azurelunatic | I shall now sum up a whole pantload of inspirational e-mails.

Most people do have "that friend" who sends them around. And, well, yeah. These were impeccably timed for me, but I refuse on general principle to do the spammy e-mail forward thing. Welcome to LJ, where the cut tag is my friend, and the scroll button is yours if these are not for you today.

Jesus was probably happy and laughing and grinning and playing with kids some of the time instead of all gloomy-like all the time! [illustrated]

A whole bunch of pictures of roses! Long friendship, unconditional love, financial wealth, everlasting happiness, success, knowledge, family, honesty, beauty (inner and outer), and a few just for kicks! Oh, and a long and healthy life. When we come to the edge of the light of what we know and head out into the darkness, either God will provide something solid to stand on, or yay wings! [But I'm not that Irish, am I?] Send these to your friends ASAP and make a WISH!

Thinking of you -- bless you, just 'cause. In cunning rhyme! With blinkie animated fun!

All those funky coincidences? No such thing as coincidence. It's ... GOD! Yay!

Uplifting inspirational story about a special-needs kid getting included in a game of baseball. Footnote with a reminder that the obscene tends to make the rounds more quickly than the inspirational, and shouldn't it be the other way around?

A cunning manual counter in the subject line of the e-mail indicates how many people have said this prayer, added one to the number, and forwarded it before it got to you! [prayer is sized h1]

It is a day, I am alive, and I have the use of my body and mind. There are so many blessings I have. Even though I screw up.
Keep me safe and give my attitude a kick in the arse, because I could use it. Help me clear my mind so I can hear it when the Universe talks to me. Help me be accepting of the stuff that comes my way, rather than cranky about it like I am usually. If I don't have any control over it, what am I doing angsting, huh?

Even when I can't put my thoughts into coherent order, I know that the Universe listens and knows what I really do want. I am a tool in the hands of the Universe, and wish to continue that way. I do good works for others without even knowing how much good I do, and I want to keep on with the doing that. I can be strong for others. I have words of encouragement -- may they be the right ones. The lost, confused, and misunderstood are in my thoughts. Those who can't, don't, or won't listen to the subtle whispering of the Universe -- sucks to be them, hope they figure it out soon. And am I ever glad I do listen to that. A'tha is an immense part of my life. Everyone should have peace, love, joy, and understanding of the Universe.

And ... PASS IT ON! [Enjoy some broken HTML! And ... message repeats. Except not with h1. Here's the public key of someone, I have no idea who! Message repeats again! Complete with public key. Wow, we're all kinds of blessed today. And again. Wow, this was forwarded a lot.]

Best wishes for everyone, cunningly illustrated! Comfort, cheer, rainbows, laughter, sunsets, hugs, friends, beauty, confidence, faith, courage, patience, love, blessings. [The confidence illustration was the best, a German Shepherd plastered to the door frame at the vet's.]

*nudge* Guardian angels come in unlikely forms; one of the more likely is that of your friends. And looks like I'm deputized to inform y'all that there is at least one good thing coming your way today. [Cunningly illustrated with a photo of a sleeping baby wearing a crown of rosebuds.]

A conversation between this dude and God:
Dude: *whispers* "Speak to me."
God: *meadow lark sings*
Dude: *doesn't make the connection* ... *yells* "Hey! I said SPEAK TO ME!"
God: *THUNDER ROLLS*
Dude: ... "Okay then. Let me see you?"
God: *star twinkles*
Dude: *hollers* "SHOW ME A MIRACLE!"
God: *healthy, happy, loved & wanted baby is born*
Dude: ... *sniffles* ... "Just touch me? Let me know you're there?"
God: *butterfly lands on dude*
Dude: *brushes off butterfly* "SERIOUSLY, I NEED SOME HELP HERE!"
God: *forwards an inspirational e-mail*
Dude: >DELETED< *bawls*
God: *facepalm*

Seminary school. Teacher has everyone draw pictures of people who have pissed them off recently, post them on the corkboard, and throw darts. Class has delightful and slightly dangerous moment of catharsis. Teacher takes down pictures, takes down covering on corkboard, and reveals what was posted behind -- yeah, you guessed it! Lesson from Matthew 25:40 slammed home unforgettably.
[Message that follows was phrased in a gratingly religious fashion, vs. an upliftingly religious one. The burden of which was "Stop laughing at those really dreadful shows on TV and then wondering why the kids are emulating those same lousy shows. And one of the greatest evils is those who say they believe and then act like utter asshats in the name of what they 'believe'. Don't be invisible. Be a force for good."]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I like your re-workings, especially #9.

Thanks! *grin* Copying them all here exactly as sent would have been a surefire indication that I was losing my mind and help should be sent. But sum-ups, that I can do.

Note: I haven't screened for grammar or anything, just deleted the excess >>> and line breaks.

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:

When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, could not learn things as other children do. He could not understand things as other children do. Where was the natural order of things in my son?

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. I believe, that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes, in the way other people treat that child.

Then he told the following story:

Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, Do you think they'll let me play? Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play, not expecting much. The boy looked around for guidance and said, We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.

Shay struggled over to the team's bench put on a team shirt with a broad smile and his Father had a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded,
the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible 'cause Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing the other team putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over, but the pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the head of the first baseman, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, Shay, run to first! Run to first! Never in his life had Shay ever ran that far but made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, Run to second, run to second! Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to second base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball, the smallest guy on their
team, who had a chance to be the hero for his team for the first time. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions and he too intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay

Shay headed third base, the opposing shortstop ran to help him and turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, Run to third! Shay, run to third As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams and those watching were on their feet were screaming, Shay, run home! Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.

That day, said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world.

Shay didn't make it to another summer and died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his Father so happy and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

I normally see the original version of #9 with 'Goddess' in place of 'God', making me want to stab people with their overly large and pointy pentagrams.

I don't think there's a single person who would send me those kind of messages - and just as well, since if I was down, they'd depress me even more. E, however, does occasionally receive that /sort/ of thing from her parents.

I always find the best kind of supporting email to send someone is a quiet notice that essentially says 'hey, thinking about you, here if I'm required'. Even then I'm often reluctant to send such a thing in case I'm intruding where I'm not welcome. I'd like to think that the person in question gets some benefit from the fact that other people (ie, me) are thinking about them, even if they don't directly know it.

It being the thought that counts?

*grin*

... I'm just never sure whether I'm crazy, alien, or both.

You forgot "The horrible poem about the girl who dies in a carcrash because the driver was drunk before she [the dead girl, not, presumably the driver] was SAVED OMG, and she went to hell , the end."

These were the ones I actually got this morning. Normally it's at a rate of two or three every month or so, all from this one friend or Guide Dog Aunt, but this morning it was all ten of these, all from this one friend.

And this friend is far more about the "You are my sister and we both love God" than the "OMG U R GOING TO HELLZ!" which is quite refreshing.

I shall now sum up a whole pantload of inspirational e-mails.

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Fwd: "Shay's Day" (cleaned up a little)

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