To-Do and Ta-Da

I picked up my pencil and positioned it on the worn piece of paper, ready to make one final checkmark.

Number forty.

This one-sided page was my “scribble sheet” while I was working on my book. A numbered list of forty chapter titles. Thoughts and ideas jotted next to each topic. Quick reminders filling every margin. Favorite coordinating Bible verses carefully recorded to avoid duplicates.

When I finished a chapter, I would hear the joyful sound of my pencil’s swift scratch on the paper. Check.

I smiled at number forty, thinking back to the very first checkmark. And the second. And the third. Inching forward with each number I crossed off the list.

Yet with every checked-off chapter, my eyes would immediately capture how many remained. Rather than celebrating what I had completed, I would look at all of the unchecked numbers. Quickly forgetting the “Yippee!” and jumping right to “Yikes!”

Do you ever do this in the course of a typical day?

With a mental or tangible list of what we want to accomplish, it is easy to overlook all that we have done, directing our focus toward what is undone. What more? What next? We neglect the little successes that fill our lives: Good choices. Each step on a long journey. Time spent with family and friends. Overcoming challenges, big and small. Even the unremarkable, necessary tasks that keep things running smoothly.

One of my favorite Christian authors, Liz Curtis Higgs, recommends a daily exercise that reminds us to celebrate ourselves. Ready for this? She invites us to stand in front of a mirror, arms raised high with joy. And then, loud and proud like we mean it, say: “Ta-da!”

Ta-da!

If nothing else, it is sure to inspire a smile:)

Rather than putting constant demands on ourselves, let’s remember to celebrate. Celebrate the incredible person God has created, along with our continual triumphs throughout the day. We can even keep a daily success list, giving “ta-da” the same value as “to do.”

As we applaud our way through life, we will find more in life to applaud!

Rejoice always. 1 Thessalonians 5:16

Regarding my fortieth checkmark… I made it! There is still much to be done before my book releases on June 27th, but I’m going to celebrate where I am right now.

I hope you enjoy the pictures. My nine year old son asked if he could type the very last period in the book. And my two middle-schoolers got home from school just in time to hit “send,” delivering the completed manuscript to my awesome publisher’s in-box!

And… a sneak peek at the cover.