Leah Chase, the famed New Orleans chef and inspiration for a classic children’s animated movie, has fed musicians, Presidents, and countless visitors in her restaurant Dooky Chase’s. In this audio clip, she discusses how she prays. And I get to the point where I pray and I don’t ask God for anything. I tell him what I want. [laughter] I get up in the morning and I say, ‘Look, Jesus, I’m going out here today. You have to help me. It’s up to you. You have to help me.’ And I when I get through the day I go back home and I say, ‘Thank you.’ And that’s it, and I keep going. But sometimes you have to tell him what you want. You have to tell God what you want. ‘I want this. I want that.’ But people don’t understand that if you believe in God as a superior being, he does not want you to…he gave you this earth. He wants you to enjoy everything on it and make it better. That’s what you’re here for. But people don’t, they don’t stop to think about that. So sometimes you have to stop the mad rush and sit under a tree and just look at it and go on and say, ‘Well, this is good. I will do something to keep this going.’ And that makes life a little bit easier.

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