At our Second Saturday Conversation October 10, 2026 we continued to hold the question “How do we sing our song in a strange land?” (From Psalm 137). We did so through reflecting on a poem by Welsh poet R.S. Thomas, The Bright Field, and the story in Mark’s gospel about blind Bartimaeus. Both stories are moved by the experience of “seeing again.” Bartimaeus longs to. The small field is seen again. And both the longing and the experience changes everything. Before we “sing our song” perhaps we need to “see again.” What was most important about this session was the response of the participants. They are the community of Second Saturday Conversation. Their reflections on my prompt made this time important. Carry out your own reflections in your own circles. That is the intent of Second Saturday Conversations: to encourage more conversation and exploration.
Our next gathering is November 14. After Election Day, November 3. Vote! I quoted Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark, who said “vote as though your lives depend on it.” Vote!
I am grateful to all who are part of this community of care, thoughtfulness, trust, resilience and look forward to gathering together on November 14. We will continue to ask “How do we sing our song in a strange land?”