I admire altruism. Often falling short, I still I aspire to it. Yes, I acknowledge there is perhaps a sliver of selfishness in any good deed.... because, well.... they just make you feel so dang good. But even outside of the actual "deed" it feels good to find your tribe. It is encouraging and comforting for me to see so many people "pulling on the same rope in the same direction." Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about animals and admittedly those feelings don't always translate well to humans. So the biggest surprise for me was you, and my subsequent feelings for you, the people who are invested in the Tunica Humane Society on so many levels.

With the perspective of a couple weeks and a little sleep, I am able to now consider my first 30 in 30 challenge a success. But successful for reasons I never expected. Yes, I hoped to raise a significant (whatever that means) amount of money (and I think we did) but I didn't expect to find my tribe. People from all over the globe, united by their compassion, love of animals, and commitment to the well-being of these abused, ignored and forgotten souls.

So, as it often is when we volunteer, donate, or give of ourselves in some way, I have received more than I could ever give. But here's a start, today I am mailing THS a check for over $2200 (when and if the remaining paintings sell, I'll send additional payments.) This donation was made possible by all of you. It is difficult for me to articulate how grateful and humbled I am by your generosity and kind words. Instead I'll simply say thank you. Thank you from me and thank you from the many animals whose lives will be improved because of your altruism.

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I'm still receiving inquiries about available paintings (CLICK HERE if you're interested) so I will probably wait a few more days to total up the donations. I'll post a detailed recap in my February newsletter, so if you haven't already, be sure to sign up to receive updates. I'm also brainstorming other ways to fundraise for THS and a few additional charities I support so forthcoming information will be shared via the newsletter, blog, and FB page.