Life is busy... right? Things get in the way?

We get thrown 'curveballs' all the time and it doesn't take much for us to fall out of step with our routine. 

. SLEEP . PRAY . WORK . SHOP . EAT .

Which one of these do we usually stop when things get too busy?

It's not hard to guess...PRAYER, right?

Here are a few simple tips to help keep our prayer on track:

• Don't set an unrealistic target; keep it simple, using familiar prayers. An Our Father, Hail Mary and Morning offering, is a good place to begin. 
• Keep it to a practical time that you can repeat each day; without stressing too much if you get side-tracked. 
• Practice makes perfect.  If you walk to the train station or bus stop in the morning, make this your time for prayer or pray while commuting.
• Set you phone alarm as a reminder to pray; for example 12 noon for the Angelus. 
• You don’t have to be vocal, you can pray internally. 
• At meal times say a Grace before meals - do this at each meal and encourage others to join in when you feel more confident. 
• In the evening, before settling down to watch TV or before bed, set a few minutes aside to say a decade of the Rosary. You can increase this to a full mystery as you get more familiar with the prayer. 
• Look upon the Rosary as a way to de-stress from the day. Establish your breathing and clear your mind before beginning - relax into the rhythm of the prayer. 
• At the weekend change the time around to suit your days off; you can also do this while on holiday - pray by the pool or on the beach.
• Reading a book relating to our faith can also be deemed as a method of prayer. Allow God to speak to you through the words and phrases. Open your mind to the message behind the passage. 
• Don't stress out if your routine collapses - the important thing to remember is that we can pray at anytime of the day. 
• . SLEEP . PRAY . WORK . SHOP . EAT . We need each one of these elements in our lives to bring health, substance and balance. Don’t sacrifice one over the other. 
• Begin today...no time like the present! Prayer makes perfect!