Initializing FRAM - MSP430FR5738

I am using a MSP430FR5738 and I would like to add a global variable that is initialized when the code is flashed to the device, but can later be modified by the application. My intention is for that modification to be permanent and stored into FRAM, and not get overwritten the next time the MSP430 boots. I noticed several threads on the forum that were similar, but none that seemed to answer my question.

To add to my question: is there a method that I could use such that Code Composer would initialize the variable only the first time the device was programmed? In other words if the application changes that non-volatile variable, it will not be reset if the device is reprogrammed. This would be a nice-to-have, the initial question above is the requirement.

Thank you