What is your middle name? Does it carry any special meaning/significance?
My middle name is John. It was not passed down as a family tradition; in fact, my father has no middle name. I suspect my parents chose it simply because it was a name they liked.
But I have come to value it for a different reason. John means “God has been gracious,” and over time that meaning has mattered more and more to me. I come from a secular family, so I do not imagine my parents were making a theological statement, yet I am grateful for the name they gave me. Grace and mercy are among the attributes of God I value most, and the older I get, the more I see how necessary they are.
During COVID, many international students were stranded and anxious, and part of my role was to care for them through that uncertainty. Right now, we have several Iranian students who cannot go home and are fearful that they may not be able to stay. They are carrying worry for their families, financial strain, and the stress of an uncertain future. In times like these, grace and mercy are not peripheral things. They are among the most important gifts we can offer one another.
The Afterword 
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