Harvester; It's My Name

What is in a name? In the Autumn season of “Living the Honeymoon Life,” I share about my lifelong heartache over my name. It always seemed as if it were just a casual decision, no real thought or meaning to it. Then I was given an assignment in hula ministry to research the meaning of my name.

I had done this exercise throughout my life with marginal results. ‘Derived from Theresa, feminine.” “Gender neutral, from Terry.” And on it went. I asked my mother once why I was named Terri. She said, “It was a character on a soap opera.”

“Did you like her? Was she special?”

“No,” my mother replied.

I knew she wasn’t trying to be mean, but it left me with a sense of meaninglessness.

When we did the assignment for hula, I was with mostly Hawaiian sisters. Their names are rich, and long, and beautiful, and meaningful. So I went into the exercise hesitant. My research uncovered what it had always; nothing significant. I uncovered slightly more historical references than were available before the Internet; this was the early 2000s, but I was still left feeling empty with the results. At the practice, we sat in a circle to share our findings. Several ladies shared, and a few even cited ancestors they had been named after. I was feeling smaller as we went around the circle. When the time came for me to share my kumu, Hawaiian for teacher, spoke up and said, “This is kind of strange, but I have a word for you, Terri. Your name means harvester, I looked it up, and it does!” My heart melted. Harvester, my name had purpose!

Since this encounter, I have operated on a much higher level of appreciation for my parents giving me my name. God knew that I would love to garden and that I would want to be a part of the harvest of His lost children.

Fast forward to today, September 7th, 2025. I was playing a New York Times puzzle on my phone. (Actually, Curtis and I compete in these games; it’s our daily healthy challenge.) One of the words to be categorized was Georgia. It immediately caught my attention and made me smile. While I was stationed in Italy with the Air Force, my landlords did not speak English. They were quite old and VERY old-fashioned. Every month when rent was due, I had to go exchange US dollars for Italian Lira, knock on their door, go in, drink a shot of grappa, and “talk” with them. It was a wonderful experience because, despite the language barrier, I knew they truly cared for me. When I was leaving, they would say, “Caio, Georgia!” That’s what they always called me. I assumed they could not pronounce Terri, and since my maiden name was Johnson, Georgia was close.

Today, however, God once again touched my soul with a profound truth. As I looked up words to try and find connections to each of them, I Googled Georgia, “A feminine name meaning 'farmer' or 'earth-worker.”’ My heavenly Father had once again reminded me, He knows my name!

Happy Honeymooning!

Isaiah 43:1 “But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, 'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!”’