The mailbox was placed in mid-July on what Sue Goodrich considers her sacred piece of earth next to the sea. The Kill Devil Hills resident made this mailbox of hope after receiving a few nudges from the universe, and in a few short weeks the journal has been used for everything from spreading hope to seeking it and all things in between.
“Dear Hope,” Goodrich writes on the first page, “The angels listen softly to your heart and carry your hope on their wings.” It’s her call to anyone who passes by to share their stories and messages of hope.
Look in your heart and write.
That’s what Goodrich is hoping for. “Every summer has a story,” another note reads, “write yours down at #littleredmailbox.”
With a Facebook page and Instagram account, the mailbox is gaining popularity and easily has gathered a hundred entries in a few short weeks.
The Glenmere beach access has always been a peaceful place for Goodrich since her husband, Eddie, donated the gazebo and other improvements to the town in 2004. It became even more special after her mother died suddenly. After her early morning workouts with Outer Banks Boot Camp, she goes to gazebo to watch the sun rise and have a cup of coffee and think. It was a period of her life when she needed a little hope.
The idea of such a mailbox had always been in the back of her mind. Then on a July morning after leaving Glenmere and seeing a photo on OBX Beach Bum Photography’s Facebook page of her beloved access, everything fell into place.
With the help of photographer Roy Edlund, who nudged her to record the mailbox’s story in photographs, along with Vicki Horning, who painted the mailbox and gave it its rustic look, and a very supportive town government, Goodrich got the mailbox up within weeks.
Two girls write entries in The Little Red Mailbox journal.
“I didn’t even have to go before commissioners to get approval for this,” she says. “This is a town of hope.”
Horning, owner of Whim Home Décor & Jewelry, even put some dings in the mailbox “to make it look like life had come at it.”
Goodrich says the mailbox was created as a refuge to escape the everyday hustle and bustle and arrive in a place of peace by the sea.
“It’s a place to share your thoughts, dreams, feelings or secrets or to just visit what others have left along their journey,” she says. “Everybody needs a little hope, and helping others also helps ourselves.”
The universe, she says, wanted this to happen and found a way.