{"id":748,"date":"2013-07-29T19:40:00","date_gmt":"2013-07-29T19:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=748"},"modified":"2013-07-25T22:55:47","modified_gmt":"2013-07-25T22:55:47","slug":"illness-on-the-road-part-three","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2013\/07\/illness-on-the-road-part-three.html","title":{"rendered":"Illness on the Road Part Three"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Image<\/a>
Image courtesy of MaggieSmith\/FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Home!<\/p>\n

Usually, at some point late in a vacation, your thoughts turn back to home. In some cases, you are having such a good time away that the thought of returning there is unpleasant. But often, we look forward to getting back home…although we know that extra work awaits.<\/p>\n

First, there is unpacking, laundry, sorting through the mail and messages piled up during our absence.<\/p>\n

Next comes reconnecting with work, friends, and daily routines.<\/p>\n

And, perhaps, if you have a chronic illness, there’s an “aftermath” associated with illness. \u00a0Higher cholesterol due to those late-night snacks. New aches and pains due to the physical rigors of travel. A few extra pounds gained.<\/p>\n

How do we retain all the good from vacation and get on with our “regular” lives?<\/p>\n

Slowly. Laundry will get done. Mail will get sorted. No need to rush and undo the good feeling from vacation.<\/p>\n

Gradually. Weight cannot be lost overnight. Pain from exertion might take days to fade. Go easy on yourself and take things one day, one step at a time.<\/p>\n

Calmly. If you left the frazzled feeling of pre-vacation behind as you were able to unwind while you were gone, hold that thought, keep that feeling. Pray for patience, peace, and calm to stay with you as your schedule picks up again.<\/p>\n

Joyfully! \u00a0No doubt you have good memories that can bring smiles when, as you move through the rest of the year, illness flares or setbacks arise. These memories, and the warm feelings they bring, are gifts to you, yours to keep. Treasure them and rejoice that, even with the “bad,” God brings much good!<\/p>\n

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

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

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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\/748","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=748"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/748\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":754,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/748\/revisions\/754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}