Taylor Swift, Palm Sunday, and Cancelled Flights
by Tanner Olson
writtentospeak.com

Dallas, Texas
Dallas Love Field Airport
Monday, April 3, 2023


Taylor Swift was in Texas this weekend.
So were Sarah and I.
We didn’t plan on being here at the same time but that’s how our schedules aligned.
She was in town for a few sold out shows in Arlington, while we were in town for a baptism about 40 minutes from where she was playing.

Our friends asked us to be Godparents of their third child and we said yes before they finished asking the question.

I didn’t know about the concert until two college girls at the Nashville airport told us. When they told us they were flying to Dallas to see Taylor Swift their voices were a mixture of excitement and embarrassment, but mostly excitement. They knew they were going to something they would never forget.

We were also going to see something we would never forget: a baptism. Baptism is a beautiful new beginning. It is certain and sure and cannot be taken away from us. The water dries, but the truth remains. There is hope in the water and Word and that hope washes the sin away. Lots of people like to argue about what baptism is and isn’t, but I can tell you this: it's a beautiful gift from God.

Sarah held our friends’ son as the water was splashed on his tiny head.
“I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
This is usually when I cry, but I had my hands full.
I was holding a 2-year-old who didn’t want to be held.
He wanted to grab one of the palm fronds and wave it and yell, “Hosanna! Hosanna!”

I can’t blame him.

Palm Sunday is one of my favorite days of the year. 

I used to just think it was the day Jesus rode a farm animal, but it’s more than that.
If you don’t know about Palm Sunday it’s the day when Jesus rides into Jerusalem on the back of a colt. People welcome him waving palm branches and yelling, “Hosanna! Hosanna!” which means, “Save us.”

For Jesus, this is the beginning of the end. He is heading towards His death. In a few short days He will be betrayed, beaten, cursed, and crucified. But we know how the story ends: Jesus is raised from the dead.

But we can’t skip to the resurrection without first observing Palm Sunday.

Palm Sunday is about arrival.
It’s about interruption.
It’s about humility.
It’s about remembering.
It’s about looking back and ahead.
It’s about saving.
It’s all about Jesus.

After the baptism, we packed our bags only to find out our flight had been cancelled.
The airline didn’t notify us. I found out when I checked to see if our flight was on time. It wasn’t. Storms were blowing in and flights were being cancelled one by one. I won’t tell you the name of the airline, but since I’m a poet I will tell you it rhymes with Mouthbest.

Frustration fought to set in, but I’m beginning to believe that interruptions are gifts in disguise.
Of course, I am a human so my first thought was that the world had conspired against us and that we would never get home to our dog. I stressed over the long to-do list I have and how this cancellation was going to throw off our schedule.

After a few minutes I landed on the thought I am sticking with: interruptions are gifts. 

Sometimes I think I am tricking myself into being a more positive person or maybe I am truly beginning to commit to counting it all as joy.
I’m not sure which, but either way our flight was cancelled and we wouldn’t be getting home for another 28 hours.

Change always leads to something new.

And this change gave us more time to soak up the Texas sun, play cards, eat Blue Bell ice cream, and be with the ones we love.

I don’t know if you know this, but there is one thing you have to do when your flight gets cancelled: get breakfast food. 

It’s been said that breakfast food can cure just about anything.
It sure can cure a cancelled flight.

Sarah and I sat at a booth and drank almost good diner coffee and shared a stack of pancakes. We were surrounded by moms and daughters dressed in Taylor Swift tour t-shirts. There was also a father wearing one like it was a Father of the Year trophy. They hummed and danced and started sentences like, “Oh my gosh like do you remember when Taylor …” What a gift it is to give a child something that will change their lives forever. 

All around the diner you could hear bits of reviews from the concert.

“She was magical.”
“I would lose my voice for her again.”
“It was the best night of my life.”
“I’ll never forget it.”
“Everything was sparkly and perfect.”
“I love her.”
“Taylor Swift is everything.”

Taylor Swift lived up to their anticipation.
She was everything they imagined she would be and more.
And that has me thinking about Jesus and Palm Sunday and baptism.

What a gift.

With hope,

Tanner Olson
@writtentospeak

About the Author

Tanner Olson is an author, poet, speaker, and podcaster living in Nashville, Tennessee.

He is the author of I’m All Over the Place, As You Go, Walk A Little Slower, and Continue: Poems and Prayers of Hope.

You can find Tanner Olson’s books on Amazon.

His podcast is The Walk A Little Slower Podcast with Tanner Olson and can be found wherever you listen to podcasts.

Tanner Olson travels around the country sharing poetry, telling stories, and delivering messages of hope.

You can follow Tanner Olson on Instagram (@writtentospeak) and Facebook where you’ll daily find encouraging words of faith and hope.