"COME WHAT MAY!" 4/25/10

When I was young I felt invincible and I bet you did too. Now that I am a seasoned woman in my 70's the phrase 'come what may' has become a motto. This line came to me one morning because it was raining. I heard we were to have snow but it is raining! Oh well; 'come what may!' As a follower of Morning Glory you already know that I like to find out why we say things but I couldn't find out why we say this. But I did discover that the phrase was first found in the 1300's in French. In reading your Mcbeth which was dated somehwere in the 1600's it appears again. The Spanish 'Que sera sera" even predates Shakespeare.

Before Doris Day sang Que Sera Sera, Patti Page popularized "Come What May" in the 1950's. Of course who could ever forget Moulin Rouge. In my research I found out what it means; "No matter what happens, I'll be home for dinner." In my early twenties I took several trips to San Francisco with my sisters, Jean and Joyce. Our second trip was a champagne flight which included dinner. Joyce and I sat two rows back from Jean but we were across the isle so we could at least see her. When the champagne was served, Joyce and I declined but we watched intently to see if Jean took some. Oh well; 'come what may'; she declined also.

When our visit came to an end we returned the car to the rental place and checked in for our flight. They said we had been bumped because we didn't call in to verify the return flight. I did do that but they could find no record. They had one seat left so one of us could take the scheduled flight but two of us would have to wait for a later flight. Mom wasn't going to be too happy if Joyce (the youngest) wasn't on that flight. So it was decided Joyce would take the flight by herself while Jean and I would take the later one. Joyce fretted about taking this flight alone. Oh well; "No matter what happens, we will all be home for dinner!"

As it turned out, all of us went on board the scheduled flight and returned home no worse for wear. Of course we bent God's ear during the few hours before we boarded and praised Him all the way home. Our trip was wonderful and we decided that we wouldn't take the plane again; much easier by train. even though it takes longer. So whether it rains or snows; whether we get to travel together or not; 'come what may', because our God is the same yesterday, today and forever. I suppose you could say that is another way of saying; 'no matter what happens, we will all be home for dinner!"

How many times have we found ourselves working on a clock? Keeping that clock ticking keeps us busy and hopefully out of trouble. But when those things that 'come what may' cause delays, are we willing to take the time to help someone else? Remember the story of the Good Samaritan as found in Luke 10:25-37? The traveler is mugged and left half dead on the side of the road. The traveler watched as several Godly men came near but crossed the path and passed by on the other side. I have often wondered how the traveler felt when he watched them do that. Did he think to himself, 'come what may, I'll be home for dinner?" Another man came near him; I wonder if his heart sank once again when he saw that he was a Samaritan; I wonder if he thought to himself; 'come what may!" I wonder how surprised he was when the Samaritan stopped and helped him and even put him on his donkey and led him to a safe place to be cared for at his expense. Have you ever wondered about the traveler and how he felt?

I remember one thanksgiving, Jean and I were traveling to Joetta and Gene's house where the family was gathering. As I drove along the busy highway a young man on a bicycle was just ahead of us traveling near the curb, when his front wheel became wedged in the iron grate near the curb. He flew over the handle bars and landed almost in the traffic. Jean yelled stop! I pulled passed the young man and stopped just up ahead. We got out and Jean ran over to see how the man was doing. He was bleeding! I got a towel out of the trunk of my car and put it under his head while another passer by went for help. We waited until help came and left when we knew he was being taken care of.

"Which of these three, do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers? The one who showed mercy on him! And Jesus said to him, "go and do likewise." Luke 10:36-37 Being a neighbor is one of the ways we should live! By Jane Ann Crenshaw 4/20/10