”
~ Richmond Akhigbe

“We will either find a way, or make one.”
~ Hannibal

“Many think that we have blown it
But they too will soon admit
That there’s still a lot of love among us
And there’s still a lot of faith, warmth, and trust
When we keep on keeping on.”
~ Curtis Mayfield

Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest

Paths of Heart Schedule
(Sundays, 11 a.m.) As the county mask mandate is lifted, we will remain conscious of everyone’s comfort level at our gatherings and will make a group decision week by week.

February 20th – in person

February 27th – in person

March 6th – in person

March 13th – ZOOM Gathering

Request for guest presenters and musicians! ~ Thanks to those who have stepped up to present a topic on Sunday, or to share music! Please let us know if you’re interested or have ideas of other speakers/musicians you’d like to invite. A small honorarium is available.

Sending “Good Juju” and prayer ~ If anyone ever wants to receive our collective positive thoughts and prayers on a Sunday morning, please ask! We can be as specific or as anonymous as you’d like. Let us know if we can surround you and your loved ones in love and light!

“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 (not usually a problem in Colorado!). We also welcome volunteers to help keep our labyrinth looking beautiful and free of debris and weeds. Thank you in advance.

Giving Opportunities – Two ways you can support Paths of Heart without costing you an extra penny are detailed below:

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!

Amazon Smile – We do love shopping locally and very often do, but Amazon sometimes fits the bill. If you are an Amazon shopper, you can make a difference by shopping at smile.amazon.com/ch/81-4175487 to generate donations for Paths of Heart!

During this past year when we weren’t meeting often, online donations became increasingly important to our organization, and are still always gratefully accepted on our website, https://www.pathsofheart.org/donate/. You can even sign up for monthly giving, which we deeply appreciate. Thanks so much for supporting the continuation of Paths of Heart!

Gratitudes

Though our kitchen is still “not quite finished”, we are grateful that it is now “fully functional”! We can’t wait for the return of our “Paths Potlucks” which we hope may resume on Easter Sunday in April!

What are you grateful for today?

“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.”
~ Henri Frederic Amiel

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

“Going to sleep with a grateful, open heart
is a powerful healing practice. Your dreams will become more inspiring and you will awaken in the morning
with a lighter state of mind.”
~ Dr. John Demartini

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!

“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.” ~ Ruth Reichl

Posted on

Love Is…

Sunday, February 13th, 2022

As the songwriter Darryl Purpose sings, “Love is everywhere at once…”
The choice is ours to tap into it. Love exists in so many forms, and is much more than just a feeling. Love is a verb, an act of supreme service. Ram Dass suggests that the most important aspect of love is not in giving or receiving love; it’s in BEing Love. Being in love means seeing the Beloved all around us, in everyone and everything. We’ll be spreading the love around this Sunday on ZOOM, and hope you can join us! Here’s the link:
Time: Feb 13, 2022 11:00 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83905998178?pwd=Zk5rK0NrRTQxYmJneEMrWmVlL0R3QT09

Meeting ID: 839 0599 8178
Passcode: 299097

Quotes to ponder

“Remember, we are all affecting the world every moment, whether we mean to or not. Our actions and states of mind matter, because we are so deeply interconnected with one another. Working on our own consciousness is the most important thing that we are doing at any moment, and being love is a supreme creative act.”
~ Ram Dass

“How did the rose ever open its heart
And give to this world all of its beauty?
It felt the encouragement of light against its being,
Otherwise we all remain too frightened.”
~ Hafiz

“We would have a healthier conception of love if we understood that love, like parenting or friendship, is a feeling that expresses itself in action. What we really feel is reflected in what we do.”
~ Rabbi David Wolpe

“Love is such a powerful force. It’s there for everyone to embrace-that kind of unconditional love for all of humankind. That is the kind of love that impels people to go into the community and try to change conditions for others, to take risks for what they believe in.”
~ Coretta Scott King

Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest

Paths of Heart Schedule
(Sundays, 11 a.m.) As the county mask mandate is lifted, we will remain conscious of everyone’s comfort level at our gatherings and will make a group decision week by week.

February 13th – ZOOM gathering

February 20th – in person

February 27th – in person

Request for guest presenters and musicians! ~ Thanks to those who have stepped up to present a topic on Sunday, or to share music! Please let us know if you’re interested or have ideas of other speakers/musicians you’d like to invite. A small honorarium is available.

Sending “Good Juju” and prayer ~ If anyone ever wants to receive our collective positive thoughts and prayers on a Sunday morning, please ask! We can be as specific or as anonymous as you’d like. Let us know if we can surround you and your loved ones in love and light!

“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 (not usually a problem in Colorado!). We also welcome volunteers to help keep our labyrinth looking beautiful and free of debris and weeds. Thank you in advance.

Giving Opportunities – Two ways you can support Paths of Heart without costing you an extra penny are detailed below:

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!

Amazon Smile – We do love shopping locally and very often do, but Amazon sometimes fits the bill. If you are an Amazon shopper, you can make a difference by shopping at smile.amazon.com/ch/81-4175487 to generate donations for Paths of Heart!

During this past year when we weren’t meeting often, online donations became increasingly important to our organization, and are still always gratefully accepted on our website, https://www.pathsofheart.org/donate/. You can even sign up for monthly giving, which we deeply appreciate. Thanks so much for supporting the continuation of Paths of Heart!

Gratitudes

We are grateful for friends and family who bring such joy into our lives!

What are you grateful for today?

“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.”
~ Henri Frederic Amiel

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

“Going to sleep with a grateful, open heart
is a powerful healing practice. Your dreams will become more inspiring and you will awaken in the morning
with a lighter state of mind.”
~ Dr. John Demartini

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!

“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.” ~ Ruth Reichl