I think ignoring it is best. If you're pretty sure she didn't mean it the way you took it, then why add that to your suffering? I'm sorry you were hurt, but by now putting it aside, you can move on. Working to discern this type of thing earlier and earlier will help prevent hurt in the future, from anything someone says. Deciding if it's all about you, or if it's all about them can help! Either way, you have control then.

If I were to receive such an email, and was hurt, I'd file it away or mark it as unread, and come back and read it later when I'm up to it.... leaving it alone in my mind in the meantime. Then, when it's no longer raw, reread it and try to figure out what they might be saying. Then, delete it. Not having it there to remind me is a good trick Whether I respond or not is up to what decision I had made about the email...if they were being hurtful, why give them anymore of your time and energy? If they weren't being hurtful, then respond in a better way than they emailed...hey, they may be having a bad time of it themselves and just didn't phrase something correctly.



PS I have a sil who sends those miserable pass-it-along-or-else type emails... I've begged her not to, all she has to do is remove me from that blast list so now, I might open them or not.. sometimes I even read them and then??? I hit the delete.