My children call me “Gina. I became the legal guardian for two nieces and two nephews, ages 2-6 when I was 21. They had called me Gina since they could talk. When their mother, my only sibling, died unexpectedly, and I took physical custody of them, I let them continue to call me by that nickname. I didn’t want them to forget their mother or to confuse them by having them call me Mama.
Today, their children and grandchildren call me Granny Gina or Grandma Gina, except for a grandson who calls me Maw (I have no idea how that started). My children’s friends call me Miss Gina. Everyone else calls me Regina. For more than fifty years, Gina has been a beloved name, as I am reminded each time it is spoken by the people whom I love most in the world in trials, sufferings, triumphs, and pleas for help that I am loved, needed, and seen as relevant and valuable.
To some people, it has been weird to hear my children not call me Mama. When asked about it, I explained that each time my children say, “Gina,” I hear “Mama.” Nobody but Jesus will ever love them more, and they know it! So, it is not what one is called that matters, but the emotions that the name engenders in our spirit are most important to how we respond and see our place in the world.
Help from Heaven 
This is so heartwarming Regina – Gina. Beautiful
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