It was another late night of chaos, fire, looting, anger, destruction, and fear. And yet I awake at the crack of dawn to the sound of singing birds, shining sun, and the promise of something better. I wish that all of what is happening here in my city was just a bad dream. But the reality is my home is a war zone right now. And I am afraid.

His death was so VERY wrong. What happened to George Floyd, a black man arrested and losing his ability to breathe in broad daylight under the knee of white police officer, Derek Chauvin, is strong evidence that racism is still very much alive. You may not agree with me here, but the video footage is heart wrenching.

Racism is such an unintelligent mindset. It’s irrational if you think about it. Does any of us choose the skin color we are born into? But yet we judge. We hurt. We hate merely because of this one thing. People, we are all human. We are all God’s children. We are all supposed to be brothers and sisters. To be on this earth and think that we are above another is so wrong. And after centuries and generations of the pain and suffering this causes, you’d think we would realize that by now. Where is the Golden Rule? Kindness, respect, saying sorry for hurting another, showing compassion, taking time to listen, compromising,…treating others the way you would wish to be treated.

I usually don’t get religious or political in my blog posts because I respect that there are so many of us that think and feel differently based on our upbringing and what we experience in our lives. And I know that chaos, fire, looting, anger, destruction and fear is happening in many parts of our world on any given day. My blog is a positive place where I share creative paper crafting, greeting cards, scrapbook pages, gifts, etc. AND the occasional news of my family and our joys, celebrations, milestones, travel, etc. It’s a place for positivity and creative, happy inspiration. But right now I reaching out to any of you that can send strong prayers for the healing of my city and the healing of the people I share it with.

It’s become a war zone and there is no control. There doesn’t seem to be any strong, intelligent leadership coming from anywhere. And the helplessness is too immense when we watch the televised reporters/journalists/photographers share footage of this all. I’ve seen videos shared on social media of too many who are adding fuel to this fire simply because they have a place to be out of control and not get caught. God, we need help. So many lives are being affected by this. It’s already hard enough with all that is happening to individual lives and the economy due to that nasty virus. And now this. I am so scared.

I can see that peaceful protesting is lawful and needs to be allowed, but the ones who are out to keep looting and setting things on fire are hiding in the crowds and then by nightfall it’s too late to gain any control. In the meantime we are all losing…all of us. Buildings (businesses, government buildings, and more) are burning to the ground OR now boarding up in the hopes to avoid destruction. And it’s not just the destruction of the property. People’s lives are being destroyed. All of this is literally killing so many of us.

I ask for peace and at the same time I ask for change. I ask for love and I ask for justice. I ask for repair and I ask for leaders who make everyone feel good and safe.

Thank you to those of you who are out there protesting for change peacefully. I respect that and pray that it happens. At the same time, I pray that the destruction our our city, our buildings, our lives will please end today. It’s time for the Golden Rule to shine above all and become the forefront of how we lead our lives going forward. Please love thy neighbor. Please heal our world so that we can live peacefully together despite all of our differences.

This is a photo I found that shows what is happening after nightfall here in Minneapolis, St. Paul and surrounding suburbs.

Justice for George Floyd. Black Lives Matter. Praying for peace and an end to the violence and hatred. - www.stampyourartout.com

My friend of 20 years, Simona Boler, has captured the peaceful protests and daytime scenes.

Justice for George Floyd. Black Lives Matter. Praying for peace and an end to the violence and hatred. - www.stampyourartout.com

Justice for George Floyd. Black Lives Matter. Praying for peace and an end to the violence and hatred. - www.stampyourartout.com

Justice for George Floyd. Black Lives Matter. Praying for peace and an end to the violence and hatred. - www.stampyourartout.com

Justice for George Floyd. Black Lives Matter. Praying for peace and an end to the violence and hatred. - www.stampyourartout.com

Justice for George Floyd. Black Lives Matter. Praying for peace and an end to the violence and hatred. - www.stampyourartout.com

Justice for George Floyd. Black Lives Matter. Praying for peace and an end to the violence and hatred. - www.stampyourartout.com

Justice for George Floyd. Black Lives Matter. Praying for peace and an end to the violence and hatred. - www.stampyourartout.com

Justice for George Floyd. Black Lives Matter. Praying for peace and an end to the violence and hatred. - www.stampyourartout.com

Justice for George Floyd. Black Lives Matter. Praying for peace and an end to the violence and hatred. - www.stampyourartout.com

Thank you for allowing me to express my views. I need to wake my children now. Blessings and peace to you.

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