Betty White had a long life, filled with trials and loss. She also was a funny lady who appeared as the naïve lady from Minnesota who always tried to find the best in every situation. Her dimpled smile made us laugh for many years on the Golden Girls. I wonder how her character would react to what’s going on in Minnesota right now. Pretty much of everything you can imagine is happening here and it’s truly hard to keep on smiling – even for Rose.

We moved from Wisconsin to Minnesota in 1973. Our first impression of the state was how welcoming it was. People had a different way of talking. It wasn’t really an accent or dialect. It was just plain down-home Minnesotan. The only skyscraper was the Foshay Tower in the center of downtown. The Mississippi River ran through it both cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul. It was a beautiful extension of Wisconsin, which made the move easier. Over time, more big buildings popped up. Population increased. We raised our three children here, made many friends and were able to have jobs that we loved. Something happened to the friendly attitudes along the way. People became more isolated. We made most of our friends through the churches we attended but also stayed connected to the real world. Politics changed. We even had a former professional wrestler as governor. In 2020 we fought, along with the rest of the world, a plague that would further isolate us. For five years we became sequestered from the rest of the population. Somewhere along the line the Minnesota of 1973 was no more.

Today our streets are filled with protests – mostly well-intentioned but often scarred with activists that turn things ugly. The news media stirs the pot and the average person gets riled up. We became a sanctuary state welcoming immigrants who went through the legal process of gaining their citizenship. We are considered a very liberal state. In the past twenty years or so, the protests continue. Many become out of control. Lives have been lost and law enforcement has taken a big hit. Law and order have been under attack. Along with that, Minnesota is under investigation for massive fraud which has allocated government funds into the wrong hands. What happened to my state?

This week has been designated a week of prayer for Christian unity. I wonder if anyone realizes that. It makes me sad to think we set aside only one week. Jesus gave us instructions to love one another in His Sermon on the Mount, yet we’re seeing so much division among those who disagree. We used to be able to listen to people’s opinions. We used to work together for the good of our country. We used to help each other when we needed to. Disagreement turns into anger and anger progresses to hate. We’re all children of God. We have different ideas on how to deal with things, but the minute we start thinking we’re better than those we disagree with, we’ve started to behave like less than human beings. If equality is ever to happen, that’s a good starting point.

I guess I’m a lot like Rose, from the Golden Girls. I recommend being positive in a negative world. I pray that we can set aside our differences and talk to each other without anger. That we can learn from our past mistakes and finally work together in a friendly way. Yes, I am naïve, but I also believe that even in the chaos of our lives, God has a plan. He’s had it since the beginning of time. He never changes, even though our lives are constantly in a state of flux. When we look to Him for hope in hopeless situations, we can be sure that He will answer.

THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR ANOTHER DAY. I KNOW YOU HAVE A PURPOSE FOR ME TODAY. USE ME TO BRING PEACE TO OTHERS – TO LOVE THEM EVEN WHEN I DISAGREE WITH THEM – TO FOLLOW YOUR EXAMPLE FOR LIVING TOGETHER IN UNITY AND HARMONY. AMEN!