Elizabeth,
It’s a family name.
It’s my Grandmother’s name
And now my daughter’s.
When you
Hand down a name,
It is a statement saying
You belong in this family.
Rachana,
Her birth name.
It’s a Cambodian name
That is common for a girl.
When you
Give a name to someone,
It is a statement saying
You belong in this family.
She has never known her birth parents.
No names,
No pictures,
No goodbye letter.
Everything was temporary.
A foster home and an orphanage,
New people and new faces.
I wanted to be permanent in her life.
We are her new family
That will never change,
That will never leave,
And that will never disappear.
Most adopted kids
Have their birth name
As their middle name.
Her middle name is Perry.
Elizabeth Perry Jacobs,
Our very own daughter.
Jacobs family forever.
I wanted to make her feel like
She is apart of this family.
A family that won’t leave her
And that will always love her.
Rachana,
A girl who was alone.
Elizabeth,
A girl who is family.