Pink, Pink, Pink!

My Pink Saturday post didn't post!  Resending/reposting it today!  

The post below was supposed to go up on Saturday.  I set it to automatically go up, because Saturday is the Sabbath (Shabbat) for me.  No blog writing, no computers. But the autopost didn't work...so here it is, late.   Hopefully next week will be on time!

Today is the first day I'm participating in Pink Saturday. It's a weekly celebration from How Sweet The Sound, a wonderful art blog. 

Given the name of the blog, how perfect is it that the picture comes from one of the sweetest places on the planet, Walt Disney world. 

Just outside of the parks, there's an area called Downtown Disney.  And one of the shops there is all Legos!  I love Legos!  But when I was growing up, Legos came in only a few colors...red, blue, white, black and yellow.  Green, too, I think. Other colors existed, but only in the kits, and then for only a few special pieces. But it wasn't until my daughters were born that I saw Legos in pink and purple...what are considered "girls colors."

I wasn't sure at first whether to be excited that "our" colors were finally included, or insulted that someone might have thought that Legos had to be pink and purple for girls to like them.  I settled on being happy, because studies have shown that kids who play with Legos are more successful in math, language and science. And if it takes pink and purple Legos, so be it. Besides, it gave us more colors to play with!

So when I walked into the store with my kids, imagine my joy in finding not just boxes of Legos, but giant clear bins filled with Legos, including the lovely pink ones!  So here is my tribute to Pink Saturday and the fun of Legos. Happy Weekend, everyone!

Be open to the questions, be wary of getting stuck in details

I just read an amazing post suggested by one of my Facebook friends.  Rabbi Yossi's article, Facing the light - behaalosecha is printing right now so I can think more about it tomorrow on Shabbat. This is not a "glance at it for a couple of minutes before I run out the door" post. So I want to do it justice.  But I also wanted to share it before Shabbat, in case anyone else wants to print it now and read it tomorrow.

I cannot summarize it yet...there is too much, but here are a few points that have my thoughts occupied...

Instead of searching for complete truth and revelation, people the world over revere small bits and pieces of truth and hold them sacred. This closes them off from discovery of truths that exist beyond their limited space. The strength of their attachments often prevents them from letting go of superfluous behaviors and beliefs that limit their connection to the larger universal order.

and

My grandfather told me that the main thing is the question, not the answer. Questions cause us to search in places where we may not have checked previously to find answers. This enables us to be open to what we may not have thought about or understood prior to searching. Easy “pat” answers pacify us and discourage us from searching further to find the truth.  

Don't just stop with those two...there is so much more.  Shabbat shalom :-)

Feeling blue...but not sad

I've always wondered why we say someone who is sad is "feeling blue." After all, blue is the color of the sky and the sea and some incredibly beautiful flowers and birds....

So today, I'm challenging that idea, with some blue photos that are anything but sad.


The first one is my blue chair. I bought this chair on a whim one day when there was a concert coming up in Long's Park in Lancaster. I usually took blankets to outdoor concerts so my kids could stretch out and relax while we listened. But they were away that night, and I was going solo. So I stopped and bought myself a yummy picnic supper. Then I saw the chair, and added it to my cart. That was the first night in my chair -- sunset, great music, a beautiful park and a delicious supper. In this picture, the chair is on the balcony of my home in Florida. It became a place to listen to the breeze in the trees, and enjoy a cup of tea at the end of the day, or read a book on a Shabbat morning. Now my chair is in the back yard of our home...the home I now share with my kids and a new husband. And it's still a Shabbat morning refuge, a welcome escape from the stress of the week. A blue chair? Yes. Sad. No way.


These are the Wasatch Mountains in Utah. I lived at the base of these mountains for years -- blue sky, blue water. Bluest sky. Bluest water. Nothing sad there.








Aw, come on! Walt Disney World! The incredible Orlando sky, dotted with fluffy white clouds. Lots of blue. Even the roof gables and turrets are blue. Not a trace of sadness!


One more...Mother's Day 2009 at Butterfly World. Yes, I know this isn't a butterfly. But it is a beautiful bit of blue! This bird was fascinated by my hair band...it landed on my shoulder, and decided to stay awhile. And even though it didn't succeed in getting the band loose, I don't think it was sad, even with its brilliant blue head.


So I am feeling blue today...blue like the sky and the mountain lake and the ocean...not a bad way to spend a Tuesday :-) Do you have a blue photo you want to share? Send me a link to your blog for Tuesday Blues, and we could make this a regular feature!