Sometimes the biggest changes come softly, through small joys, tiny wins, quiet days, and the courage to begin again. This space is my way of tracing those quiet beginnings.
My name is Jo. I was born in South Korea, spent part of my childhood in two other countries, and later worked in Seoul. While I was working in Seoul, I met my husband Sung, a Korean-American raised in New York City, and before I knew it, I’d built a life in the States. Somehow, it’s already been 18 years(!).
I still remember the fall of 2007. My English was fine, but leaving my parents and everything familiar behind to move halfway across the world wasn’t easy. Starting a new life and marriage in a new country, I often felt lost and unsteady as an outsider learning how to belong. Through it all, Sung’s steady kindness, patience, and quiet strength have been my anchor. He’s the kind of partner who makes even the hardest seasons feel softer, and I’m endlessly grateful for him.
For 10 years, we lived in Northern New Jersey while he commuted into Manhattan. When I joined the Federal Government, we moved to the Washington, D.C. area (what locals call the “DMV,” short for D.C., Maryland, and Virginia) and we have since settled into a quiet corner of Northern Virginia.
We are a family of five right now: my husband Sung, our 13-year-old son Aaron, who is in 8th grade, and our two rescue dogs Rook and Butters — Korean Jindo mixes we adopted from South Korea two years ago.
And always, Sung and I carry in our hearts Collin, our first-born son, the most perfect and extraordinary child of God, who became an angel at 13 and now lives in heaven with our Almighty Father.
Wherever you are reading this from, my hope is that you are all well and that your day is beautiful, that it is filled with tiny, quiet moments of love and gratitude.
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