{"id":288,"date":"2012-12-16T01:01:45","date_gmt":"2012-12-16T01:01:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=288"},"modified":"2012-12-07T18:53:03","modified_gmt":"2012-12-07T18:53:03","slug":"advent-2012-have-you-noticed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2012\/12\/advent-2012-have-you-noticed.html","title":{"rendered":"Advent 2012: Have You Noticed?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Image courtesy of nuchylee\/FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Advent Day 15: Have you noticed?<\/p>\n

Today in church, we hear the Psalm Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6. I’m particularly struck by the refrain:<\/p>\n

Cry out with joy and gladness:<\/p>\n

for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.<\/p>\n

These past few days, I’ve spent a lot of time in elevators. At stores, at medical office buildings, in residences, these contraptions are wonderful people movers, but they make relating\u00a0to others a bit of a problem. Or, at least, a puzzle. As\u00a0you stand ready to go into an elevator, for example, the doors may open and a crowd may emerge, each person eager to be on his or her way. No eye contact. No greetings. No smiles. Simply bodies moving and others taking their places.<\/p>\n

Or, so it would seem.<\/p>\n

I try not to be quite so clinical about people and elevators.\u00a0I try to remember that, we might be\u00a0merely moving from one floor to another, never to meet again, but we might as well have an enjoyable time while we’re at it. And, as the Psalm refrain reminds us, “among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.”<\/p>\n

Each person we pass, however briefly, was created in God’s likeness and image. A kind expression, a smile, a greeting, however brief, is an expression of respect for one another, and a sign that we are more than mere passers-by.<\/p>\n

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

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

Advent Day 15: Have you noticed? Today in church, we hear the Psalm Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6. I’m particularly struck by the refrain: Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel. These past few days, I’ve spent a lot of time in elevators. 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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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