What’s in a name?
A name… 
My name…  
What’s in my name?

Does a name change a face?
A life?
A destiny?

Does a name give value?
Or take it away?

Does a name define a person?
Their character?
Their personality?

Kwon Mee-hwa: Abandoned child. Identity erased. Unknown parents, too poor to provide the peace of abortion. Three older sisters were all they could manage.

Laura Sue Baumgardner: Adopted, adored Asian dollbaby. Her middle name, her adoptive mother’s first, given in effort to make her feel included. She filled the hole a dysfunctional, closed womb left in its wake. One biological baby wasn’t enough.

Haiku Kwon: Broken, suicidal, lost mess of a girl. Her coffee shop colleague and brother-like friend foresaw a future in a dream that held more than eating disorders, cutting, and overdosing—a haiku, short, like her. Seventeen syllables containing 17 years… with more to follow. “There’s more to come, little sister. Better things are out there for you.”

Kwon Hyo-jin: Abandoned child. Her parents needed the salvation only a male could provide. Hyo-jin means “filial piety.” Her father’s wishes inscribed in the name the adoption agency chose to ignore. He desperately hoped she wouldn’t resent their devastating decision.

Laura Sue Kruis: Married woman, still hanging on. Her friend was right all those years ago. There was more than darkness. So, her story continues on… 

What’s in my names?