Lisa Thorpe

Help Thanks Wow

Most days I work alone in my home studio or do self-promotion at my computer. I take a lunch break to create some structure for myself and during that time I typically read for about a ½ hour or more. I try to read thoughtful or heady things during this time – things I can’t manage to stay awake for when I read in bed at night. While working on my last piece, Na’amah, I was reading a feminist scholarly work, Subversive Stitch by Rozika Parker in which she details the role or embroidery in the making of the feminine, heady stuff and good fuel for my feminist retelling of the story of the Ark (see last blog post). But when I began creating this current piece, Observe This Brilliant Moment, reading Subversive Stitch didn’t seem the right frame of mind for the work, so I pulled a lovely little book by the inspirational writer Ann Lamont off the shelf, Help Thanks Wow. In this book Lamont boils down prayer into these three categories: prayers asking for help, prayers expressing gratitude and thanks and prayers of praise and wonder.

So, over the past few weeks I’ve been stitching and painting and constructing this piece and reading this slim book. The piece is simply an homage to a beautiful day, in fact a beautiful, brilliant moment. While paddling on Lake Baily, in Petit Jean State Park here in Arkansas, a heron lifted giant wings to serenely take flight across the glassy lily pad lake to my left and a fish jumped to my right, sending silver ripples dancing across the gleaming water to tussle with the floating lily pads lifting them briefly like row boats on a roiling ocean. Then the commotion passed, and the water and sky were placid and peaceful once more. In that moment, standing astride my paddle-board just inches above the water, I was almost brought to tears, I think I said all three prayers at once HELPTHANKSWOW! Please God HELP my lonely heart be filled with this moment, THANKS God for giving me this brilliant spectacle and THANKS for opening my eyes wide enough to see and WOW the beauty and wonder of nature is beyond my words. So this piece is an attempt to hold fast to that brilliant moment and perhaps translate the wonder of that spectacle to you, my dear reader. May your heart be open to wonders of this brilliant little life and may you feel free to utter HELPTHANKSWOW when that time comes.

I want to give thanks and a shout out to Joanna Seibert, who writes an astounding DAILY SOMETHING blog. She highlights, poets, writers and artists and has wonderful insights of her own. Her post on July 1^st reminded me of Anne Lamont’s book Help, Thanks, Wow. Her daily blog is wonderful beginning to my day. Joanna Seibert – Daily Something blog provides me with help, thanks and wow in equal measure.