Praying at the End of a Day

 

HELP!

THANKS!

WOW!

You may recognize these three words as the title of one of Anne Lamott's books, Help, Thanks, Wow, The Three Essential Prayers. (I added the exclamation point and all-capital letters.) In her usual snarky and pithy style, Lamott reminds us to be honest in our conversations with God, and to stay aware of the life swirling around and within ourselves. ("When you're telling the truth, you're close to God." p.6)

I think of these three expressions--Help! Thanks! Wow!--as a kind of modern day examen, a spiritual practice created by St Ignatius of Loyola in the 16th century. The examen is a form of daily reflective prayer, an invitation to note the movement of God in the people and the events of a day. 

In other words Help! Thanks! and Wow!

St Ignatius suggested a time of preparation before beginning to pray the examen. Light a candle or take a few deep breaths. My preparation is more apt to be washing my face and brushing my teeth. Doing those simple tasks signals the end of the day. "Time to let go of the day," I tell myself as I look at this 72 year old face in the mirror.

The next step, according to the Ignatian custom, is to review the day with gratitude, but here's where I am more of a Lamottan. In order to get to gratitude, I need to sigh, big, fat, and deep sighs. Those sighs are all the ways I need help and all the ways I see and feel the need for God's presence in the world around me. Help the people of Beirut. Help the men incarcerated unfairly. Help those suffering during this time of pandemic. Help our friends who son recently died and our friends who received a devastating diagnosis. 

What brings me to my knees? Where do I feel the hurt of the world and where do I hurt?

And what am I noticing about myself? What are the many ways I could be more compassionate, loving, and courageous and less judgmental and apathetic? This is a tall order, but it seems to me, help is only a couple consonants away from hope.

              Help. Help us walk through this. 

              Help us come through.

              It is the first great prayer.  p. 15

Once I have shouted a bit, at least inside my head and heart, I am able to give thanks. I begin with the obvious things: the good health of myself and my loved ones, our church community, our ability to live in a lovely home and to be financially comfortable, the friendships and love that sustain me ETC. ETC.  And then I think about the specific reasons to be grateful for the day and what has enhanced my life that day. Spending time with my beloved sister on her birthday, receiving an email from one of my father's dear friends, meeting with my writing group and hearing such wise and helpful feedback, attending a small gathering to celebrate a friend and her new book, writing and reading in my Paris garden often accompanied by a scampering chipmunk, and welcoming our grandson who stops by briefly on his way to baseball camp. What a good day! 

Lamott says, "You breathe in gratitude and you breathe it out, too." p. 60.

When I feel my spirit lift, I am in the midst of a WOW! moment. When I experience an intake of breath outside of the normal in and out of steady breathing, I know I am in the midst of a WOW! moment. When I need to stop for just a second or need to reread a line in the novel in my hands or when I close my eyes to savor a good taste in my mouth or to hear more clearly what is being said, that's WOW! Or when a smile seems too big for my face. 

Saturday while cleaning bathrooms, I listened to the first episode of The Michelle Obama Podcast (on Spotify--get the free app.) in which Barak is the guest. Listening to them was like standing in the kitchen with them. I imagined Michelle putting together a salad, and he was opening a bottle of wine or getting beer out of the refrigerator. I had volunteered to set the table and kept opening drawers till I found the flatware and napkins. You know, one of those comfortable, at ease kind of times. We were all just talking about what is important to us and how we got to this point in our lives. And at the end of the podcast she says "Love you," and he says, "Love you, too," and I said, "Wow!"

The last step in the examen is to pray for tomorrow, and I think that is exactly what the wow moment does. If I can feel a wow, then I know I am ready for tomorrow. I know I will enter the next day with an open and uplifted heart--with plenty of room for God. 

Lamott's book was published in 2012, but as I reread it, I thought how not a word needs to be changed for today. We've always needed help, and there are always reasons to give thanks. and oh yes, moments of wonder and amazement and bubbles of joy are never far away. 

Perhaps this is the only spiritual practice we need: Help! Thanks! Wow!

An Invitation: What will you include in your examen today? I would love to know.