Happily Ever After: The Life-Changing Power of a Grateful Heart (33 page)
Read Happily Ever After: The Life-Changing Power of a Grateful Heart Online
Authors: Trista Sutter
www.Kidecals.com
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Besides offering labels and stickers for home and school use, Kidecals can make custom return address labels out of your favorite photos. I have them for our entire family, as well as individual ones for Max, Blakesley, me and Ryan, and the two kids together—I love ’em that much!
www.StampedPaperCo.com
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After working with Jill Efrussy on our 2010 Christmas card, as well as Blakesley’s second and fourth birthday party invitations, I can’t rave enough about what she creates. Her enthusiasm and joy for what she does truly shines through, even in the simplest of thank-you notes.
www.Minted.com
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I was introduced to this community of designers by a friend who briefly worked for Minted in 2012 and have been an avid fan ever since—so much so that I used one of their designs to customize our 2012 Christmas card. I have their artwork on my walls and send personalized notes with their gorgeous stationery. I heart Minted!
www.GloryHaus.com
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A dream of mine has always been to own a gift boutique—I’m obsessed with gifts! After receiving a Glory Haus picture frame from my friend Laura Lee, they became one of my favorite brands, and I could not be more thrilled to be partnering with them on a line of my own gifty goodies!! The Grateful Heart Collection by Glory Haus will include journals, picture frames, tote bags, wall art, jewelry, appreciation jars, and even pillows! To take a peek and place an order, please visit
www.GloryHaus.com
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E
XTRA
-S
PECIAL
N
OTES
Thanks to my type-A obsession with keeping a list of whom I write thank-you notes to, I calculated that I’ve handwritten at least six hundred over the past five years. (Now can you see why I have a bit of a paper fetish?)
With all that practice, I’ve definitely settled on a method: apologize in the event of a delay, keep it simple, reference the recipient’s kindness and its effect, and speak from the heart.
Our family has also received very sweet notes of thanks over the years, and they give me constant inspiration for my next round of handwritten expressions of appreciation. Of course, it doesn’t matter how simple the card is—what matters is that you take the
time to express your gratitude. Extra-special notes can include an attached photo (one we received showed our friends’ son wearing the T-shirt we gave him) or a handwritten message from your little one. No matter what you choose, a personal touch goes a long way.
Y
UMMY
T
REATS
We’ve either received tasty bites from these scrumptious eateries or worked with them to create delicious party treats and I would be remiss if I didn’t share them with you all. If you order them as a gift or even for yourself, I promise you won’t be disappointed.
I
NSPIRATIONAL
S
ITES
Always on the lookout for inspirational quotes or tweets or posts, I’ve compiled a few of my favorite sites. They are all on Twitter as well, if you want to get a regularly scheduled dose of goodness.
And last but not least, please stay in touch with me at my recently launched website,
www.TristaSutter.com
, or on Twitter,
@TristaSutter
. As George Eliot said, “Blessed is the influence of one true loving human soul on another.” I may not know you personally, but I feel blessed by our connection nonetheless. Thank you!
Everyone wants to be appreciated, so if you appreciate someone, don’t keep it a secret.
—M
ARY
K
AY
A
SH
I
T IS NO SECRET THAT
I
FEEL FORTUNATE
. I’
VE SPOKEN
about the many blessings of my life in the pages you’ve read, but I would be remiss if I didn’t formally acknowledge them and (hopefully) everyone who made this book possible. Here goes (with crossed fingers that I don’t forget anyone!) . . .
First and foremost—Ryan Sutter, I love you. I appreciate you. I thank you. Without your love, support, patience, understanding, constructively critical eye and ear, and incredible devotion to our beautiful babies, I couldn’t have come close to completing this often overwhelming but exhilarating task. You gave me the space and time, but even more than that—you gave me the inspiration. You are, and always will be, my happily ever after.
To the tiny humans who take up the biggest space in my heart—Maxwell Alston and Blakesley Grace—thank you for allowing me the privilege of being your mama. You have taught me
more about living life with gratitude in your short years here on earth than I learned in the thirty-plus years before you made my dreams of being a mommy come true. Along with your daddy, you will always be my greatest treasure, the source of my truest joy, and the most favorite part of my day. I love you to the moon and back, to the moon and back, to the moon and back, to infinity and beyond!
To my always supportive, hug-loving momma—your brave willingness to allow me to tell your story of heartache and answered prayers made me love and appreciate you more than I ever have … and that’s sayin’ something. Thank you.
And same goes to you, Kathy. Your strength and openness are a true inspiration and I am proud to call you my sister.
To the in-laws that are anything but what that word usually conjures up, Barb and Bob Sutter, I owe you a
huge
debt of gratitude for graciously, frequently, and caringly loving on Mr. Max, Ms. B, and even Tankster. I honestly don’t know that I could’ve finished my manuscript without your generosity of time and energy and will forever be grateful for your presence in my life and the lives of your grandbabies.
To my cherished friends who, without condition, took my babies under their protective and super-fun wings so that they could enjoy time with their best buddies while Mommy boringly sat in front of the computer, you are the best. This especially goes out to Kelly Holton and Kim Williams. My kids love your kids, but not as much as I love you.
To the Verlindes, thank you for regularly letting me escape up the stair tower for a peaceful spot (and one of the most gorgeous views in the Vail Valley) where I could soul-search, and get my creative juices flowing. And to Laura Lee, I absolutely
love
my grateful necklace! I had been hoping to do something similar in the jewelry world, but until my line is complete, your sweet gift gives me an almost daily reminder to take a page out of my own book.
To those who courageously faced the vulnerability of sharing their delicate life struggles (including Janet and John Herbert, J.R.,
the Bradfields, Jen, and Cookie) and those who allowed my readers a peek into their semi-private worlds through their well-written blogs, stories, and speeches (including Aunt Nancy, Catt, Jenny, Nipun, and K.L.)—I sincerely thank you. The fact that you trusted me to handle them with care is an honor that I’ll never forget.
I believe that God has a plan for us all, but to those who have played an integral role in my life and helped guide me to the joy I know now—you will eternally be appreciated. That includes my immediate and extended family; the friends I’ve always considered family; Oprah Winfrey for her inspiration; Mike Fleiss, Lisa Levenson, and the Telepictures/Warner Horizon/ABC team for the once-in-a-lifetime chance at love; the rest of my Bachelor family; and the heavens above for both answered and unanswered prayers.
To all the parents who had their kids play along with the “What are you grateful for?” game . . .
To the sitters who kept my active kiddos company while I feverishly tried to meet deadlines . . .
To anyone who offered up their assistance for content that I just couldn’t seem to wrangle on my own (including Missy, Evin, Erik, Stephanie, Allie, Nathalie, Bernard, Tracey Casley, Amy, DeWayne, Jen, and Ellen) . . .
To Michael Lavine,
ShopItToMe.com
, Katelyn Simkins, and the rest of the cover crew for helping me put my best face forward and dealing with a day of kiddo chaos . . .
To anyone and everyone who sent much-needed and appreciated words of encouragement through social media when I had hit the wall of writer’s block . . .
To all those who responded to my Facebook and Twitter requests for tips, information, and inspiration that I could use to spread the word of gratitude . . .
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank You.
THANK YOU
.
THANK YOU
.
THANK YOU
!!!!!!!!!
And last but
certainly
not least, to all those who have led me to the literary path I so thankfully began traveling on three years ago, consider yourself virtually hugged!
Babette . . . thank you for introducing me to Celeste!
Celeste . . . thank you for helping bring out my authentic voice, providing unequaled guidance, and always lifting me up when I needed a boost.
Sandra . . . thank you for helping me organize the initial chaos of my novice writer’s brain into the sixty pages that would lead me to Da Capo.
Liz . . . thank you for your creative input, gracious wisdom, and acceptance of
way
too many smiley faces.
And to everyone at Da Capo Press and the Perseus Books Group: Thank you for welcoming me into your enchanting family and changing my life. From all those who gave me the special opportunity to break bread, shake their hand, and personally tell them the story of my stories; to Jonathan, who had to continuously put up with my overly critical eye for detail; to Kevin and Lissa for kindly working with me to come up with a picture-perfect plan of attack; to John, Lindsey, Carolyn, and Antoinette.
And finally, to my
wonderful
editor, Renee, thank you for believing in me and my idea, gently nudging me in a writer’s direction, helping mold my words into just the right content and rhythm, and thoughtfully understanding my struggles. Your unfaltering encouragement was the key in helping me spread my wings to fly toward the title of “author.” Ever so humbly, thank you.
As Thomas Wilder once said, “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” I say with certainty that I am not only living, but I am alive.