Is your train derailed? When this happens you can’t go forward or backward. You’re stuck.

Under the ties, the rails, the track itself must be the foundation.

• If you are trying to travel on a track built on sand, your track will shift and break down.
• If you are trying to travel on a track built over uneven ground, you have to prepare the surface before you lay the track.
• If you are trying to travel on a track built over a valley you must first build a bridge.

The Foundation is Everything.

Consider creating a new PATH.

P– you absolutely must begin with prayer.

            Here is the best prayer I of know for this situation:

Serenity Prayer

God,

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The Courage to change the things I can

And the Wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.

Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it.

Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life,

And supremely happy with Him forever in the next.

Amen

Sometimes when you are not on track, you have to say the words, aloud, over and over and over until they sink in. Eventually you will come to mean them and of course God hears them.

A – Do things Another Way. Each day. Something different. Take a different route to the grocery store. Go to a different grocery store. Make a new acquaintance. Do or say something that is out of your comfort Zone.

Jesus did things another (A New Way) – He healed on the Sabbath. He extended Moses laws. He questioned the Pharisees. He overturned the tables in the Temple. He let the adulteress go.

T– Thankfulness

 Read Thank You Power by Deborah Norvell. Go to my site online store www.seeinguthrough.com

“No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”    I Thessalonians 5:!8

H – Healing with Humor is a life saver. Will Rogers said, “A man grows up the day he first laughs at himself.”

_____________ . _______________ . _______________ . _______________ . ________

Build a Strong Foundation

You must be creating your foundation with material that is strong and reliable.

Fill your head with “The Good Stuff.”

“…Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds,

can change the outer aspects of their lives.”                     –  William James

To Build:

• Go to a library and get a tape/CD of good stuff.
• Borrow books from a friend or church library.
• Play praise music in your car and SING!
• Spend at least ten minutes a day reading study material of a spiritual nature.

ROUTINE is essential.

A track is a series of neatly aligned and repetitive ties and rails.

Our bodies and our minds like routine. I am convinced some people like to have a job because the routine makes them feel better. We like to know we are achieving a purpose. We like to know someone is expecting us to show up. We like to be appreciated for the work we do. So often stay at home moms do not establish a routine because they don’t have to. To “Get Back on Track” you must!

Use a day timer of a calendar you create or have on your computer. Whichever you choose isn’t important. Doing it is important. Carve out of each day, as you would prepare the ground for the rails, time for the important before you let the urgent take over.

Construction Materials

The PHYSICAL MATERIALS must be strong to support the train. Your machine must be oiled & maintained properly. Here are some guidelines:

Your track is headed for a danger zone – a dreaded upcoming event, a holiday, a new job, a day in court.

You need to be Cho-Chooo-o-o ing not Chug, Chuggin..

Drink water. Throw away all carbonated drinks. They are really bad for your engine. Throw away the sugary ones too. To make the water more fun, add a slice of lemon or lime and a sprig of mint, even some Splenda occasionally. Once in a while add Club Soda to some pineapple juice.

If you think you must have a sweet, eat it right after lunch, which includes a good protein.

And don’t eat late at night.

Exercise. This must be put into the routine. Not as left-over “if I have time.”

Reasons why:

• Increases your metabolism, which gives you more energy and burns calories
• Helps you sleep (I know this from experience)
• Increases blood flow, which helps with depression and alertness

 Directions

A well maintained track has appropriate signs along the way. You need to place some frequent reminders in your constant view. I once wrote and placed a prayer on the dashboard of my car. It took a while, but it finally sunk in. I am enclosing some for you.

5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Deuteronomy 6: 5-9

Destination

“I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving.”    Oliver Wendell Holmes

It has been said if you don’t know where you are going you will surely get there.

Positive vision is incredibly powerful. 

Honor God and He will return the favor.

Now it is time to Start Working on the Railroad.

Gail holds a degree from Lamar University in Speech and a Master’s from the University of Texas. She married Sam after raising three children as a single mother. She was an educator in regular and special education for eighteen years, finishing her professional career as a Braille teacher. In 2007 She founded SMORE for Women. SMORE is a nonprofit association whose goal is Single Moms, Overjoyed, Rejuvenated, & Empowered. She is a Women’s Transition Coach and her stories have been published in several Christian books and magazines.