James Derkits

Summer Vacation in Sketch and Caption  This is a snow melt lake scene we hiked up to from Duncan Park. The white areas are snow. It was really cold. I know because after hiking for miles with little kids, we were all ready to cool off. A few of us swam. I could barely breath from the cold-shock. I came out energized and ready to hike back. While at Dunan Park, John decided to be baptized. This is him coming up from the icy cold water wide awake (see enter the Way .) Most of the group was gathered on the bank in the dusk, and I stood by in case he fell over. This is another lake near Duncan Park where we hiked. The kids found themselves a fenceless playground and romped around the pond, while the parents watched the forest edges for lions and bears.  We took a train from Denver to Winter Park where we stayed with the Kidds. They took such good care of us! Penthouse condo, mountain biking, including downhill, and the alpine slide: a concrete slide with li...

This picture is of my friend The Rev. Billy Tweedie, rector of Resurrection in Austin, with his son Liam standing by ready to net a trout. Billy and his twins joined Trinity by the Sea for our retreat to Duncan Park, Colorado. He led us in reflections each night during compline (night prayer.) He focused on just a few of the teachings of Brene Brown's "The Daring Way." The first night we learned the (important) differences between guilt, humiliation, and shame . The second night we learned about compassion , and the importance of boundaries in practicing compassion . Finally, the last night, we learned about courage ...the important ingredient to living a vulnerable, compassionate life in which we learn from the experiences of  guilt and humiliation , without letting shame rule our decisions. The teachings were helpful, and it was something to ponder each night while on retreat. After the first night's teaching, as we were just settling into the rhythm of the ...