{"id":1082,"date":"2014-03-14T19:22:09","date_gmt":"2014-03-14T19:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=1082"},"modified":"2014-03-06T19:33:25","modified_gmt":"2014-03-06T19:33:25","slug":"meaningful-mirthful-minutia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2014\/03\/meaningful-mirthful-minutia.html","title":{"rendered":"Meaningful, mirthful minutia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Maureen<\/a>In the elevator of my local grocery store, a mother and her young son were already waiting for the doors to close. As I stepped in, the boy, not more than three or four years old, stepped back, toward the full shopping cart the mother was holding onto. I thought he might hit his head on the cart’s handlebars, but he fit neatly just below them. Both the mother and I smiled, and I said, “He fits perfectly now, but I bet he’ll soon be taller than the handlebars, won’t he?”<\/p>\n

She laughed and smiled, “Oh, he’s growing up so fast.”<\/p>\n

We rode down to the ground floor, and the mother and son and I got off. I lost track of them while I shopped, but when I returned to the elevator bank, she and he were waiting once again for the elevator, the cart still full of groceries. We exchanged smiles again as the doors opened and we got onto the elevator. We rode up one floor and the doors opened again. I moved my arm to hold the door so that the mother could move her cart out, but her son’s cheery voice stopped me.<\/p>\n

“Let’s do it again! Again!”<\/p>\n

The mother smiled, a little weary this time, and sighed. “All right. One more ride. But only one more.”<\/p>\n

I laughed. \u00a0Despite the full shopping cart and frayed patience, the mother was going to allow her son, fascinated with riding in an elevator, one more ride.<\/p>\n

How often do we take a simple thing like an elevator ride for granted?<\/p>\n

Moreover, how can we find delight, joy, and pleasure in even the most minute things in our lives?<\/p>\n

That little boy’s delight, his glee, and his mother’s kindness – More of that in all of our lives, please!<\/p>\n

Blessings for the day,<\/p>\n

Maureen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the elevator of my local grocery store, a mother and her young son were already waiting for the doors to close. As I stepped in, the boy, not more than three or four years old, stepped back, toward the full shopping cart the mother was holding onto. 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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. 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