Happy Birthday, AG

Today is AG's 11th birthday. She's chosen the Happy Sumo restaurant here in Dunwoody for her celebration dinner. The guys are sighing deeply (not a meat-and-potatoes kind of place), but going along with it because it's her special day. The big party was Friday night, during the crazy tornado time, and she already received her "big" gift from us. But there are cards to open from family and friends as well as big brother A's gift . . . and cake!

Today is also Palm Sunday. I'm always struck by the celebratory entrance Jesus made. Enthusiastic crowds waving palms, certain that he'd use his God-hood to strike down the oppressive regime and lead them to paradise on earth. But Jesus certainly had other plans. The following days proved that his ways were not their ways . . . that power comes in many forms. Sad thing is, we still don't understand him. We want God to strike down our oppressors - poverty, illness, evil, random tragedy. But His ways are not our ways.

So we enter Holy Week with hindsight. We know how everything ends. We also know the amazing triumph after the end. I keep that in mind as I think about the tragedies, small and large, in our own community . . that triumph can come even after an ending.