{"id":279,"date":"2012-12-14T01:01:26","date_gmt":"2012-12-14T01:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=279"},"modified":"2012-12-03T19:41:10","modified_gmt":"2012-12-03T19:41:10","slug":"advent-2012-what-do-you-love-most-about-these-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2012\/12\/advent-2012-what-do-you-love-most-about-these-days.html","title":{"rendered":"Advent 2012: What Do You Love Most about These Days?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Image courtesy of Arvind Balaraman\/FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Advent Day 13: What do you love most about these days?<\/p>\n

The colors, smells, sounds, and sights of the Christmas season are varied and awesome. Each of us has at least one favorite thing, whether it is a treasured ornament, a beloved song, or a much-prepared recipe. These and other seasonal specialties often give us an extra spark for this busy time, and they help us remember people and places that we cherish from our past.<\/p>\n

This year, as we enjoy special moments and momentos, think about ways to bring them into the New Year, too, so that the spark of remembrance and faith will continue to shine when the Christmas season is past. Even if it is only by a “photo album” in your heart, the holiday feeling you carry with you will surely give an extra strength, inspiration, and joy to the days to come.<\/p>\n

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

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

Advent Day 13: What do you love most about these days? The colors, smells, sounds, and sights of the Christmas season are varied and awesome. Each of us has at least one favorite thing, whether it is a treasured ornament, a beloved song, or a much-prepared recipe. 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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). 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