My current favorite poem of all time is by Billy Collins. “Winter Syntax” begins,

“A sentence starts out like a lone traveler
heading into a blizzard at midnight . . .”

I love the imagery of the lonely struggle to find words to express the intangible in the hope of conveying meaning to others. I’ll be preaching this Sunday at First UU Church in Austin about the longings we have for whatever is missing in our lives. (Your ideas are welcome! Help me ruminate….)

My visit to India fed me spiritually and raised new questions about wealth and poverty. We went to temples and other places of devotion. We saw the generous spirit of the people. We saw a five-star hotel going up next to the waste pickers, who will be pushed further outside Delhi.

Contrasts like these seemed stark. We have similar stark contrasts in the U.S., where the budget process on local, state, and national levels reminds us of the disparity in priorities among us. It makes home budgeting look simple by comparison!

What do we owe one another? Is there hope for governments, corporations, non-profits, and ordinary folks to feed our needs? We are hungry for food, shelter, health care, and perhaps even hungrier for spiritual nourishment. What sources and resources do we have to strengthen the Beloved Community?