{"id":1600,"date":"2015-03-17T22:48:38","date_gmt":"2015-03-17T22:48:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=1600"},"modified":"2015-03-07T22:57:43","modified_gmt":"2015-03-07T22:57:43","slug":"tlc-tuesday-all-about-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/03\/tlc-tuesday-all-about-us.html","title":{"rendered":"TLC Tuesday: All About Us"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Maureen<\/a>Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I hope that, if you celebrate today, you will have a fond and festive time.<\/p>\n

Any kind of holiday centered on a particular race or ethnicity makes me think of what makes us us. I also think about this when I hear of genetic studies and how scientists are trying to identify genes or traits that can indicate what characteristics we might have, or what illnesses we might be prone to get. Of course, we do inherit certain things from our forebears. A laugh. A lisp. Blue eyes. Bald head. It makes me smile when new parents coo over their newborn child, trying to figure out whose nose he has, or whose tiny hands she inherited.<\/p>\n

But, really, we are us beyond our genetics or inherited habits – and therein lies the mystery of being human.<\/p>\n

God calls us each by our unique name. He knew us before we were born. We’re not cookie-cutter clones of those who went before us. Nor are we meant to walk down the path chiseled into the landscape by generations prior to ours.<\/p>\n

We bring individual gifts, our unique heart and soul.<\/p>\n

I’m honored that I have some traits of some of the people in my family. But I also an honored that God has given me this life, to be his child.<\/p>\n

If you’re Irish today, well so am I, and again, Happy St. Patrick’s Day! But that’s not all about us – we’re much more than any label could convey!<\/p>\n

Yes, we are each unique. And loved by God in our own name.<\/p>\n

Peace,<\/p>\n

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

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I hope that, if you celebrate today, you will have a fond and festive time. Any kind of holiday centered on a particular race or ethnicity makes me think of what makes us us. I also think about this when I hear of genetic studies and how scientists are trying to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":548,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1047,578,1420,1246],"tags":[1610,1115,1612,1611,1609,1608],"class_list":["post-1600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-good","category-goodness","category-pain-2","category-uplifting","tag-genetic-traits","tag-genetics","tag-gods-call","tag-individual-soul","tag-our-uniqueness","tag-st-patricks-day"],"yoast_head":"\nTLC Tuesday: All About Us - Good Days...Bad Days With Maureen Pratt<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/03\/tlc-tuesday-all-about-us.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"TLC Tuesday: All About Us - Good Days...Bad Days With Maureen Pratt\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Happy St. Patrick’s Day! 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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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