Moreover, it is hard to be honest in prayer because honesty requires transparency. God is awful big and impressive and I don’t want to embarrass myself by saying something silly. My experience is more hesitant, more calculated when speaking to God. “Help, Thanks, Wow” encourages honest communication with The Father. Sometimes, swearing is necessary, although in some contexts, you’ll risk losing your audience. She is a faithful Christian, no doubt, but is open-minded about describing God and likes a well-placed swear word, which I appreciate. Many times, she refers to God as “She” or “Not Me” or “The Grandmothers” or “Mother” but it is simply an attempt to reach her readers who may or may not be that interested in the God of the Bible. Also, she is open-minded to the identity of God. In fact, I resonated with Lamott’s writing so much that rarely did two pages pass through my fingers without an underline or a margin-unwritten-in.įrom the beginning, Lamott’s style is probably grittier than some folks prefer: She swears a few times but it is used as an honest description and not simply a fill-in word. Smith voice), few books have more underlining and notes in the margins as, “Help, Thanks, Wow” which means that “Traveling Mercies” just moved up on the To Read list and more of Lamott’s works have been added to the wish list. I should have moved sooner to read her work. My only experience with Lamott was an essay read in an episode of This American Lifewhen she described an airline flight and music (see below). While I resonate with some squinty-eyed faithful folks like Flannery O’Connor or Frederick Buechner, I am skeptical of cynics. Furthermore, I (unfairly) assumed it would be a cynical, aggravated-at-the-Church biography similar to “Blue Like Jazz,” but with a female protagonist. Since I am such a non-conformist, I couldn’t possibly read anything popular (sarcasm). Honestly, I was skeptical to read it because so many people were reading it. There is a copy on my shelf of “Traveling Mercies” that someone at the college lost but it remains unread. Part 1 of 3: Helpįorgive me but this is the first Anne Lamott book that I’ve read. “Help, Thanks, Wow: Three Essential Prayers” by Anne Lamott. So, here is my first blog attempt at rabbit trails (notes in the margins), reflection and reviews of pages that I’ve read recently. As an evangelist for the written word (as opposed to films, television and most music with the exception of The Weepies), I hope to share readable, thought-provoking books with others so that you might enjoy them as much as I have.

For some time, I wanted to write about books that are worth suggesting to others to enjoy and be inspired by.

Three essential prayers