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The gift of receiving
Excerpted from my book of published columns, Writing Home, this essay was first published in Chicken Soup for the Soul (Healthy Living Series) and reprinted in Catholic Digest, April 2007. It was also featured on Sirius Radio. THE GIFT OF RECEIVING A few years ago, when I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both hips, I read everything I could find about coping with chronic pain and illness. I was amazed at how often I’d stumble on a paragraph that advised patients to “look for the gift in your pain.” Pain is a gift? Thanks, but no thanks, I’d mutter to myself. I had just turned 44 and hadn’t planned on slowing…
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Living free
“To live without comparison is to remove a tremendous burden.” ~ J. Krishnamurti We’re all exposed to an infinite number of voices and trends on social media. With so many people vying for attention online, we might fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others, or trying too hard to impress them. When that happens, it’s time to step away from our devices and seek our better angels within. If we focus instead on appreciating our own lives, we’ll be less inclined to compete or compare. ~CL Photo by Cindy La Ferle