October 18, 2008 - Shayna Punim

Shayna punim (SHAY-nuh puh-NIM) is a Yiddish phrase that means "pretty face." It's frequently squealed by bubbe-like Jewish ladies as they painfully pinch the cheeks of young children. (Thankfully, my own mother has yet to do that to ANYONE - at least as far as I know, but then again, my mother can hardly be described as bubbe-like!) But when I look at this face, I can hear the phrase spoken with nothing but adoration and love. It's a picture that I took at one of Erin's soccer games, and when I first saw it, I knew it was a keeper. The picture, the face, and the girl. All keepers.