May 4, 2025
The Threads in My Hand by Howard Thurman
The Threads in My Hand
“Only one end of the threads, I hold in my hand.
The threads go many ways, linking my life with other lives.
One thread comes from a life that is sick; it is taught with anguish
And always there is the lurking fear that the life will snap.
I hold it tenderly. I must not let it go …
One thread comes from a high flying kite;
It quivers with a mighty current of the fierce in holy dreaming
Invading the common day with far off places and visions bright…
One thread comes from the falling hands of an old, old friend.
Hardly aware am I of the moment when the tight line slackened
and there was nothing at all - nothing…
One thread is but a tangled mass that won't come right;
Mistakes, false starts, lost battles, angry Words - - a tangled mass;
I have tried so hard but it won't come right ...
One thread is a strange thread - - it is my steadying thread;
When I am lost, I pull it hard and find my way.
When I am saddened, I tighten my grip and gladness glides
along it's quivering path;
When the waste places of my spirit appear in arid confusion,
the thread becomes a channel of newness of life.
…One thread is a strange thread - - it is my steadying thread;
God’s hand holds the other end…”
Meditations of the Heart by Howard Thurman, Pg.126,127
Invitation: “…the threads in my hand.”
For more on Howard Thurman, and his body of work. Link
Including a synopsis of his work at this link
We will meet for the Community Table Monday, May 5th at 8:00 PM ET. Contact us for information HERE.
Learn More About Circles of Courageous Commons HERE
Pat and I are almost at the end of our vacation. We have been in Portland and now in British Columbia. It has all been time with dear friends who each are threads, who we have known for decades. Each a beautiful story and color in our tapestry. How grateful we are for the gifts of breathing and gracious threads.
“Only one end of the threads, I hold in my hand. The threads go many ways, linking my life with other lives," offers Howard Thurman.
The image of this tapestry of threads being held in one's hand going out to others within a network of varied relationships is a powerful one for me. Each thread, each leading to a friend, is unique like the relationship itself as Thurman describes. Some of these threads are changing, and have changed. And, gratefully, some new threads have been added.