Davina Rubin: Author, Actress, Artist & New Yorker Extraordinaire

Davina and Precious Buddy

Davina and I met because of a dear friend who also passed just recently. Linda Legg.

Right from the start, we were Sisters in our Faith and Foundation. We had family energy and history that seemed ancient.

Davina dealt with her passing as she did with life in general. Humor was her middle name. She actually did stand up comedy at my Jamin at Jessel Club and brought the house down. She was brave and honest about her own life ending and showed me what grace and honesty can do during our transition. ​

NO ONE WAS A STRANGER
to this
AMAZING SOUL

Davina's Abstract Art

No matter where she went, she could strike up a conversation and make people feel comfortable and welcomed in her circle of life.

I felt like I had a big sister who would do anything for me in times of need. She was LOYAL and LOVING
to her last breath.

A dear friend called to tell me she had passed an hour before and as we were talking at that exact moment the electricity went off in the whole neighborhood. I felt it as a sign from my dear friend. I took a moment of silence to bless her on her new journey.

I smile at her devotion to others. She called me last week because I was under the weather and here she was on her death bed concerned about me.

We are all so lucky to have had Davina as our friend.

It was a better world with her in it and she will be missed. ​

Davina on $25,000 Pyramid where she WON!

Davina wrote this letter in her letting go stage recently and I feel it says it all in her words:

Dear Friends,

Well, that time has come. My body’s “use by” date has been reached, and I am no longer going to be present in physical form. Some call it death; I call it a new adventure.

I have had a wonderful time using this body - a great communication tool which provided me with many wonderful experiences. Teaching, acting, dancing, painting, writing...and, most of all, getting to know all of you. I have been most fortunate in my life to have met so many extraordinary people, full of ideas, humor, talents, and the ability to create friendship. Thank you to all of you, for being in my life in one way or another.

A wonderful woman asked me recently what I will miss most about living here, on this planet. My answer sounded negative at first. I said, “This planet is really an insane asylum, so I don’t know that I will miss much. And then I said, “I will miss joy. I will miss all the glorious things that make the heart swell, that fill me up so much with love, gratitude and appreciation. Music that brings tears of joy, overwhelms with its beauty. Birds flocking in chorus in the sky, moving as one wave, a resplendent demonstration of oneness in the many. Folk dancing in lines and circles, a smile on my face and my mind empty, the sweep of movement, the connection of being with all the other dancers. Teaching - seeing the light go on when a student “gets it,” whether it is a fundamental language concept, or a philosophic idea beyond words. And finally - but never last - humor, laughter, silliness. Oh, how I love to laugh, and to make people laugh. Life is funny, filled with the most hilarious, outrageous, goofy things. Humor - real humor - has no sharp edges. Only curves that make your mouth open in glee, and your body giggle.

The greatest gifts this life has brought me are teaching, and spiritual pursuits. I can say little about the latter, because each person has his or her own way of finding what will have inner meaning, and in some cases, in a particular lifetime, that is not even an interest at all. We get caught up in everyday living, and don’t have - or take - the time to explore what is inside rather than what is outside. For me that inner pursuit has been the most important, and I tried, whenever possible, to impart some sense of the inner life to my students, whether through literature or discussion. There were times - rare - when the air grew still as students suddenly grasped an idea that, if they allowed it, would last and affect their whole lifetime.

About teaching, I will say that it has been the most significant activity of my life. I loved being able to be with young people, to watch them grow and expand, and express themselves in writing, and in acting. It has been a joy to receive word of my students through Facebook, or from other students. I think if I gave myself one gift in this lifetime, other than my spiritual pursuits, teaching was it, the center of my life, the thing that brought me joy and a sense of value. I learned more than I taught. To all my former students, I say, thank you for the opportunity to have met each of you. What a blessing it has been.
And to all of you, dear readers, thank you for reading, for feedback, and for encouragement as I sifted through ideas that came to me, and spilled them on to pages.

Love to you,
Davina
P.S. As always, if you feel inspired, please do pass this on.