{"id":1909,"date":"2015-12-05T20:51:45","date_gmt":"2015-12-05T20:51:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=1909"},"modified":"2015-11-29T21:09:52","modified_gmt":"2015-11-29T21:09:52","slug":"chronic-illness-and-pain-all-right-to-cry-at-the-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/12\/chronic-illness-and-pain-all-right-to-cry-at-the-holidays.html","title":{"rendered":"Chronic Illness and Pain: All Right to Cry at the Holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Crecheforblog\"<\/a>With everyone so filled with “cheer” at this time of year, we might feel left out or just completely wrong to cry once in a while. One of my previous blogs was about consuming a holiday diet of goodness, so I do understand the spirit of the season and the need to be positive so as to be joy-filled.<\/p>\n

Yet, also at holiday time is sometimes a feeling of melancholy or hint of sadness. Some of us might\u00a0wish to retreat from some or all of the festive activities.Some people become depressed,\u00a0and I encourage those who feel very low to seek or continue to work with their medical team. Some people are mourning losses at this time, perhaps for the first holiday season without the beloved spouse, child, friend or other loved one.<\/p>\n

I also want to say to those who mourn, are sorrowful remembering Christmases past, or who will be separated from loved ones for the holidays – to each of you, know that you are not truly alone. There are others, too, who share sadness, an experience of loss. And in those times when you feel most alone, it might help to think of them, too, and pray that your heart reach out to them through faith in Our Lord. It might also help to know that, as I probably will at least once between now and the beginning of the New Year, it is all right to cry.<\/p>\n

Crying can be physically and spiritually cleansing, releasing the sorrow and loss that we feel so that it does not fester inside. It can leave in its wake a place for us to rebuild and see the treasure that our loved one remains in our heart. It can be a way for us to move, clear-eyed, ahead. And it can be a way to share grieving with others who also mourn.<\/p>\n

I have lost many loved ones in my life, and this year saw the loss of more. Many things remind me of my dear brother, other family members, and friends. Song can especially evoke their memories and make me, for a time, sad. \u00a0At such times, I remind myself of what I’m saying here: It’s all right to cry. Our emotions are as varied as the snowflakes that fall in winter, and when expressed healthfully, they allow us to feel and heal, to mark and move on.<\/p>\n

Yes, we might cry at the holidays. But in faith, we know we will not mourn forever, nor do we need to linger on sadness. For God’s love is more powerful than anything that can bring us down.\u00a0As we dry our tears and look to the manger, we see again that love, and its light brings comfort.<\/p>\n

Peace,<\/p>\n

Maureen<\/p>\n

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

With everyone so filled with “cheer” at this time of year, we might feel left out or just completely wrong to cry once in a while. One of my previous blogs was about consuming a holiday diet of goodness, so I do understand the spirit of the season and the need to be positive so…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":548,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[241,3,1422,360],"tags":[1029,29,44,1974,30,1973,1975],"class_list":["post-1909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christmas","category-chronic-pain-and-illness","category-chronic-pain-and-the-holidays","category-determination","tag-all-right-to-cry","tag-chronic-illness","tag-chronic-pain","tag-crying-at-the-holidays","tag-pain","tag-tears","tag-when-you-feel-sad-at-the-holidays"],"yoast_head":"\nChronic Illness and Pain: All Right to Cry at the Holidays - Good Days...Bad Days With Maureen Pratt<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Crying has its place at the holidays\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chronic Illness and Pain: All Right to Cry at the Holidays - 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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\/1909","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=1909"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1910,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1909\/revisions\/1910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}