It is an excellent message that ABSOLUTELY applies to ALL of us who send e-mails.
Please read the short letter below, even if you're sure you already follow proper procedures..
Do you really know how to forward e-mails? 50% of us do; 50% DO NOT. Do you wonder why you get viruses or junk mail? Do you hate it?

Every time you forward an e-mail there is information left over from the people who got the message before you, namely their e-mail addresses & names. As the messages get forwarded along, the list of addresses builds, and builds, and builds, and all it takes is for some poor sap to get a virus, and his or her computer can send that virus to every e-mail address that has come across his computer. Or, someone can take all of those addresses and sell them or send junk mail to them in the hopes that you will go to the site and he will make five cents for each hit.

That's right, all of that inconvenience over a nickel!
How do you stop it? Well, there are several easy steps:  

(1) When you forward an e-mail, DELETE all of the other addresses that appear in the body of the message (at the top). That's right, DELETE them. Highlight them and delete them, backspace them, cut them, whatever it is you know how to do. It only takes a second You MUST click the "Forward" button first and then you will have full editing capabilities against the body and headers of the message. If you don't click on "Forward" first, you won't be able to edit the message at all.

(2) Whenever you send an e-mail to more than one person, do NOT use the To: or Cc: fields for adding e-mail addresses. Always use the Bcc: (blind carbon copy) field for listing the e-mail addresses. [Now this is something I did not know but will in the future.] This is the way the people you send to will only see their own e-mail address. If you don't see your Bcc: option click on where it says To: and your address list will appear.  Highlight the address and choose Bcc: and that's it, it's that easy. When you send to Bcc: your message will automatically show "Undisclosed Recipients" in the "To:" field of the people who receive it.

(3) Remove any "Fw :" in the subject line.  You can re-name the subject if you wish or even fix spelling.

(4) ALWAYS hit your Forward button from the actual e-mail you are reading. Ever get those e-mails that you have to open 10 pages to read the one page with the information on it?  By Forwarding from the actual page you wish someone to view, you stop them from having to open many e-mails just to see what you sent.

(5) Have you ever gotten an email that is a petition? It states a position and asks you to add your name and address and to forward it to 10 or 15 people or your entire address book. The email can be forwarded on and on and can collect thousands of names and email addresses.
FACT: The completed petition is actually worth a lot of bucks to a professional spammer because of the wealth of valid names and email addresses contained therein. If you want to support the petition, send it as your own private letter to the intended recipient.  Your position may carry more weight as a personal letter than a laundry list of names and email address on a petition.
(Actually, if you think about it, who's supposed to send the petition in to whatever cause it supports? And don 't believe the ones that say that the email is being traced, it just aint so!)

(6) The main emails disliked by many folks are the ones that say that something like, "Send this email to 10 people and you'll see something great run across your screen." Or, sometimes they'll just tease you by saying something really cute will happen IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN !
(Trust me, I'm still seeing some of the same ones that I waited on 10 years ago!) I don't let the bad luck ones scare me either, they get trashed. (Could be why I haven't won the lottery??)

(7) Before you forward an Amber Alert, or a Virus Alert, or some of the other ones floating around nowadays, check them out before you forward them. Most of them are junk mail that's been circling the net for YEARS!

Its really easy to find out if it's real or not. If it's not, please don't pass it on.
So, in the future, let's stop the junk mail and the viruses.

Q.   I love your Twitter entries, so how are you handling your current drama?  Give us a clue to whom you’re leaning towards.
A. Thanks for the follow on Twitter.  I think everyone’s lives have a little bit of drama, some of us are more private then others.  I really have great friends and Tweople that help me keep true to myself.  I can tell them that I’m dreading having a talk with someone to clear up a misunderstanding and they are the first group to reply, “Be a Woman and handle your business, Ang!”  I love how real they are with me.  It makes the Twittering and Facebooking a lot of fun and very entertaining.  And as for my heart, I'm taking it one day at a time.

Q. You mention in your writing that your outside influences help with your writing but you don't mention your immediate family as much. Do they help with your writing?
A. I consider my extended family members and close friends as my family due to their active presence in my life and they influence my writing a GREAT deal.   For example, one of my cousins has this nervous habit of adjusting his tie while he thinks. And my best friend’s whole face changes when she smiles – transforming her into a captivating beauty. These details can be transferred onto characters that can ring familiar to my readers

Q.   I can understand blogging about your writings but why add the personal or trivial entries?
A. The term blog is a shortened form of the word weblog and refers to a webpage where there’s an ongoing series of dated entries.  So I can blog about whatever moves me.  If it’s a news piece, a personal experience or life in general my blog can feature just that.  I hope you aren’t bothered by my frankness here but it’s my part of World Wide Web.  Take it or leave it.

Q.   If you write a book about something you know well, does that mean you don’t have to do research?
A.  The answer is an emphatic No. Your story will undoubtedly go into areas you’re unfamiliar with, and you need to follow it there with correct information.

I write romance novels.  I’m unpublished but I adore love stories.  Now my life has the drama of the genre of fiction that I’m passionate about.  I really shouldn’t complain; I know a number of women that could gladly switch places with me in a heartbeat but I’m the type of woman that prefers these kind of plot twists to remain within the covers of a romance novel.

First let me say that I love my guy in so many ways but… are things perfect?  No.  And he would be the first to say there are things he can’t give me at this time in our relationship.  It’s frustrating to think about the limitations but we are trying to make the best of it.  Some people say love has a way of conquering all but has that theory has ever been tested?

Anyway, yesterday night I had a conversation with an ex that I once loved very deeply.  The relationship ended badly seven years ago due to choices he made.  He has been searching for me for the past month and Facebook finally brought him back into my life.  The quandary?  He wants me back and part of me has been awaiting this moment.  (Sigh)

At one time, he was everything I thought I wanted in a husband and father to my children.  I remember the countless number of nights I asked God how my ex could sabotage a loving relationship but I soon realized that the timing of our was off. 

There was no way I could hold something together that wasn’t a priority for the man I loved.

So I walked away… to heal my wounds, sever the soul tie and learn the meaning of the relationship.  The days, weeks and months after that weren’t easy.  I was close to his family, especially his brother and sister-in-law; and I struggled to understand how the breakup came to fruition.

Now seven years later, the tall, handsome man from my past returns to my life with just a keystroke and after one phone conversation I’m feeling unresolved emotions I’ve buried for years. 

I’ll tell my guy what has transpired; praying that my ability to be transparent about the situation will help him process my circumstances.  I’m not sure what will happen and I had a very sleepless night last night.

These are quite funny and true.

1.) It is ok for a Man to cry under the following circumstances:
- When a heroic dog dies to save its master.
- After wrecking your boss’ car.
- When she is using her teeth.

2.) Any Man who brings a camera to a bachelor party may be legally killed and buried by his friends.

3.) Unless he murdered or assaulted someone in your family, you must bail a friend out of jail within 12 hours.

4.) If you’ve known a Man for more than 24 hours, his sister is off limits forever, unless you actually marry her.

5.) Moaning about the brand of free beer in a friend’s fridge is forbidden. Complain at will if the temperature is unsuitable.

6.) No Man shall ever be required to buy a birthday present for another Man. In fact, even remembering your friend’s birthday is strictly optional.

7.) On a road trip, the strongest bladder determines pit stops, not the weakest.

8.) When stumbling upon other men watching a sporting event, you may ask the score of the game in progress, but you may never ask who’s playing.

9.) It is permissible to drink a fruity alcoholic drink only when you’re sunning on a tropical beach, and it’s free and delivered by a topless supermodel.

10.) Only in situations of moral and/or physical peril are you allowed to kick another Man’s balls

11.) Unless you’re in prison, never fight naked.

12.) Friends don’t let friends wear Speedos. Ever. Issue closed.

13.) If a Man’s fly is down, that’s his problem, you didn’t see anything.

14.) Women who claim they “love to watch sports” must be treated as spies until they demonstrate knowledge of the game and the ability to drink as much as the other sports watchers.

15.) A Man in the company of a hot, suggestively dressed woman must remain sober enough to fight.

16.) Never hesitate to reach for the last beer or the last slice of pizza, but not both - that’s just mean.

17.) If you compliment a Man on his six-pack, you’d better be talking about his choice of beer.

18.) Never join your girlfriend or wife in discussing a friend of yours, except if she’s withholding sex pending your response.

19.) Phrases that may NOT be uttered to another Man while lifting weights:
- Yeah, Baby, Push it!
- C’mon, give me one more! Harder!
- Another set and we can hit the showers!

20.) Never talk to a Man in a bathroom unless you are on equal footing: i.e. Both urinating, both waiting in line, etc. For all other situations, an almost imperceptible nod is all the conversation you need.

21.) Never allow a telephone conversation with a woman to go on longer than you are able to have sex with her. Keep a stopwatch by the phone. Hang up if necessary.

22.) The morning after you and a girl who was formerly “just a friend” have carnal drunken monkey sex, the fact that you’re feeling weird and guilty is no reason not to sex her again before the discussion about what a big mistake it was.

23.) There is no reason for guys to watch Men’s Ice Skating or Men’s Gymnastics. Ever.

24.) When you are queried by a buddy’s wife, girlfriend, mother, father, priest, shrink, dentist, accountant, or dog walker, you need not and should not provide any useful information whatsoever as to his whereabouts. You are permitted to deny his very existence.

25.) You may exaggerate any anecdote told in a bar by 50 percent without recrimination; beyond that, anyone within earshot is allowed to call “BULLS**T!”.
Exception: When trying to pick up a girl, the allowable exaggeration rate rises to 400 percent.

26.) The minimum amount of time you have to wait for another guy who’s running late is 5 minutes. For a girl, you are required to wait 10 minutes for every point of hotness she scores on the classic 1-10 babe scale.

27.) Agreeing to distract the ugly friend of a hot babe that your buddy is trying to hook up with is your legal duty. Should you get carried away with your good deed and end up having sex with the beast, your pal is forbidden to speak of it, even at your bachelor party.

28.) Before dating a buddy’s “ex”, you are required to ask his permission and he in return is required to grant it.

29.) The universal compensation for buddies who help you move is beer.

30.) A Man must never own a cat or like his girlfriend’s cat.

31.) When your girlfriend/wife expresses a desire to fix her whiney friend up with your pal, you may give her the go-ahead only if you’ll be able to warn your buddy and give him time to prepare excuses about joining the priesthood.

32.) If a buddy is out-numbered, out-Manned, or too drunk to fight, you must jump into the fight.
Exception: If within the last 24 hours his actions have caused you to think, “What this guy needs is a good ass-whoopin.”, then you may sit back and enjoy.

33.) If a buddy is already singing along to a song in the car, you may not join him, too gay.

34.) Under no circumstances may two men share an umbrella.

35.) When a buddy is trying to hook up, you may sabotage him only in a manner that gives you no chance of hooking up either.

36.) Before allowing a drunken friend to cheat on his girl, you must attempt one intervention. If he is able to get on his feet, look you in the eye, and deliver a “F**** OFF!” You are absolved of your of responsibility.

37.) Never, EVER slap or smack another Man. 

Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighboring kingdom. The monarch could have killed him but was moved by Arthur's youth and ideals. So, the monarch offered him his freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer and, if after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death. 

The question?...What do women really want? Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, and to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better than death, he accepted the monarch's proposition to have an answer by year's end. 

He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everyone: the princess, the priests, the wise men and even the court jester. He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer. 

Many people advised him to consult the old witch, for only she would have the answer. 

But the price would be high; as the witch was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged. 

The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no choice but to talk to the witch She agreed to answer the question, but he would have to agree to her price first. 

The old witch wanted to marry Sir Lancel ot, the most noble of the Knights of the Round Table and Arthur's closest friend! 

Young Arthur was horrified. She was hunchbacked and hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like sewage, made obscene noises, etc He had never encountered such a repugnant creature in all his life. 

He refused to force his friend to marry her and endure such a terrible burden; but Lancelot, learning of the proposal, spoke with Arthur. 

He said nothing was too big of a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life and the preservation of the Round Table. 

Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the witch answered Arthur's question thus: 

What a woman really wants, she answered.....is to be in charge of her own life. 

Everyone in the kingdom instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth and that Arthur's life would be spared. 

And so it was, the neighboring monarch granted Arthur his freedom and Lancelot and the witch had a wonderful wedding. 

The honeymoon hour approached and Lancelot, steeling himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But, what a sight awaited him. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen lay before him on the bed. The astounded Lancelot asked what had happened 

The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she appeared as a witch, she would henceforth, be her horrible deformed self only half the time and the beautiful maiden the other half. 

Which would he prefer? Beautiful during the day....or night? 

Lancelot pondered the predicament. During the day, a beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at night, in the privacy of his castle, an old witch? Or, would he prefer having a hideous witch during the day, but by night, a beautiful woman for him to enjoy wondrous intimate moments? 

What would YOU do? 

What Lancelot chose is below. BUT....make YOUR choice before you scroll down below. OKAY?



Noble Lancelot said that he would allow HER to make the choice herself. 

Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time because he had respected her enough to let her be in charge of her own life. 

Now....what is the moral to this story?

The moral is.... 
If you don't let a woman have her own way... 
Things will get ugly!

(This story was email to me by a friend.  If you know the author, please let me know so I can give him or her credit.)

Author Gena Showalters appearance on a Nightline segment about Romance novels & Harlequin that aired on April 13, 2009

1.        Maybe . . . We were supposed to meet the wrong people before meeting the right one so then when we finally meet the right person we will know how to be grateful for that gift.

2.        Maybe . . . When the door of happiness closes, another opens; but, often times, we look so long at the closed door that we don't even see the new one which has been opened for us.

3.        Maybe . . . It is true that we don't know what we have until we lose it, but it is also true that we don't know what we have been missing until it arrives.

4.        Maybe . . . The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

5.        Maybe . . . The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; after all, you can't go on successfully in life until you let go of your past mistakes, failures and heartaches.

6.        Maybe . . . You should dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go, be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you dream of, and want to do.

7.        Maybe . . . There are moments in life when you miss someone -- A parent, a spouse, a friend, a child -- so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real, so that once they are around you appreciate them more.

8.        Maybe . . . The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like It was the best conversation you've ever had.

9.        Maybe .. . . You should always try to put yourself in others' shoes. If you feel that something could hurt you, it probably will hurt the other person too.

10.        Maybe . . . You should do something nice for someone every single day, even if it is simply to leave them alone. 

11.        Maybe . . . Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they will love you back. Don't expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in their heart; but if it doesn't, be content that it grew in yours.

12.        Maybe . .. . Happiness waits for all those who cry all those who hurt, all those who have searched, and all those who have tried, for only they can appreciate the importance of all the people who have touched Their lives.

13.        Maybe . . . you shouldn't go for looks; they can deceive; don't go for wealth; even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile, because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. find the one that makes your heart smile.

14.        Maybe . . . you should hope for enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough hope to make you happy.

15.        Maybe . . . you should try to live your life to the fullest because when you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling but when you die, you can be the one who is smiling and everyone around you crying.

Maybe . . .you could share this message to those people who mean something to you, to those who have touched your life, to those who can and do make you smile when you really need it, to those who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down, and to all those whom you want To know that you appreciate them and their friendship.  And if you don't, don't worry; nothing bad will happen to you. You will just miss out on the opportunity to perhaps brighten someone's day

Just seeing a real slush pile makes seeing this interview worthwhile.

Enjoy and Happy Easter!

Professor Leo Buscaglia once said, “Psychologists, psychiatrists, sociologists, anthropologists and educators have suggested in countless studies and numerous research papers that love is a learned response, a learned emotion . . . Most of us continue to behave as though love is not learned but lies dormant in each human being and simply awaits some mystical age of awareness to emerge in full bloom. Many wait for this age forever. We seem to refuse to face the obvious fact that most of us spend our lives trying to find love, trying to live in it and dying without ever truly discovering it.”

We live in a country where the divorce rate is 50 percent for first marriages, 67 percent for the ambitious second marriage and 74 percent for those who actually believe the third time’s the charm. Is this because pop culture promotes unrealistic expectations of love in our society, or is it because of a popular modern trend of settling for mates that arouse our lust but fail to stimulate our psyche and soul?

Some may think I’m downright naïve, but I believe that people that have never experienced real love are more willing to fall for relationships based on lust and people that have been hurt deeply will remain too ‘closed off’ to trust anyone fully.   I think it’s time to let go of the fear and chose to love.

It is not enough to feel loving. We must be sensitive to the others “love language.” You know what I mean. For one person, love means gassing up their car and making sure the kids are picked up from soccer practice on time. For another it means a surprise weekend away. The critical issue is that you become sensitive to learning your mate's love language. A love relationship requires an ability to constantly set one’s agenda aside to be alert for ways to meet your mate’s love needs.

Love requires action – thoughtful action. It is not enough to feel it. Each of us wants to receive love in action. So, if you are really ready for love, you are ready for the work involved in learning your mate’s love language—even if it changes over time. You are ready to anticipate his or her needs.

"Love has no desire but to fulfill itself. To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving."- Kahlil Gibran