More than a place to sell stuff.  More than a place to make a little extra money or make a living.  Sometimes it can make a difference to someone in ways you would never imagine.

Most of you probably already know that I e-mail my buyers after their packages have shipped to let them know they are on their way (this is mostly self-serving because I ship quickly and like to emphasize the point).  I often get thank you e-mails back, and some include why a buyer has purchased this or that, and I will share some of those stories every six months or so in a post on my blog.  I decided this one deserved a post of its own.

I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of the butterfly effect, and I think of my packages being sent all over the country or sometimes the world, and the ripples they make in the lives of other people.  I love hearing and knowing about how seemingly simple items can bring such joy.

Hello, I am the person that bought your snake rattle.  Just wanted you to know who it was bought for…my son, he is 21, but has a disease called  Mitochondrial disease—he cannot walk or talk and is severely developmentally delayed, has a g-tube and seizures.  When he was about 3, his Grandma bought him that snake from the Disney store, mostly because he could actually hold it and liked the little rattle noise it made, we kept it with him and even went to bed with him.  She was my husband’s mother, very sadly she passed away from breast cancer 15 years ago.  That snake has been come so worn out from him—it came with him to many hospital visits over the years.  (I would bring it, because if he reached out to grab it, I knew he was getting better and would be ok).

The other day I noticed the snakes head was about to come off and the hole by the eyes was getting bigger—I have had it sewn up a few times but knew there wasn’t much left to hold it together.  So, I decided to go to the internet (I am not a very good computer person) and that is how I found you!  I couldn’t believe my eyes…so your snake is going to a very good home and will keep Grandma’s memory alive for many more years!
(I would send you a picture of what our snake looks like—but I don’t really know how to do that—my other boys always make fun of me for my ‘lack’ of computer skills)
Hope you don’t mind that I shared our story with you———

Heartwarming to know we can bring this kind of happiness to our buyers.  Makes you wonder how many stories like this are out there that we never even hear about.

As a side note, this is Kaa, the snake from the Jungle Book, which is worth a second look if you ever come across one.  Check out some completeds here.