I rarely share/forward things that I receive via e-mail unless it is something really funny. I never have liked receiving e-mail chain letters promising to magically or mysteriously produce some result or answer to prayer if it is sent to 18 people within 6.5 minutes of receipt. (DELETE! I wonder if sending the message directly to the trash counts as forwarding it to one recipient. Probably not.) At any rate, I have willfully & deliberately broken many a chain over the years, and nothing BAD has happened to me as a result of not forwarding a silly e-mail -- well, at least not yet. ;-) Plenty of really good stuff happens daily even if I don't check my inbox!
If you are looking for the missing or broken link in the "chain," I'm it. I'm not superstitious and I do not believe in luck. Prayer seems to be a much more reliable option, thank you very much.
I am concerned that now I have shared this information with you all, my "loving, yet mischievous" friends & family members will inundate my inbox with e-mail of this nature as a way of having fun at my expense. Just stick to sending friendly updates & photos. I really love receiving pictures from friends & family. (Hint! Hint!) Remember, you may kindly skip forwarding any chain letters.
The following list is from one of those e-mail messages that is meant to encourage -- there were no strings (chains?) attached. I won't be forwarding it on to anyone, but since I thought there were some practical suggestions, I am going to include it on our blog. Read it or skip it. You decide!
1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you
walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
Read God's word & talk to Him about what is going on
in your life. (He already knows, but he wants to hear
it from you!)
3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following
statement, "My purpose is to__________ today. I am
thankful for______________."
4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat
fewer foods that are manufactured in plants.
5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries,
wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.
6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy
vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things
you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the
present moment.
8. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
9. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
10. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else
does.
11. You are not so important that you have to win every
argument. Agree to disagree.
12. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the
present.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no
idea what their journey is all about.
14. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
15. Frame every so-called disaster with these words:
"In five years; will this matter?"
16. Forgive everyone for everything.
17. What other people think of you is none of your
business.
18. GOD heals everything - but you have to ask Him.
19. However good or bad a situation is; it will change.
20. Your job won't take care of you when you are
sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch!!!
21. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you
need.
22. Each night before you go to bed complete the following
statements: I am thankful for__________. Today I
accomplished_________.
23. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
24. When you are feeling down, start listing your many
blessings. You'll be smiling before you know it.
25. Make it a habit to NOT forward "chain letter" e-mails! :-)
