Sync iMessage and SMS Texts across devices

I have a lot of devices, which is not a shock to anyone who knows me. In the past, Apple’s Messages app has been a pain to use because messages didn’t always sync among my devices. I’d read a text on my iPhone but it would still show as unread on my iPad. Or I’d delete a spam text on my iPhone but it would still be there on my Mac. Then I discovered a better way to live.