When I started The Story Post mail club, I hoped it would become something beautiful and meaningful.
A little envelope in the mail. A slower moment in the middle of a busy month. Something beautiful to hold onto, read slowly, and maybe tuck somewhere nearby as a gentle reminder to live more intentionally and with purpose.
What I did not fully realize was how meaningful it would feel to see this little mail club create a small ripple of good beyond the envelopes themselves.
April was the very first Story Post mailing, and because of everyone who joined, I was able to make the first animal rescue donation from the proceeds.
April’s Animal Rescue Donation
For the April mailing, I was able to donate $110 to animal rescue.
That amount came from a portion of gross profits from April’s Story Post proceeds. In other words, after the cost of creating and mailing the envelopes, a portion of the profit was set aside for animal rescue.
It may seem like a small beginning, but it honestly made me so happy and I can't wait to see this continue growing to give even more to help displaced animals in need.
I think it's really special knowing that this little monthly envelope, something created to bring more calm, beauty, and intention into our everyday lives, can also help support animals who need care, safety, and a second chance.
Why Animal Rescue Matters to Me
Animal rescue has always been close to my heart because I’ve seen firsthand how much one life can change another.
We often talk about rescuing animals, and of course that part matters deeply. But what I’ve experienced again and again is that they rescue us right back.
I’ve felt that with all three of my dogs: Dillon (1994-2008), Lily (2007-2022), and Georgie (2000-present).
Dillon was living on the streets when I found him and brought him into my life. He was my first dog and the one who also broke my heart first when I had to let him go due to an illness.
Lily had been abandoned in California during the Great Recession and was brought to the Seattle Humane Society, where I found her and adopted her. She became my soul dog. She traveled everywhere with me during the years I lived full-time in an RV. She was my travel companion, my little bestie, and one of the great loves of my life.
When I lost Lily to aggressive lung cancer in 2022, I grieved her deeply. In a way when one loves an animal like family. The loss changed the shape of my everyday life.
Then Georgie came along in 2023.
She came to me through a foster family. I wasn’t sure I could love another dog again the way I loved Lily. I wasn’t sure my heart had room for that kind of love after such a painful loss.
But Georgie proved me wrong.
She helped me move through the grief I was still carrying. She reminded me that love does not replace love. It expands. It finds a new shape. It shows up differently, but just as deeply.
So much of rescue happens before an animal ever finds their person. There are people pulling animals from unsafe situations, taking in abandoned pets, fostering them in their own homes, paying for medical care, helping scared animals learn to trust again, bottle-feeding babies, caring for seniors, arranging transport, and doing the quiet work that most of us never see.
That work takes time, money, space, patience, and a tremendous amount of heart.
When we support animal rescues, we are helping give those animals the chance they should have had all along. A safe place to land. A warm bed. A full belly. Medical care when they are hurting. Kind hands when they are scared. And eventually, if all goes well, a home where they can be loved for the rest of their lives.
The truth is, animals are so innocent. They rely on humans to protect them, and unfortunately, we still have a long way to go when it comes to making sure they are safe, cared for, and treated with the compassion they deserve.
So if The Story Post can be one small way to support the people and organizations doing that work, that feels incredibly meaningful to me.
Why I Chose Chihuahua Animal Rescue & Transport
For April, I chose Chihuahua Animal Rescue and Transport as the rescue organization to support because this organization is part of Georgie’s story.
Georgie was rescued from a shelter and brought into foster care through Chihuahua Rescue & Transport. That foster home became her safe in-between place. Not the stressful shelter environment, and not quite her forever home yet, but a loving place where she could begin to feel safe, cared for, and ready for the next chapter of her life.
And eventually, that next chapter led her to me.
That is one of the reasons their work means so much to me. They are not just moving dogs from one place to another. They are helping scared, abandoned, neglected, senior, injured, and special-needs Chihuahuas and Chihuahua mixes get the care and softness they deserve.
Chihuahua Rescue & Transport has been rescuing Chihuahuas and Chihuahua mixes since 1996, and their dogs are cared for in foster homes rather than being warehoused in a shelter. I love that so much because foster homes can give these little dogs something they often need desperately: a quieter place to land, patient people, a routine, and the chance to build confidence before finding their forever home.
Their foster families help with things like housetraining, crate training, socialization, and helping each dog feel safe and loved. And before the dogs are adopted, Chihuahua Rescue & Transport makes sure their medical needs are addressed, including spay and neuter, vaccines, microchips, heartworm testing and prevention, dental care, and other medical needs that may come up.
So many rescue dogs are carrying more than we can see. Some have been through neglect. Some are terrified. Some are older and overlooked. Some need medical care before they are ready to be adopted. And small dogs, especially Chihuahuas and Chihuahua mixes, can be so vulnerable in shelter environments.
The work Chihuahua Rescue & Transport does gives these dogs a chance to move from fear into safety, and from survival into love.
They also rely on volunteers, foster homes, transport help, and donations to keep doing this work. The more support they have, the more dogs they can help pull into safety, care for properly, and place in loving homes.
So this first Story Post donation felt very personal to me.
It felt like a small way to give back to the rescue that helped Georgie find her way here. And if you’ve followed along for any length of time, you know how much joy, sweetness, and healing that little dog has brought into my life.
You can learn more about them here: https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/organization/chihuahua-rescue-transport-inc
A Little Good From the April Mailing
If you were part of the April Story Post mailing, thank you.
Your subscription did more than help bring a thoughtful envelope to your own mailbox. It also helped send a little care somewhere else.
That feels really beautiful to me.
The April theme was all about slow mornings, small rituals, and beginning the day with a little more kindness. So in some ways, this donation feels like an extension of that same idea. A small act. A gentle beginning. A quiet way to let something good move outward.
Follow Along With Future Story Post Donations
I’ve also started a simple giving log where I’ll keep track of each month’s donation, the organization supported, and the running total over time.
You can view the Story Post giving log here
My hope is that, month by month, this little number keeps growing so we can continue to expand our reach to these animals and rescues in need.
Join The Story Post
If you would like to be part of future mailings, I’d love to have you join The Story Post.
Each month, you’ll receive a thoughtful envelope in your real mailbox with a personal letter, art print, prompt card, recipe card from my kitchen, and a few beautiful, reflective pieces created around a monthly theme. It is meant to be opened slowly, enjoyed quietly, and kept close by as a reminder to live with a little more calm and intention.
Join The Story Post Snail Mail Club - It's a fun way to get a unique art print that I create, a personal letter by me, slow living prompt card, recipe card, and a few extras each month.
Thank you for being part of this first little ripple of good. I’m so grateful this mail club gets to exist, and I’m even more grateful that it can help send a bit of kindness beyond the envelope.
Leave me a comment here on the post and let's keep the conversation going.
