Read. Repeat. Pray. Repeat.
Today I am grateful for acceptance and a healthy perspective. Both help me approach challenges with calm. Both are amplified by gratitude practice.
So what about today's blog post title? Read. Repeat. Pray. Repeat. That's what I do with Anne Lamott's books. I read them once, love them, laugh, marvel at the insights I can so relate to, put them down feeling full and blessed. What strikes me the first time I read one of her books will be different the next time I read it. I like books like that.
Months after reading one of Lamott's books, I will pick it back up again, when I need a boost. I just read Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers for the second time. I have blogged about Anne Lamott, my favorite author, numerous times. You can read some of those posts here and here.
In this trip through Help, Thanks, Wow, these words on p. 100 struck me:
"If you're like me, you ask your higher power for help and then cause further need for help by procrastinating or refusing to cooperate with simple instructions that follow sincere petition. And yet, even so, grace, progress, blessings continue to be given to you, because God gives. It's God's job"
Because I am human and have faulty thinking and ego issues, I often refuse to cooperate with simple instructions. It may not lead to disaster, but it certainly messes with my level of serenity. But I have learned that my Higher Power never tires of me asking for help and support. And as Lamott says, grace, progress, and blessings continue to be given to me, to all of us, simply because we are part of God's creation.
If giving is God's job, what's mine? I believe my job is to be of service to others, to make the most of each day, to have a level of humility that allows me to see where help is needed, to recognize my blessings and give thanks for them. Another daily job is to pray, then pray some more. To me, prayer is connecting to my Higher Power, prayer is asking for help for others who need it. Many times, prayer is all I can offer. But it is something. And it is worth repeating.
So what about today's blog post title? Read. Repeat. Pray. Repeat. That's what I do with Anne Lamott's books. I read them once, love them, laugh, marvel at the insights I can so relate to, put them down feeling full and blessed. What strikes me the first time I read one of her books will be different the next time I read it. I like books like that.
Months after reading one of Lamott's books, I will pick it back up again, when I need a boost. I just read Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers for the second time. I have blogged about Anne Lamott, my favorite author, numerous times. You can read some of those posts here and here.
In this trip through Help, Thanks, Wow, these words on p. 100 struck me:
"If you're like me, you ask your higher power for help and then cause further need for help by procrastinating or refusing to cooperate with simple instructions that follow sincere petition. And yet, even so, grace, progress, blessings continue to be given to you, because God gives. It's God's job"
Because I am human and have faulty thinking and ego issues, I often refuse to cooperate with simple instructions. It may not lead to disaster, but it certainly messes with my level of serenity. But I have learned that my Higher Power never tires of me asking for help and support. And as Lamott says, grace, progress, and blessings continue to be given to me, to all of us, simply because we are part of God's creation.
If giving is God's job, what's mine? I believe my job is to be of service to others, to make the most of each day, to have a level of humility that allows me to see where help is needed, to recognize my blessings and give thanks for them. Another daily job is to pray, then pray some more. To me, prayer is connecting to my Higher Power, prayer is asking for help for others who need it. Many times, prayer is all I can offer. But it is something. And it is worth repeating.
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