Nthabiseng  is my African name,. It means: “Make Me Happy”.

I consider it to either be a statement of how I should be, or  demand in that when people call me Nthabiseng, they make a demand of me, to bring happiness. For me, personally, its an infinite reminder that God wants me to be HAPPY. “Oh Lord, the Lord gave me a challenge on that one! ”

When I visited South Africa in 2003, I never knew I would return with a new name.. How perfect, I thought, for God saw me.  He used a 17 yr old girl named Ama,  to offer up a name for me.  She  named me  a name that helped breathe life into me, again. I was deep in unhappiness at the time trying to make some major decisions about my life and future. And God sends Ama. Blessed be the Name of the Lord , for showing me how names have power and intrigue and depth.

I was so intrigued by the name, as she sputtered it out. her name, Ama. She was seventeen in 2003. We sat in her living room in Sandton, S. Africa and I was trying on a South African dress. She must have seen something in me. A spark, maybe my dream come true To travel overseas. She saw me ignite. My fire, arise.

These days have no problem in letting that fire arise.

It comes naturally… sometimes as a spark, a flame, or even a rushing fire… but it doesn’t burn. Oh no, no burning…

Just purifying.

A cleansing awareness.

So I am thankful for the name, because it catapulted me forward into purpose. makes me realize why I am here on earth. To make others happy, but also “me”, happy.

Happiness became a journey for me. A destination. A venture. And I am so very glad this is my story. It makes  creating meaningful happy moments all  the mote more special.