Good Days...Bad Days With Maureen Pratt

Today, we think of it as speaking in our regular tone and volume, but did you know that an archaic meaning for the word “aloud” is “singing with joy?”  For this post, I’d like to suspend our contemporary understanding of “aloud” and focus on the one meant ages and ages ago: When we pray this…

The last time you went into a bad flare, did you wait to go to the doctor? Wait until someone said, “Gee, you really don’t look all that good.” or, worse, “I’m taking you to the doctor NOW! you’ve waited too long!” I know lots of people who don’t like going to the doctor. And,…

So, spring is coming (yes, truly it is!) and we’re beginning to see what’s going to be in fashion during the warmer months. But, if you live with a serious illness or other major responsibility, you might cringe a bit as the spring season advertisements roll out on the Web, television, and in print. You…

So many times, we go through the day without a clear focus. Not that we don’t understand what we should be doing, or the way to accomplish the tasks before us. Nor do I think that we speak in jibberish and make a mess out of things, instead of a neatly ordered “pile of work.”…

As we move into springtime, many of us will undergo life transitions. Perhaps you are completing a significant part of your education, anticipating the workforce and “digging in” to a career. Or, maybe, you are looking forward to your wedding and starting a household with your soon-to-be spouse. Maybe, too, you are thinking of changing…

I know, I know! How well I know! It can be difficult to imagine that life with chronic illness is beautiful. Those of you living the life, you understand what I’m saying. Those who aren’t, well, I’ll spare you the sometimes ugly details! Suffice to say that secular society’s idea of beauty isn’t exactly what…

For many people, this winter has been brutal. Snow, ice, and, especially, frigid temperatures. Many people have been without power, help to clear mountains of snow, and low on food and other supplies. As we think about spring, we think about warmth – inside and out. And one of the ways we can start to…

We can learn much, when we cultivate silence. It might seem counter-intuitive; our learning usually takes the form of words or pictures or sounds, tangible things that have size, depth, tone, and space. But beyond all of those things that we can feel is something more profound – it is what you hear in silence.…

What if all of your prayers today were of thanksgiving and appreciation? What if, instead of a laundry list of petitions or a few moments spent in distracted longing for relief, wealth, power, or just simple human understanding, you focused instead on all of the gifts you have been given and all of the bounty…

I’ve had to increase the dosage of the immunosuppressive drug I’m taking for my lupus and anti-retinal antibodies. This makes me even more susceptible to infections – at a time when the flu season is just kicking into high gear! About now, too, I’m getting very weary of fending off potential infection. Tired of telling…

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about

Maureen Pratt

Several years ago, Maureen Pratt earned her Master of Fine Arts in Theater Arts/Playwriting from UCLA's School of Theater, FIlm and Television. She expected to be writing scripts. God had other plans.

A few years after her graduation, Maureen was diagnosed with a life-threatening case of organ-involved lupus. Her life turned upside down as she grappled with the effects of the illness and other health conditions that ensued. She was no stranger to serious health challenges; even as a child, Maureen had survived numerous bouts of pneumonia, flu, and other infections. But lupus made her take a fresh look at her life goals - and took herlifelong, strong Catholic Christian faith and writing in a direction she'd never imagined.

Today, Maureen writes and speaks about walking with the Lord while living with chronic pain and illness. Her most recent book is "Don't Panic!: How to Keep Going When the Going Gets Tough (Franciscan Media). She is also the author of, "Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain & Illness" (Image Books/Randomhouse), "Beyond Pain: Job, Jesus, and Joy" (Twenty-Third Publications), "The First Year: Hypothyroidism, Second Edition" (Perseus) and "Taking Charge of Lupus: How to Manage the Disease and Make the Most of Your LIfe." She writes the syndicated column, "Living Well," for Catholic News Service, and has also written for Saint Anthony Messenger Magazine, Journey for Women Magazine, The Upper Room Magazine, LupusNow, and Arthritis Today. Maureen's health continues to be a challenge, however she feels honored to be able to bring her perspective, from experience and knowledge, to others.

"Good Days...Bad Days with Maureen Pratt" is a new way for Maureen to reach people who carry the burden of illness and pain in their lives, or who care for someone who does. Through the blog, she hopes to bring issues of health, wellness, and spirit into focus and, especially, inspire others that, no matter what health challenges, illness, or hardships they endure, each person can find a good way to realize the wonderful potential God has placed within each heart and soul.

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