Here I Write, I Can Do No Other
Sivin's Monthly Newsletter, October 2023
Dear fellow Adventurers,
Welcome to my first attempt at a monthly newsletter on Reformation Day 2023. I don’t have 95 theses to post like Martin Luther; my sharing is quite modest. I merely would like to give an update on some significant events, precious memories, and what’s important for me so that, if you are interested, you can follow along.
Just to get me going, I have decided to use some prompts from my Day One Journal App. Enjoy the ride.
WHAT WERE THE BEST THINGS THAT HAPPENED THIS MONTH?
The best things that happened this month were:
A beautiful and wonderful family trip to Zermatt on October 23–25, 2023
The train + bus + train ride was decent. What I remember most was the three hikes. The first day was hampered by the strong wind, so we didn’t manage to do a full hike. The scenery at the top was very nice even with the clouds blocking the view of some of the mountains. But I liked the snow. May Chin had a little fall on the icy path. Both of us had our respective tumbles when we were at the midpoint our planned journey. The second day’s hike during a rainy morning was really fine, and I think the climax for us was when we passed Furi’s cable car station to head toward the long bridge. I didn’t realize Ewan’s real fear of heights until that day (then again I’m afraid of heights too — I just hide it better). I’m glad we made it. The picnic was nice and the playground further was icing on the cake. All in all a very memorable walk. I could see how happy everyone was. This makes me tremendously grateful and I don’t have much to add.
The last -- third day -- was a last minute run back to where we missed the hike on Monday. It was as if God gave us a nice surprise with good weather. First, we saw the Matterhorn when we walked out of our apartment which I think inspired us. Then we decided to head up again. On this day, Ewan shone brightly as the hiking guide to lead us step by step. Both he and Anja led the way. The scenery was stunning, and was simply amazing. We had another nice little picnic there too. All in all this was a very nice family trip. We missed Gareth and Elysia.
I wonder when would we have another trip where all six of us are together.
I decided to take an important plunge on Day 300 of the year, October 27, 2023, into what I hope will take me deeper into what I believe will shape my life, my calling, and my contribution to this world for quite a while (more on this later when the time is ripe).
WHAT DO I WANT TO REMEMBER ABOUT THIS PAST MONTH?
I would like to remember how, at 51 years old, I am truly stepping into full confidence in who I am, what I’m called to do, what I would like to contribute, and what legacy I would want to leave behind. I would like to make sure that I have all the necessary experiences, tools, and technology that will allow me to draw from the biographical resources of my past and bring them up to date in the present.
WHAT DID I ACCOMPLISH THIS MONTH?
Here are some of my accomplishments in October 2023. I will capture them in two main categories: personal and professional.
Personal
I have reconfigured my online writing model: Medium for my writing—this is Sivin Kit’s Garden 2.0; Substack is now set up for my monthly newsletter and running notes (that’s going to be blog-like); I like the simple title Sivin Kit’s Adventures; I will record them there. The other social media stuff is mainly an archive, I guess, with my photos and quotes on Facebook and Instagram.
We had a good family trip together. I will call it the Zermatt trip. This was already highlighted above as one of the best things that happened this month.
I’m glad to have also played badminton with the kids and May Chin. I know this makes a lot of difference to our bonding together and our health too.
So far, I have been consistent in vacuuming the apartment. I celebrate that a little.
I have understood Tiago Forte’s PARA method. and I think it’s great. The bonus is that I’m now using Apple Notes as my to-do list too, to complement my Bullet Journal. The idea of Projects and Areas is something I can adapt. I’ve organized my computer documents too. So I’m happy.
Professional
I was deeply honored to give an opening remark of 5 minutes to the annual Women Human Rights Advocacy Training co-organized by LWF and our partners. I’m grateful for the thematic expert colleague who gave me some initial points. I was happy that I could also add my own touch to it.
It felt really good to facilitate the Department for Theology, Mission and Justice monthly progress meeting. I’m pleased that we have managed to meet consistently. So far, I have also sent 10 monthly letters to colleagues. I think we have really gotten into the rhythm of it. and overall, we had a good meeting this time too.
We had a good management team meeting on Thursday (19.10). I felt that we were able to go a little bit deeper as we reflected on the horror of war that is happening in the Middle East.
It was important to reconnect with the Wittenberg Center and make the necessary link again. I have many fond memories of the International Seminars for Pastors. I’m glad we could revitalize our commitment to cooperate more closely.
I’m thankful that somehow, with the help of many hands, we could work out some way forward to address a tricky situation that severely impacts those whom we are supporting. It’s not perfect, but hopefully it gets us out of being stuck.
The 1:1 meeting with a few colleagues has been really encouraging. More please.
Accompanying another person or community is a sacred privilege that I do not take for granted.
WHAT AM I LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH?
I am looking forward to the following in November 2023:
Celebrate my son Ewan’s birthday on November 9, 2023! He’s growing up fast and he’s quite mature for his age…
More rounds of badminton with the family!
Participate and contribute to the meeting with the German national committee of the LWF staff and project committee members on 2-3 November.
Facilitate “LWF Assembly Reflection” sessions with colleagues on 7-8 November — especially looking forward to hearing first thoughts on what the message and resolutions mean for our programs and teamwork.
Find ways to address the “administration needs” at work.
Reengage key partners to mobilize our resources together.
Support and contribute to the LWF Retreat of Newly Elected Church Leaders (RoNEL) 2023
Here I sit and try to finish one more paragraph so I can click the continue and publish button soon. I time-boxed this time so that I would actually finally get this done. It’s tempting to leave this in draft mode. But I think one has to take the plunge again. That’s how I got started with blogging. Admittedly, this round’s different using Substack. I hope that I can keep this monthly newsletter as consistent as the professional one that I write for our department.
Well, since it’s Reformation Day, I will draw some inspiration from Martin Luther, who apparently said once, “Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen.” I will just say, “Here I write; I can do no other too… so help me God. Amen”.