아들들이 대학을 다닐 때의 일입니다. 적자(to write)생존에 관심이 많은 아빠가 아들들에게 우리 가족신문을 발행하자는 숙제를 준 적이 있습니다. 그런데 별로 관심을 보이지 않고 차일피일하다가 어느 날 큰 아들이 자기가 속한 학생신앙운동(S.F.C.)에서 신문을 내는 일을 맡았다고 자랑을 하길래 “아들아, SFC가 너를 낳아줬니? 키워줬니?”라고 박해를 했던 기억이 있습니다. 그렇지 않습니까? 아빠의 부탁을 듣지 않고 미루다가 그가 속한 S.F.C.의 신문을 내는 일을 맡았다고 자랑을 하니 … 이번에 들었습니다. 그 일도 결국 처리하지 못해서 S.F.C. 모임에 갈 때마다 부끄러워 고개를 들지 못했다는 사실을 확인했습니다. ADHD는 꽂히지 않으면 잘 하지 못합니다. 아빠도 마찬가지니까요^^
캐나다 둘째 네 집에서 8월 29일 토요일에 샌프란시스코로 돌아왔고, 31일 월요일의 출국을 앞둔 그 임박한 시간에 갑자기 아들이 가족신문 대신 가족이야기를 담은 블로그 만드는 일에 꽂혔습니다. 노가다 일은 AI에게 맡기고 명령만 내리는 새로운 시대이니 불가능할 리도 없습니다. 하여간 아빠가 CTS에 올린 칼럼들과 교회신문(CCMM)에 올린 칼럼들을 찾도록 명하고, 주일아침에 일어났더니 양쪽 인터넷 신문에 수년간 올린 칼럼 188편을 찾아놓았습니다. 주일예배를 다녀오는 앞 뒤의 시간에 내 칼럼뿐만 아니라 엄마의 글까지 찾아내어서 모든 컨텐츠는 일단 올려 놓았습니다. 물론 처음에는 포맷이나 검색/모아보기 등의 기능이 정리가 완벽하게 되지 않았지만 칼럼들이 모아져서 30년 전에 숙제 못한 것을 용서해 주기로 했습니다.
네, 대학 때 가족신문 만들어 주지 않은 허물을 사해줬습니다 ㅎㅎ 아들은 알려나? “허물의 사함을 받고 자신의 죄가 가려진 자는 복이 있도다”(시 32:1)는 시편의 고백을^^ 기왕 시작한 김에 그동안 부담을 갖고 있었던 영어와 아프리칸스로 번역도 아들이 했답니다. 한글을 읽지 못하는 해외에 있는 친구들과 소통을 하기 위해서지요. 몇 년전에 쳇지피티를 동원해서 내가 시도했던 적은 있지만, 한 편 한 편 바꾸는 것도 막노동 수준이어서 포기했던 일입니다. 하지만 지금은 세상이 달라져서 “밤 나와라 뚝딱”하면 밤이 나오는 도깨비 방망이처럼, 아내와 나의 한글 칼럼 238편을 곧 바로 영어와 아프리칸스로 뚝딱 번역해 놓더군요^^ 그것도 몇 년 전에 한 두 편 내가 한 시도는 중학생 영어였다면 이번에는 영어에 능통한 사람의 번역 수준으로! 영어뿐 아니라 아프리칸스까지^^
아들이 며칠 전 엄마의 생일 축하를 하면서 이렇게 썼네요 <Happy Birthday Mom! 엄마 생일 축하해요! 어린 시절부터 지금까지 늘 존경할 수 있는 삶의 본보기가 되어주셔서 감사합니다. 그리고 많이 사랑해요, 엄마! 생일을 맞아서, 엄마의 오프라인 수필집을 여기서 또 온라인으로 공유합니다. Thank you for being a lifelong role model I will always deeply respect. I love you dearly, Mom! To celebrate her birthday, I’m sharing the digital edition of her essays here (available also in English and Afrikaans). 며칠 전에 정가네 이야기에 접속한 선교사님이 반응을 남겼습니다. “방금 해봤는데 대단하네요^^ 정가네 이야기를 통해서 주님의 역사가 온 세상에 크게 메아리쳐 울리기를 기도합니다.” 때로는 민폐가 될 수도 있는 <칼럼 보내기>는 앞으로 중단하고 싶습니다. 제 소식이 궁금해 질 때는 https:/jungs.page 접속하십시오^^
It happened back when our sons were in college. As a father who firmly believes in "survival of the one who writes" (jeok-ja saeng-jon), I once assigned them the homework of publishing a family newsletter. But showing little interest, they kept putting it off. Then one day, our eldest son proudly boasted that he had taken charge of publishing the newsletter for his Student Faith Fellowship (S.F.C.). I remember teasing and grilling him playfully: "Son, did the S.F.C. give birth to you? Did they raise you?" Wouldn't anyone feel that way? He delayed his dad's request without paying heed, only to boast that he had taken on the job of producing the S.F.C. newsletter! . . . But just recently, I heard the whole story. Turns out he wasn't able to pull that off in the end either, and he admitted he was so embarrassed that he could hardly lift his head whenever he went to S.F.C. gatherings. People with ADHD simply can't do things well unless hyperfocused—and their dad is cut from the exact same cloth. ^^
We returned to San Francisco on Saturday, August 29th, from our second son's home in Canada. With our departure just around the corner on Monday the 31st, my son suddenly got hooked on the idea of building a family story blog instead of a family newsletter. In this new era where the heavy lifting can be handed over to AI while we simply give the prompts, nothing is impossible. At any rate, he commanded AI to hunt down all the columns Dad had published on CTS and in the Christian Church Media Mission (CCMM) newspaper. When I woke up on Sunday morning, he had already gathered 188 columns published across both web platforms over the years! Around the time of going to and from Sunday worship, he retrieved not only my columns but also Mom's writings, and managed to upload all the content for now. Of course, the formatting, search features, and categorized views weren't entirely polished at first, but with the columns finally brought together, I decided to forgive him for not doing his homework thirty years ago.
Yes, I pardoned his transgression of never making that family newsletter during college, haha. I wonder if he knows the confession from Psalm 32:1: "Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered"! ^^ Since he had already started, my son also took it upon himself to translate everything into English and Afrikaans—something that had weighed heavily on my mind for a long time. It was to communicate with our friends overseas who cannot read Korean. A few years ago, I attempted it using ChatGPT, but translating piece by piece felt like sheer manual labor, so I gave up. But today, the world has changed completely. Like a magic goblin club that brings out chestnuts the moment you command it, 238 Korean columns written by my wife and me were translated into English and Afrikaans in the blink of an eye! ^^ And while my meager attempt a few years ago sounded like middle school English, this time it was at the level of a fluent, native speaker! Not only in English, but in Afrikaans as well. ^^
A few days ago, my son wrote this while wishing his mother a happy birthday: <Happy Birthday Mom! 엄마 생일 축하해요! 어린 시절부터 지금까지 늘 존경할 수 있는 삶의 본보기가 되어주셔서 감사합니다. 그리고 많이 사랑해요, 엄마! 생일을 맞아서, 엄마의 오프라인 수필집을 여기서 또 온라인으로 공유합니다. Thank you for being a lifelong role model I will always deeply respect. I love you dearly, Mom! To celebrate her birthday, I'm sharing the digital edition of her essays here (available also in English and Afrikaans).> A missionary who visited Jungs' Story a few days ago shared this reaction: "I just checked it out, and it is wonderful! ^^ I pray that the work of the Lord will echo loudly throughout the whole world through Jungs' Story." Going forward, I would like to discontinue sending out my columns via message, which could sometimes feel like an imposition. Whenever you wonder how I am doing, please visit https://jungs.page ^^
Dit het gebeur toe ons seuns op universiteit was. As 'n pa wat vas glo in die "oorlewing van diegene wat skryf" (jeok-ja saeng-jon), het ek hulle eendag die huiswerk gegee om 'n gesinskoerantjie uit te gee. Maar sonder om veel belangstelling te toon, het hulle dit aanhoudend uitgestel. Toe spog my oudste seun eendag dat hy die taak gekry het om die koerantjie vir sy Studente-Geloofsbeweging (S.F.C.) uit te gee. Ek onthou nog hoe ek hom speels berispe het: "Seun, het die S.F.C. jou in die wêreld gebring? Het húlle jou grootgemaak?" Sou 'n mens nie so voel nie? Hy het sy pa se versoek geïgnoreer en uitgestel, net om te kom spog dat hy die koerant van sy S.F.C. behartig! . . . Maar onlangs het ek die volle waarheid gehoor. Dit blyk dat hy daardie taak op die ou end ook nie kon klaarkry nie, en hy het erken dat hy so skaam was dat hy skaars sy kop kon optel wanneer hy na die S.F.C.-byeenkomste gegaan het. Mense met ADHD kry eenvoudig niks reg tensy hulle heeltemal daarin verdiep is nie—en hulle pa is presies so gesny. ^^
Ons het op Saterdag 29 Augustus vanaf ons tweede seun se huis in Kanada na San Francisco teruggekeer. Met ons vertrek op Maandag die 31ste wat vinnig nader gekruip het, het my seun skielik op die nippertjie besluit om 'n webjoernaal vol gesinstories te bou in plaas van 'n gedrukte koerantjie. In hierdie nuwe era waar die swoegwerk aan KI oorgelaat kan word en ons net opdragte hoef te gee, is niks immers onmoontlik nie. Hy het die KI aangesê om al die rubrieke op te spoor wat Pa op CTS en in die kerkkoerant (CCMM) gepubliseer het. Toe ek Sondagoggend wakker word, het hy reeds 188 rubrieke bymekaargemaak wat oor die jare op albei platforms verskyn het! Tussen die Sondagdiens deur het hy nie net my rubrieke nie, maar ook Ma se geskrifte opgespoor en al die inhoud solank gelaai. Aanvanklik was die uitleg en soekfunksies natuurlik nog nie heeltemal afgerond nie, maar noudat die rubrieke bymekaar gebring is, het ek besluit om hom te vergewe dat hy dertig jaar gelede nie sy huiswerk gedoen het nie.
Ja, ek het hom sy oortreding vergewe dat hy nooit op universiteit 'n gesinskoerantjie gemaak het nie, haha. Ek wonder of my seun die belydenis van Psalm 32:1 ken: "Welgeluksalig is hy wie se oortreding vergewe, wie se sonde bedek is"! ^^ Noudat hy eenmaal aan die gang was, het my seun ook dadelik die vertaling na Engels en Afrikaans behartig—iets wat my lankal swaar op die hart gelê het. Dit was bedoel om te kommunikeer met ons vriende oorsee wat nie Koreaans kan lees nie. 'n Paar jaar gelede het ek self probeer om ChatGPT daarvoor in te span, maar om dit stukkie vir stukkie te vertaal was soos swaar handearbeid, en ek het moed opgegee. Maar die wêreld lyk vandag heeltemal anders. Soos 'n towervoorwerp wat dadelik te voorskyn bring wat jy vra, het hy my vrou en my se 238 Koreaanse rubrieke sommer blitsvinnig in Engels en Afrikaans vertaal! ^^ En waar my eie pogings jare gelede soos hoërskool-Engels geklink het, was dit hierdie keer op die vlak van 'n vlot spreker! Nie net in Engels nie, maar selfs in Afrikaans. ^^
My seun het 'n paar dae gelede sy ma met haar verjaarsdag gelukgewens en soos volg geskryf: <Happy Birthday Mom! 엄마 생일 축하해요! 어린 시절부터 지금까지 늘 존경할 수 있는 삶의 본보기가 되어주셔서 감사합니다. 그리고 많이 사랑해요, 엄마! 생일을 맞아서, 엄마의 오프라인 수필집을 여기서 또 온라인으로 공유합니다. Thank you for being a lifelong role model I will always deeply respect. I love you dearly, Mom! To celebrate her birthday, I'm sharing the digital edition of her essays here (available also in English and Afrikaans).> 'n Sendeling wat onlangs Die Jungs se Storie besoek het, het die volgende terugvoer gegee: "Ek het dit pas bekyk en dit is wonderlik! ^^ Ek bid dat die Here se werk deur Die Jungs se Storie wyd oor die hele wêreld sal weerklink." Voortaan wil ek ophou om my rubrieke per boodskap aan mense aan te stuur, aangesien dit soms tot last kan wees. As u wonder hoe dit met my gaan, besoek gerus https://jungs.page ^^