{"id":1727,"date":"2015-07-16T20:15:39","date_gmt":"2015-07-16T20:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=1727"},"modified":"2015-07-12T20:30:03","modified_gmt":"2015-07-12T20:30:03","slug":"chronic-illness-harmony-in-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/07\/chronic-illness-harmony-in-health.html","title":{"rendered":"Chronic Illness: Harmony in Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"pic<\/a>As a musician, I appreciate really good harmony. When several pitches combine to create a full, complex sound, melody is transformed into something even more beautiful, and I just have to sit back, listen, and enjoy.<\/p>\n

Our lives with chronic illness can find such a relaxing, de-stressing harmony, too. It requires a little effort in the beginning, but as we practice our pitches, we can enjoy a better outcome.<\/p>\n

I “harmonize” in several ways. First, I manage my many medical professionals’ communication so each doc is on the same page as the other. Lab results, tests, appointments – I communicate and schedule these so that I’m eliminating as much unnecessary redo and back-and-forth as possible.<\/p>\n

I harmonize my day, too, scheduling in my personal, daily “calendar” when I have to take what med or when I need to do what exercise so that I get everything in and lessen the fretting over, “Did I take this med?” or “Will I have time to exercise?”<\/p>\n

Harmony in life involves times of socializing, but also profound quiet. We need time to think through the events and people we encounter each day, and if we’re flitting from one to the other without allowing ourselves retrospection, we soon become bottled up with layers of things we haven’t even begun to understand profoundly. So, for our health, time for prayer and meditation is key.<\/p>\n

My African violets help me harmonize myself with nature; each morning, there’s always something new – a leaf, a flower, a gentle tilting toward the sun. These observations, and the care I give the plants, help me remember that even if I cannot go out in the sun, I can still participate in God’s creation on a broader scale than just tending to my health concerns.<\/p>\n

One of the most exciting things about being a musician is the new work that is constantly emerging, or the songs and other pieces that are not so new, but that I have not yet discovered. These bring even more depth to my days – and more harmony to my life.<\/p>\n

When we’re angry, upset, frustrated, or diving deep into darkness, we lose the benefit of beautiful harmony in health and in life. But as we recognize the many ways we are in tune with the world, nature, music, ourselves, others, and God, we are blessed with songs that will never fade!<\/p>\n

Peace,<\/p>\n

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

As a musician, I appreciate really good harmony. When several pitches combine to create a full, complex sound, melody is transformed into something even more beautiful, and I just have to sit back, listen, and enjoy. Our lives with chronic illness can find such a relaxing, de-stressing harmony, too. 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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. 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.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.maureenpratt.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/author\/mpratt"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/548"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1727"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1727\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1728,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1727\/revisions\/1728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}