As I get ready to mail the very first Happy Mail packages to my Founding Review Team, I can’t help but pause and reflect on how much this little dream has already meant to me. Creating this first collection has been more than a creative project. The entire process has been therapeutic.
For so much of my life, I’ve poured my heart into supporting others. As an educator and school leader, encouraging people has always come naturally to me. I celebrate victories, lift others through challenges, and try my best to remind people that they matter.
Then, life brought me into one of my own rainy chapters.
After working as hard as I could and giving so much of myself to so many people, I found myself in a season that temporarily clouded the way I saw myself. I kept waiting for someone to notice. Waiting for someone to reach out. Waiting for someone to say the encouraging words I so often give away freely.
But those words never came.
The waiting slowly turned into sadness. Then one morning, something shifted. I decided that if I was waiting for encouragement, maybe I could be the one to give it to myself. I would write the words I needed to hear. I would create the little reminders I wished someone would send me. I would choose hope, even if I had to create it with my own hands. And that’s when The Rainy Chapter was born.
I started by doodling a tiny little raindrop. It was simple, imperfect, and full of possibility. Before long, that little raindrop became the heart of something much bigger. It reminded me that rainy seasons don’t last forever and that even the darkest clouds eventually make room for sunshine. Today in the middle of a storm (literally because it’s been raining for days here), that little raindrop appears on stickers, bookmarks, Happy Mail, and little moments of encouragement that I hope brighten someone else’s day.
The truth is, I still have hard days. But even on those days, I find joy in creating something that might make another person smile. Somehow, encouraging others has also become part of my own healing. Maybe that’s what this little business has really become. It’s not just a shop, but a reminder that we don’t have to wait for kindness to find us. Sometimes, we become the kindness we’ve been hoping for.
If you’ve ever found yourself in a season where you felt unseen, discouraged, or uncertain, I hope The Rainy Chapter reminds you of this:
💛 Your story isn’t over.
💛 Your rainy chapter won’t last forever.
💛 And after every rainy chapter, the sun always finds its way through.
Thank you for being here and for allowing me to share a small piece of my heart with you.
With gratitude,
Lainy