Years ago I read Anne Lamott’s Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers. Loved it.
According to Lamott, Help, Thanks, Wow are the three prayers – the only three prayers – that we need.
Prayer being, in her words, “communication from the heart to that which surpasses understanding.” Because you may or may not believe in God. I personally, as I believe I’ve shared here, believe in god, or sometimes (often) goddess.
But whatever you believe, it’s been my experience that having that communication from my heart to something beyond (and within) me is life saving. And life filling. And I love Lamott’s three prayers, because truly, they sum up everything I need to say.
“Help this is hard. I feel lost and want to be held.”
“Thank you. For so so much (and everything).”
And
“Wow. Just wow. This (and this, and this, and this) is amazing.”
The other thought that Lamott shared, that blew me away…
‘What’s the difference between you and God? God never thinks he’s you.”
Because I wholeheartedly forget this at times. Sometimes I think that I’m God (or god, or goddess). Sometimes I think that I’m in charge, or at least I should be. That I’m the one who makes things happen. That I’m the one who has to fix things. Especially that I’m the one who has to fix things.
And Help, Thanks, Wow allows me – reminds me – that I can ask for help. That it’s okay to ask for help. That I can open up and let go, and allow the love of the universe (and of goddess) to flow in me and through me.
Help, Thanks, Wow. Those are my prayers today.
I’d love to hear your thoughts, and please share this post with others if it resonates with you!
Wow. Thanks for sharing this one. These three little words will help me through my day.
But 4am thoughts: I disagree a bit. You of all people who gets things done – e are in charge, we do make it happen, we do have to fix things…..however we are not “god” in that we don’t necessarily succeed in each of the endeavors, and it is not a disaster if we do not. And we don’t have to take on each and every single issue because there are hundreds of billions of issues to tackle….we can take a break sometimes too…. long breaks. Long lifetime breaks. And the universe or god will balance and stabilize without us. But we can change the world. Integrating “god”: our action, nonaction, indecision on action….all end up retrospectively as part of the master plan.
Yes. Yes. And yes. We can take a break – a long break – and we change the world.