Debra Darvick
Archives: 2008-2020‘Stay on the Trail’: Words of courage from Chicken Point
Often when you hike in the state and national parks out west, signs are posted at the trailheads cautioning hikers not to "bust the crust." The crust, called cryptobiotic soil, consists of soil cyanobacteria, lichens and mosses. The microscopic filaments of the...
His Lens/My Pen — Walking on Water
Martin came back from the Everglades mightily inspired. I wasn't with him, and so it wasn't until I saw his photos that I was able to enjoy the birds he had told me so much about . One of his shots, of an anhinga in flight, inspired our card about mindfulness. Martin...
Lighten Up With His Lens My Pen
Who doesn't feel like this every now and then? Maybe the other monkeys aren't playing fair, or refuse to play with you at all. Maybe you woke up on the wrong side of the branch or a tourist in your corner of Costa Rica won't stop taking pictures of you. Or maybe you...
A Year of Kaddish Draws to a Close
Today is the last day of my year of saying Kaddish for my mother. In Jewish tradition, Kaddish, a prayer whose Aramaic text mentions nothing of death but instead offers words of praise to God, is recited for eleven months by the adult child who has lost a parent or...
Time for some snow fun!
Although the custom has been to post a His Lens/My Pen the last Monday of the month, I figure this image is pertinent now. Who knows? We might have a spring thaw next week rendering this image irrelevant. Yeah, right. The phrase a snowball's chance in hell comes to...
The Year in Review
Dear Friends, Some of you have written wondering where I have been, why the silence and lack of posts. As many of you know it's been an overwhelming year. My mother died in March, sealing a relationship of many complex, loving, and fractious decades. There is much to...
One Happy Bird
Going for a bit of avian humor with this month's His Lens/My Pen offering. Martin was out and about in the neighborhood when he snapped this shot of a swan paddling in nearby Quarton Lake. I got to thinking about why no one ever mentions eating swan; I've never seen...
Allow the beauty you see today …
When my husband Martin and I began our His Lens/My Pen venture, the idea was simply to create meditations to accompany his images. (If you are just discovering our series, click on the photo and you can enjoy it in a much larger format.) As these are beginning to be...
Hugging to the Background
Martin took this when we were hiking in South Lake Tahoe, visiting our new daughter-in-law's dad and step-mom. In Yiddish, the word for your child's in-laws is machatunim. Nothing to do with the photo but it's a useful word, nevertheless. I've felt a bit like this...
Entering the New Year Freshly Restored
Debra Darvick draws moving parallels between the restoration of a family heirloom and her own spiritual self-examination as she prepares for Rosh Hashanah.
His Lens/My Pen –– A Single Point of Light
In this month’s His Lens/My Pen, Debra Darvick muses on what it means to be a single point of light.
Go See Boyhood!
Debra Darvick reviews and recommends Richard Linklater’s movie Boyhood.
His Lens/My Pen #12 — These Geese Aren’t Silly
In this month’s His Lens/My Pen offering, Debra Darvick explores the importance of non-judgment and keeping discussions on a positive note.
Reviewing Chef: a real feel-good movie
Debra Darvick reviews the movie Chef, giving it four carrots.
Debra Darvick reviews Robert J. Wicks’ book ‘Perspective’
Debra Darvick reviews Robert J. Wicks’ self-help guide for achieving perspective on life, struggle and trauma.
Happy Birthday, Elliot
Debra Darvick celebrates her son’s birthday.
Take the Plunge!
During a rare break in the frigid Coldzilla winter this year, Martin and I walked to nearby Quarton Lake. We watched as one brave duck left his compatriots huddling on a shelf of ice and dove into the freezing water. Until he shared the photo with me, I'd forgotten...
Like Water from the Rock
From time to time I have been invited to give the weekly Shabbat sermon at synagogue. Each Shabbat has name, which is drawn from the weekly Torah portion that is read at services, in part on Monday and Thursday mornings and more fully on Saturday morning. This week's...
Grateful for Those Openings and Closings
Debra Darvick share’s Judaism’s bathroom blessing, referred to as “Asher Yatsar,” and the text of Mom’s 3rd Commandment of Health.
Captivating Reading: ‘Invention of Wings’ and ‘Room’
Debra Darvick reviews The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd and Room by Emma Donoghue.