Woman Paints House, Not Prepared for Letter Neighbor Sends: ‘I Cried’

When a Michigan couple decided to paint their house purple they didn’t expect the decision to spark joy much further than their front yard.

Maureen Clemons and her husband Mike Peck transformed their house into a lavender cottage, and in a post on TikTok with 2.2 million views, Clemons shared the unexpected impact it has had.

“We wanted something to distract ourselves and make us happy,” Clemons, 35, told Newsweek. “We picked purple because it felt bright and joyful, and we were going for a cute cottage vibe.”

The couple began painting during the COVID pandemic, where the price of a home in Michigan was $178,889 at the start of 2020, jumping to a current average of $260,040, according to Zillow.

Over the course of a week, as the couple painted, neighbors strolled past offering waves, smiles, and spontaneous encouragement. “A couple biking by started chanting ‘Go purple! Go lavender!'” Clemons recalled. “Someone even stopped to tell us how happy the color made her—it brightened her day.”

But the most unforgettable reaction came in December this year when they received an unexpected note and gift from a neighbor.

One day, a worn copy of a children’s book titled Mr. Pine’s Purple House by Leonard Kessler appeared through their letterbox, accompanied by a handwritten note:

“It reminded me of one of my favorite books from childhood that celebrates individuality… I hope you enjoy the story, hopefully you won’t mind that it’s well read,” it said.

The anonymous gift, signed simply “your neighbor, Chris,” left Clemons and Peck deeply moved. “We were overwhelmed,” Clemons said. “We never figured out who Chris was.”

The gift was so powerful that Clemons decided to carry it with her forever—literally. She got a tattoo of their purple house on her leg, a tribute inked by an artist in nearby Ferndale, who, by coincidence, had unknowingly snapped a photo of the home herself in the past.

House color has prompted discussion online in the past, too. In 2024 one woman amazed the internet with the results after she was warned not to paint her house white, only for the results to shock people who were against it at first.

While another incident saw a mom backed for refusing to paint her bright pink house despite her 13-year-old son’s embarrassment and demands that they change it to a “normal” color.

As the video, posted earlier this week to @moreangrim, gained more attention online, people shared their reactions to the sweet note.

Alongside photos of the house, book, note and tattoo, Clemons wrote in the on-screen text: I cried.”

“Human connection is the meaning of life,” said Emmie666999. While viewer Beck_ham said: “Aww idk why but this made me cry.”

“This is the most wholesome content I’ve seen in a while. Thank you for sharing. But more importantly thank you for taking the time to appreciate the little things. May the sun always shine in your corner,” said viewer GiggleBear.

Clemons was delighted by the reaction on TikTok. “The reaction from TikTok was crazy,” she said. “It made me feel emotional and re-appreciate the kindness of our neighbor and how cute it is that they shared the book.”