January 2019 - LPNI

    

Janus, the Roman God of Mythology, the Beginning and the End

Christ our Lord, our Alpha and Omega

Most of you who read this know me by the name Jamie, pronounced as though it were spelled Jammy.  My legal birth name is Janice Ann Morrison.  The physician who delivered me was the woman my mother worked with for several years before I was born.  Dr. Newman, a single woman with no children, was playing with my initials JAM and just started calling me “Jammy”, but spelling it Jamie, thus it stuck that way.  I grew up in a small town and everyone there either called me “Jammy” or in rare instances “Janniece” not pronounced Janice, as is my legal name, since there was an older woman in town who also had the name Janice but pronounced as Janniece.  

I was probably 17 and off to my diploma nursing program before anyone called me “long a” in Jamie as opposed to using the “short a”.   Janice is from the root word John, and is the feminine of Jane and related names such as Janice, Janet, Jana.  The meaning of John and its derivatives in the Christin sense is “God is gracious” or “Gracious gift of God”.  However, some sources list Janice as derived from Janus, the Roman god in mythology, the god of beginnings and endings.  Janus is often pictured with two faces, one pointing forward and the other pointed back.  Thus we get the first month of the year and the beginning of the new year named January after this Roman god.  

January is often the time to make New Year resolutions.  These are plans or goals to make a change.  Generally, these are for making some personal improvement in health, behavior, relationships, etc.  However, sources tell us that the generic resolution fails by February, the second month of the year!  Incidentally, February was named after another Roman god, Februus.  The Festival of Februa was for ritual cleansing.  

What does all of this matter?  It really doesn’t!  For Christians, the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega, is only our Savior, Christ the Lord as recorded in Revelation 1:11.

As for beginnings, what can you do today to begin to be a better steward of the gifts God has given you?  What can you do today to be a better person in the various roles you have in life?  What can you do to make your home a better place to serve the Lord?  What service to your neighbor can you do to help him become a better person?  What small change can you make for your community, your church, your town, your country to be a better place for all?  

Now is the time for new beginnings that hopefully can last beyond February.  My mother, who lived to be 101 and died on Christmas Eve two years ago, used to tell me and my brother that “started was half done”.  She firmly believed that beginning well would lead to a good ending.  She practiced that throughout her life.  Her life reflected the presence of her Christian Alpha and Omega, the beginning and ending with her Lord and Savior.  May all of us begin this new year with God’s hand on our shoulder, guiding us to better beginnings with the outcome of our best endings.  Amen.

Jamie Spikes, PhD, RN

Parish Nurse, St. Luke’s Lutheran

Manhattan, KS USA