Palm Sunday - Newsome Style

When we lived in Hawaii Amanda started school. While in Kindergarten, which was full-day in Hawaii, Amanda went on her first field trip to the Honolulu Zoo. Field trip day is always exciting for the kids and Amanda was giddy with excitement as well.

After school that day the children were all sitting at the table enjoying a snack so I asked Amanda about her day, "So, your very first field trip! What an exciting day. What was your favorite part of the zoo?" Fully expecting a response of something like the apes or giraffes or bears, I was surprised when Amanda paused for a moment and then said, "I liked the Savannah the best."

Now Monica was sitting there taking all of this in and she wasn't too happy with any of it. Not only was Amanda getting all of the attention but her older sister got to go someplace exciting and fun. Monica was feeling a bit left out and perhaps jealous too.

Completely taken by Amanda's response I said, "Savannah? Oh Amanda that is a big word. I'm very impressed you know what the Savannah is." And now Monica, having had enough with this nonsense and never being one to be outdone by her sister, finally spoke up. In a very matter-of-fact manner, with words that held the confidence of wise scholar, Monica said, "Savannah is not a big word. I know what Savannah means."

I was pretty sure Monica was bluffing and trying to steal her sister's thunder so I challenged her, "You do? You know what the Savannah is?"

Very confidently, Monica replied, in her 4 year old little voice, "Yes! When Jesus rode into the town on the donkey the people waved branches and yelled, 'Savannah! Savannah!"

Matthew 21:9

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

From Monica and the entire Newsome family -- Savannah! Hosanna! Have blessed Easter Season.!

48 Thoughts for 48 Years

1. Lying never pays off. Ever.
2. Pets are good to have –anything that lives in a tank, bowl or aquarium is not a pet.
3. Everyone should read books –and a lot of them.
4. TV sucks life away.
5. Uncontrolled tempers are poison to any relationship.
6. Water should always be your beverage of choice – other beverages are “treats”.
7. Letting your children go is far more painful than birthing them.
8. Sometimes you just have to be politically incorrect. Merry Christmas.
9. Monkey bars were the most boring piece of playground equipment.
10. Negative people breed negative people.
11. Never aspire to be your child’s best friend.
12. The more you push yourself towards your fears, the less you will be afraid.
13. Manners never go out of style.
14. People that don’t want to be rescued cannot be rescued.
15. True friends are hard to find.
16. Your Bible can never be read too much.
17. Love is an action.
18. There’s no such thing as getting the laundry done.
19. Every single day we miss all the glory of God’s creation around us. It does the soul good to take pause and stare at a flower, bug, cloud, tree, etc.
20. Marriage is hard work – I don’t care how much you love each other, love is not enough to make a marriage “work”.
21. Eating God’s natural foods is always better for you.
22. You have to hurt before you can heal.
23. A kitchen and bathroom can never be cleaned too often.
24. A woman submitting to her husband is one of the most misunderstood characteristics of a godly woman.
25. Gossip is destructive, selfish, mean and most of the time, completely exaggerated.
26. There is such a thing as “good chocolate” but there is no such thing as “bad chocolate”.
27. Spanking does not produce violent children.
28. Sometimes nothing gets your point across better than a good old fashioned 4-letter word, damn it!
29. Time-outs are stupid and useless to the child however; it does cause the parent to rethink and regroup.
30. I am afraid of people that believe there is no God – they have no ultimate accountability or moral compass.
31. I don’t condone fighting and violence but let’s face it, a good playground brawl can sometimes solve problems quicker and easier than a peer mediator, counselor, Principal and two sets of parents using up ½ day vacation to be at school for a meeting.
32. It is true you get what you pay for however; a smart shopper can get more than they paid for and a mindless shopper will often get less than they paid for.
33. A bride is always radiant.
34. As a whole, Christians are the most judgmental people I have ever known.
35. Americans have way too much stuff; I long to rid my life of stuff.
36. Helicopter parents need to be shot out of the sky with a bazooka.
37. Modesty is completely lost in our society.
38. Music is touches the soul.
39. There is way too much hype surrounding most holidays.
40. Power is a dangerous thing.
41. High school kids should not date.
42. Every American should try to visit Washington DC at least once.
43. The birth of a child squelches the notion of evolution.
44. There’s magic in the early morning hours; dew, birds chirping, sun rising . . .
45. Everyone should leave their country at least once in their lifetime.
46. Sincerity is often lost in popularity.
47. Perfectly manicured unused lawns are a waste of land.
48. Our country is in trouble.