I’ve been called lots of names. Some, not-so-nice. Some, so-so. A few, very endearing. For a long span of my life, it was this:

Hey.

The dog whistle.

Or, I wasn’t given a name. Just spoken to, without specifics.

When I was young, I was affectionately called Rhonda Donda by my Mom. Kids at school, when it was something to speak Pig Latin, called me HondaRay. People, mocking the spelling of my name, jokingly call(ed) me Ra-Honda.

As an adult, I became known as Mom, Mama, Mrs. G, Mama G.

And how many times over the years has this been sung in my presence?

“Help me, Rhonda, help, help me Rhonda…”

But again, for many years, it was this:

Hey.

The dog whistle.

Or no name. Just addressed by speaking to me.

One of the most endearing qualities about Sam is that he says my name. And he surrounds it with love.  All those years, I rarely heard my first name spoken except by a few friends. My Mom said my name and wrote it in a birthday or thank you card on occasion. But, to hear “Rhonda” spoken from a place of love and not anger was a rare thing.

It’s electrifying to the soul when you hear your first name spoken, surrounded in love. It is also devastating and semi-permanent to be labeled with a first name surrounded in anger.

I was reminded when I read this. It’s powerful, and it brought forth so much emotion :

One Word That Can Bring Us Back to What Matters

Funny thing, or maybe not so funny at all.  Babynames.com says my name means “noisy.”  Okay. I get that. I do tend to ramble. And I am certain my girls and my students would attest to that definition after having to sit and listen to my long diatribes over the years. But, I first thought of this scripture in I Corinthians 13 when I found the website definition. “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” I hope that the definition of THIS Rhonda does not mean noisy in the sense that I have no love when I rattle and ramble.

Babynames.com may say that my name means “noisy,” but God says my name is written down in glory and He knows me by my name. And for that, I am very grateful today.

I am grateful for my husband who says my name surrounded with love.

I am also grateful for the reminder from Hands Free Mama that it is so important to do this:

Speak his name.
Sing her name.
Whisper his name.
Cheer her name.
Pray his name.
Celebrate her name.

Say it with fondness.
Say it with tenderness.
Say it with reverence.
Say it with kindness.

Attach it to soul-building words like:
You are my favorite.
You are enough.
I believe in you.
I’ve been thinking about you.

Take a moment to remember the time, thought, and care that went into choosing the name of the person standing before you and then say it—say it as if it’s the most beautiful word that ever came from your lips. This one simple action holds the power to strengthen weak connections … make lowly shoulders rise … let someone know he is not forgotten.

Today, let us not forget.

With one single word, we have the power to heal the past, pause the present, and illuminate the future.

Simply say it with love.