What’s in a Name?

I went to my grandmother’s burial this week, a sort of sad occasion, however she was 93 years old, so had a full long life.  The minister present told a story about how he had been a placement student at her church and then came back some months later.  It was around Christmas, when she was still well enough to attend, and he called her by name when he saw her.  He relayed that she was genuinely surprised and delighted that this young student would remember her name.  I think we all know that we feel seen, cared about, noticed and appreciated when people remember our names and use them.  I hear these words a thousand times at conferences and provincial meetings – I am terrible with names.  Totally understandable with so many people in our lives, that is why the first critical piece of gear at many gatherings is a name tag.  There is something so special about hearing your own name.  While it is a lot to remember and take in, I think we need to try and work at people’s names, learning pronunciation,  memorizing names and faces.  A tall order let’s start where we are.  Do you know all the names of the people on your team at work?  Do you shorten or avoid some because they are difficult for you to pronounce?  Are you aware of people’s pronouns and using what they prefer?   There is a great hymn where the first line is “I have called you by your name” and it is about that feeling of belonging and being appreciated.  This is something we all have the power to do, every day.  Learn, remember, use people’s names and spread that delight all over the place.