“Gratitude begins in the heart and then dovetails into behavior.” Anne Lamott, Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers
I just finished reading Anne Lamott’s Help, Thanks, Wow, a short but profound book about prayer. In it, Lamott says that the three essential prayers of Help, Thanks, and Wow cover almost everything we might ever want to say to God.
- Help: Asking for guidance or strength;
- Thanks: Expressing gratitude for life’s gifts;
- Wow: Pausing in wonder at life’s beauty.
Of the three, Thanks stayed with me most. Lamott shows, through her life’s examples, that gratitude isn’t about pretending life is perfect or ignoring what’s hard. It’s a practice: a way of returning to what’s true and noticing the gifts already present in the world around us.
Quiet Power of Thanks
Saying thank you doesn’t erase pain or fix everything. It doesn’t pay bills or fold laundry. But it does something quieter, and maybe more important. It changes how we see. It shifts our attention from what’s missing to what’s here, from scarcity to abundance, hurry to stillness.
The paradox at the center of Lamott’s book is simple: gratitude leaves life just as it is, yet somehow changes everything about how we live it. The mess stays, but grace begins to grow in the middle of it.
Lamott writes from a place of faith, but the practice of thanks isn’t limited to those who believe. Whether through prayer, reflection, or simple awareness, anyone can notice the small gifts around them.
Practice Thanks
You don’t need a journal, a retreat, or perfect conditions to practice thanks. Those things can be helpful but are not required. Gratitude can live in the smallest actions, right where you are.
This week, let’s notice the little things as they appear.
A warm cup in your hands.
A kind word from someone.
The sound of wind moving through the trees.
Notice small gifts, reflect on a bright spot in your day, send a quick note of thanks, or offer a small act of kindness. Practicing thanks in these moments is something I’ve been trying to do too.
You don’t have to be thankful for everything. Just noticing what’s here can be enough. Pay attention and let it sink in.
Hearts soften.
Ordinary moments feel lighter.
Life may not change, but the way you experience it can.
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