Years ago a friend recommended that I read Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott. I’ve been hooked on her writing ever since. When her newest book Help Thanks Wow: Three Essential Prayers came out at the end of 2012, I purchased a hard copy immediately. Now, I tend to read a lot of my books on my Kindles or Apple devices, so purchasing a hard copy indicates an importance that used to not exist. I purchase “real” books when I know it’s one that I want to own, possess, share. As usual, I did not read it right away. A friend from church has been encouraging me to lead a book study group for some time and after the holidays we got together to discuss what that might look like. I knew that I did not want to reread any books since I have so many new books that I want to explore. I looked at my piles of “churchy” books that I have yet to read and picked a dozen or so that might be good for a wide range of ages and theological backgrounds. I knew right away that Lamott’s newest would be the perfect pick for our first book. When I introduced the book to our group I had only read the introduction. I was a little surprised to realize that not everyone was drawn to her writing in the way that I am. I was a bit discouraged to think that I may have been off base in my choice.
However, after a great discussion about reading with an open mind and an open heart everyone went home to begin reading. I must admit I have a difficult time writing in books. Must be left over from being the daughter of a librarian. Therefore, I did not read the rest of the book until the weekend before our next meeting. This time frame coincided with my father’s neck surgery and I found the readings exceptionally comforting.
I just love the way Lamott writes. Her words just resonate with me in every way. She is brutally honest and shows great respect for the reader. In this book she breaks down prayer into three simple categories. So many times I hear people say that they struggle with prayer. When this is the case, I think they must be working too hard at it, or maybe are putting too many qualifications into their prayers. It’s as simple as she says – Help Thanks Wow. Ask for God’s help by being authentic in what your needs are. You can’t hide anything from God, so why pretend. Then be thankful for all that you’ve been blessed with. Even in the darkest time there are things to be thankful for. As long as you have breath you can be thankful. Then WOW! Relish in the beauty of creation and just enjoy with praise.
When we met again as a group to discuss Lamott’s work, I was thrilled to learn that everyone in the group enjoyed the book. Those who are comfortable writing in their books came back with ink filled copies. Our discussion was energetic and left us ready to tackle the next book.