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Good Days...Bad Days With Maureen Pratt

Sweep the floor clean and open the windows! It’s a brand and grand new year! And in order to make it the absolute best, one of the most important activities that we can practice (besides good mid-winter cleaning) is forgiveness. Here’s why: The new year offers many opportunities for us to do better than we…

Merry Christmas and, still, Blessed Advent! Yes, we have passed the Advent Season, that annual time of waiting, but I still carry some of the graces from those days with me. Perhaps you do, too. A sense of comfort at the extra quiet and prayer for insight. A gratitude at the many blessings God has…

Between now and the New Year can be an extremely hectic roller coaster for people living with chronic illness. Oh, yes, we try to participate in festivities and to observe Advent with extra prayer and piety. But we also often have multiple doctor appointments and other health issues to tend to. These days, chronic illness…

Just a note to you from me, full of gratitude! May you and your families and communities be graced with every good gift that comes from our bountiful and merciful Father. And may this Advent Season be a time of inner growth and external light – a beautiful and powerful combination to nurture even greater…

Families are wonderful gifts from God. We need our beloved relatives, however they are related to us and wherever they may be. But sometimes, family relationships can be strained, and holiday time is prime fight time – when family members gather from far and near, and old wounds get reopened (or new ones inflicted). There…

If you have a chronic illness and you will be traveling at the holidays, you might want to reflect on the theme for this year before you go: Mercy. We are nearing the end of what Pope Francis declared the Jubilee Year of Mercy. You might have participated in activities related to practicing works of…

Holidays are here?! It might seem as if Christmas has already happened and New Year’s Eve is right around the corner. But although it seems as if we are in holiday mode externally, if you’re like me and have myriad health-related issues to juggle, even Thanksgiving might still feel like it’s a long way off…

Veteran’s Day can be a difficult holiday for some people. Those who have lost loved ones in battle still deeply mourn their losses. Those who are home while their loved ones are currently serving still worry. And those of us who are not immediately engaged in the world of military life might find it difficult…

What did I do on Election Day, besides vote? I did something that brings me a sense of accomplishment and offers benefits for days to come. I made chicken soup! This simple food is traditionally associated with warmth, calm, and healing, and I thought Election Day provided the perfect opportunity to serve up some comfort!…

Is your chronic pain or illness discouraging you from casting your vote? I hope you’ll reconsider. Yes, some polling places might be difficult to maneuver through and the lines will probably be long. But there are very good reasons to make the personal sacrifice necessary to go to the polls and let our voices be heard.  And…
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