During our last trip down for Ian’s dedication, my sister met Ty for the first time.  It was special because not only did my sister name him, but Ty is also indirectly named after her.  My dad chose the Korean names for our kids.  Korean siblings (& cousins) often share a generational name syllable in addition to their family name.  So, in our kids’ generation, their common name syllable is “woo” which is derived from the chinese character meaning “friend”.  Imanuel’s name is “Sun-woo” (good friend), Micah’s name is “Hyun-woo” (wise friend), and their cousin Ian’s name is “Myung-woo” (bright friend).  Ian is named after my dad whose Korean name is “Myung-keuk”. 

When Ty came along, my dad decided to name him after my mom and sister who both share a common syllable, “Eun” which means “grace” (or “silver”).  So, Ty’s name is “Eun-woo” (gracious friend).  Their three names are special to our family because not only do all three of them share a common syllable though they span three different generations, the other part of their name is their generational name syllable shared with their siblings.  In our family, our names have been instrumental in giving us a sense of identity and belonging as well as pride in who we are.  It is my prayer that our boys will share in those bonds as they grow together in the Lord.        

Three of my favorite people, Ju-eun, Eun-bok, and Eun-woo, at their first reunion.