{"id":986,"date":"2014-01-11T23:16:17","date_gmt":"2014-01-11T23:16:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=986"},"modified":"2014-01-10T22:26:59","modified_gmt":"2014-01-10T22:26:59","slug":"stuck-add-a-grace-note","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2014\/01\/stuck-add-a-grace-note.html","title":{"rendered":"Stuck? Add a grace note"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
Photo courtesy of Grant Cochrane\/FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even if you are not musically inclined, when you’re stuck in a rut, hole, or other foot-freezing, spirit-stunting space in your life, there’s nothing like adding a grace note to get you back on your purposeful path.<\/p>\n

What’s a grace note?<\/p>\n

It’s a gentle, brief addition of a lighter (in music, usually higher) tone that, when grace-fully applied, can turn an ordinary line of music into something very special. Singers add grace notes to make a common melody all their personal own. Composers add them, too, as a dash of expression to individualize their phrases.<\/p>\n

In life, a grace note can be as simple as bringing a fresh flower indoors, taking a beloved book off the shelves and reading, going through your telephone book and dialing up someone you’ve lost touch with.<\/p>\n

In faith, a grace note is an addition, however small, to a routine of prayer and reflection. A study of a part of Scripture you’ve struggled with in the past, or a punctuation of praise when you’re in the middle of a dull household chore.<\/p>\n

Grace notes abound in nature. Against the sky, a bird dips and dives and, maybe, lands on a branch nearby. A breeze brings back a certain memory that warms you in the midst of a personal cold spell. A frozen pond, ordinarily seeming barren, becomes a playground for a dog exploring the winter world.<\/p>\n

That little extra something. A spark of difference that can light a new energy and resolve.<\/p>\n

Stuck? Add a grace note – and sing a whole different song.<\/p>\n

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

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

Even if you are not musically inclined, when you’re stuck in a rut, hole, or other foot-freezing, spirit-stunting space in your life, there’s nothing like adding a grace note to get you back on your purposeful path. What’s a grace note? It’s a gentle, brief addition of a lighter (in music, usually higher) tone that,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":548,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,43,208,1],"tags":[879,155,878,181,881,880],"class_list":["post-986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chronic-pain-and-illness","category-encouragement-in-life","category-thanksgiving","category-uncategorized","tag-dull","tag-grace","tag-grace-notes","tag-music","tag-ordinary-things","tag-routine"],"yoast_head":"\nStuck? 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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\/986","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=986"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/986\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":990,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/986\/revisions\/990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}