I was in the kitchen mopping the floor and my folks were
watching television in the living room. My dad must have thought I had gone
home. He might even have dozed off and just wakened from a slight nap,
remembering that I had been there.
"She is mopping," I heard my mom answer. That was
all. No further discussion. They went back to watching their show. But it
caused me to stop to think.
I am in favor. I always know when someone uses that name -
Jannie - that everything is ok. I am in favor. It has always been that way. "Trouble",
when I was little, usually meant first and middle name. But sometimes, even now,
"Jan" means I better watch my p's and q's.
My Grandma P always called me "Jannie". I loved
it. And because of her, all my cousins on that side of the family call me "Jannie". I remember years and years later when we had
all grown up and then some, my oldest
cousin let "Jannie" slip from his lips, due to habit. I didn't mind at all. But I could tell
he caught himself and was wondering if that was still appropriate. I should
have told him right then, that it is actually my preference. To me, it means
everything is ok.
A bit later, an elderly aunt called me "Jannie" - probably
never thinking twice about it. To her, that is who I was. It warmed my heart so
much to hear her use that name that later I found myself telling her in a
Christmas card about how much I loved to hear her call me that after all these years.
A Christmas card came back from her addressed to "Jannie" and they
have come that way ever since. I LOVE that.
I had a friend at work years ago that always affectionately
called me by this name. I don't remember how that ever got started. But I do
remember that my boss at the time, also picked up that same habit from her. And
I always knew when everything was ok, when he called me "Jannie". I had found
favor. I still remember my last day of work there, and what he said. "Let me walk you out, Jannie."
My youngest sis doesn't know this, but I can always tell me
when she is a bit irritated with me, because it is then she calls me
"Jan"...otherwise it is almost always "Jannie". It is then
I know for sure that I am in "favor".
And on this day, I had found favor with my dad. As my folks
age. It isn't always that way. Life can be difficult for them sometimes. We all
can get a bit crotchety when we don't feel well.
But on this day, the name brought all kinds of warm thoughts
to my mind. Jannie.
Names really are so special. I love being "mama"
to my son. He had always heard his dad call his mom, "mama". So it came out naturally. Not so much
anymore. Somehow (only in the last couple years) I have become "Mom". I would rather be Mama. So too, I would rather be Jannie.
As I was about my business today...I thought about all the
people to whom I am Jannie. Just after starting this post, but before finishing,
I popped into Facebook. I saw a cousin there had just commented on one of my
photos, and she had called me "Jannie". :-) It is never always that I hear this name, but it always is when I have found favor. :-)
As I was contemplating all of this, I thought a bit deeper - I am usually guilty of that. But
I wondered: "What is the name our Lord has for me?" What will He call
me when we meet face to face? I don't want to be called Servant; though I hope,
indeed, that is what I am. I want
to know I have found favor. I hope I hear Him call me, "Jannie".
