Say It Now. Sherry Richert Belul
Sherry reminds us, the greatest gift you can give to another human being is the gift of a few moments of your undivided attention. And the right time for that type of gift is today…and every day…forever and always.
Hello. I’m so glad you found your way to this book!
My name is Sherry. I run a company called Simply Celebrate.
Professionally speaking, I wear many hats—writer, teacher, artist. But essentially, I’m a professional gift maker. At Simply Celebrate, people hire me when they want to create a thoughtful gift for someone they love—like an audiogram filled with messages for Grandma, or a tribute book to honor Uncle Larry on his sixtieth birthday, or a Love List for Mother’s Day (or any day of the year).
My life’s work is helping people celebrate everyday life and the people they love.
When people hear what I do, most of the time, they think, “Oh, Sherry is one of those naturally happy people who bounds out of bed each morning. Creativity and joy probably come easily to her.”
Nope. Not so.
The truth is, I have a history of anxiety and depression. My interest in gift-giving actually began during the darkest time of my life—a time when I was feeling like I didn’t even want to be alive. I was struggling to find a reason to stay on this planet. I couldn’t even imagine a life of joy.
Have you ever experienced anything like this?
It was 1991. I had just broken up with my boyfriend after a recent move to San Francisco. I was brokenhearted and grappling with a depression that had been nipping at my heels for years. I couldn’t kick it off this time.
By luck, a friend of mine gifted me with a book by Zen teacher Cheri Huber. This book led me to take a meditation class. I still remember how I felt walking into that first class. I was in such a place of pain and darkness that it felt like an iron wall closing in on me. There was no relief.
The instructor had us focus on our breath. Breathing in. Breathing out. Breathing in. Breathing out. And a tiny miracle happened. I breathed in and I realized that—for just one brief moment, for one full breath—there was no pain. There was a moment of relief. A moment of peace. A moment of hope. Then I exhaled, and all the pain came rushing back, of course. But for that one brief moment, I saw a crack in the iron all around me. It was like a tiny pinprick of light.
The next day, I had a moment in which I saw a wide blue sky. I had a moment in which I lay in the sun and held my cat, feeling her purr. I tasted the blueberry jam on my toast. Each of these felt like more pinpricks of light in that iron wall. All of these moments helped me realize that I could consciously turn my attention to moments of joy instead of toward the pain.
After some time passed, I realized that I didn’t have to wait for these moments to occur in my life. I could seek them out. I could create moments of well-being and joy.
To heal from depression, some people do yoga, some people do therapy, some people try medication, or all of the above. I started making gifts. It became a daily practice, like a form of meditation. These gifts were not fancy or complicated. Just a quick “thank you” note for a friend or family member, or a list of reasons “why I appreciate you so much.” Each time I sent a little burst of gratitude toward someone, I felt that beautiful pinprick of light once again. A moment of celebration. A moment of joy. It’s really no exaggeration to say that gift-giving saved my life.
This is the magical thing about creating a gift for someone in your life. Not only does it feel amazing to receive that kind of love, but it feels fantastic to give that kind of love, too. It’s healing and uplifting for everyone involved.
I’ve spent the last twenty years exploring what it means to deliberately seek out joy and consciously create moments of appreciation and celebration. I’ve learned that joy doesn’t just land on me; joy is a practice. And “celebration” isn’t just something for special occasions, like birthdays or anniversaries. Celebration is a way of life.
So you can see why I’m so glad you’re here.
This book is an invitation to create more joy and celebration for yourself—and for the people you love. It’s all about saying what you feel and expressing your love—and doing it now.
Let’s get started! Inside this book, you’ll find thirty-three creative gift ideas. It’s okay if you’re not a particularly artsy or crafty person. Most of these gift ideas don’t require any special skills. Just choose any gift idea that appeals to you. Try it out. In doing so, you’ll create a moment of light for someone else—and for yourself, too.
I titled this book Say It Now because it’s so important to express our feelings now—not someday later. Many people have a tendency to procrastinate and push things into the future. We think, “I’ll plan a fun date night…next week.” Or, “I’ll call Mom to say hi…tomorrow.” But life is brief and precious and full of unexpected (and sometimes tragic) twists of fate. Tomorrow might be one day too late.
So if there’s something you want to say—“I love you,” “I appreciate you,” “Thank you for everything,” “You amaze me,” “I’m grateful we’re friends”—I’m urging you to say it now, as soon as possible.
As you’ll see throughout this book, you can “say it now” in a literal way—with a written note or a list of reasons why you love someone. Or you can “say it now” through your actions rather than your words—accompanying someone to their chemo appointment, for example, or showing up at their door with flowers.
Whether you’re expressing yourself through your words, through your actions, or both, it doesn’t matter. The point is to find a way to say it that feels right for you and the person you love.
Listen to what’s in your heart about why you love this person—and say it.
I hope this book inspires you to celebrate life every day—with words, with cake, with sparklers, with music, with a tender moment spent with someone you love, or with sitting in silence and perhaps doing nothing at all.
To life!
Sherry
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Watch a two-minute video where I introduce myself (“Hello!”) and share my Celebration Manifesto.
You may have purchased this book because you have a big occasion coming up and you want to give an amazing gift. Maybe your mom is turning seventy, your best friend is having his fortieth birthday, or it is your tenth wedding anniversary. Maybe you’d like to do something extra special to mark this milestone.
Maybe you have a friend who has cancer and is going through chemo and you want to show her how much you love and support her during this difficult time.
Maybe you’re in a long-distance relationship and you want to send your sweetheart a series of gifts in the mail.
Perhaps you don’t need a special gift for someone right now, but you love creative projects—and you love the idea of spreading joy through the art of gifting.
These are all great reasons to use this book.
Here are two ways you can dive in right now:
• Start reading at the beginning and use Post-it Notes to mark the gift ideas you