This Gave Me Hope

My heart is torn into pieces. I have spent the entire day in Orlando, helping people however I can. When I heard about the shooting this morning, I immediately drove to Orlando to help out. I arrived there at 6:00 am and just got back home, it's 12:40 am.
I live 45 minutes away from the bar, and last night, I woke up crying and in pain. The force worked through me, letting me know there were people that needed help. I spent many hours helping people to the hospital (the ones that ambulances would not take due to other injuries being more severe) I donated blood, and helped set up blood donation places. When family members of people who were injured started showing up because they hadn't heard from their loved ones, I took paper and wrote down family names and people they were looking for to give to paramedics and police to try and help put family with victims. I went and bought food and water for people that had been sitting around for hours upon hours shaking and afraid. I did everything I could do, and it wasn't enough. Please keep my community in your thought
‪#‎orlandolove‬.
I know this kind of post is not common here, but I needed to vent. I did everything I could and yet I feel as if I did nothing. In the end, all I will ever feel in my heart is 50 dead/53 injured, and many of them are critical. Guys, I have spent hours crying. I have never felt or witnessed so much pain on such a grand scale. I'm really not sure how to wind down at this point. Meditate, I must.
Thanks for the rant,

Today was another long day, some co-workers and I went and bought food for people who are at the hotel across the street from the bar. While tensions are still high, there was a lot of people there spreading the message of love. Radio stations, food pantries, people still willing to give blood, people showing up with candles to light at dark, and the survivors of the attack are here, unified for everyone to see, to show that the dark side will not prevail. I still cry tears of sadness, but today, I cried a few tears of joy as our message is strong, we will not let the darkness consume us, the force will light our path.

Goken wrote: I'm a little sad that I just found this story, but it gave me hope.

Hero takes down school shooter

Warning: Spoiler!

A student at Seattle Pacific University is shown pepper-spraying a gunman, then taking him to the ground during an on-campus attack in video released by authorities. The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office released the footage Tuesday to satisfy a public records request. In the video, a man identified by authorities as Aaron Ybarra, then 27, is seen entering a campus building holding a shotgun. He shoots and injures one student before student Jon Meis runs into the lobby, drags him to the ground, and takes the shotgun, the AP reports. Police say Ybarra killed one male student on June 5, 2014, outside the building. He has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges and his trial is scheduled for September.

The video shows the gunman entering a lobby that appeared to be occupied by one student who initially didn't see him. A gun is pointed toward the student as a female student descends a staircase, also not immediately seeing the gunman. The gunman fires at her and the other student runs away. The wounded student slowly walks away as the gunman appears to be reloading. Meis arrives, squirts the gunman in the face with pepper spray, and lunges at him, taking him down in a neck hold, then removing the gun. The shooter rolls around before Meis returns, grabbing him again in a headlock before another man joins the fight. At the time of the shooting, Seattle police praised Meis, a student monitor in the building, saying he "heroically intervened."

Tl:dr School shooter in Seattle kills one. Another student pepper sprays him and takes him down. No further fatalities.

This gives me hope because it shows that there are people out there willing to fight. Willing to stand up and protect themselves and others rather than cower and then point their fingers after the fact. If more people were like Meis maybe there'd be fewer shootings, or at least fewer casualties.

I just wish mainstream news covered this type of thing more than the ones with higher death tolls.

The fundraiser started Jovee was 3. Jovee wanted her family to give all of their money to the shelter. Her mother, Erin Blakely, had another idea.

"I said, 'You could give the animal shelter your birthday gifts,' and she said, 'OK,' and that's how it started," Blakely said.

Jovee has asked for gifts or donations for the animal shelter instead of anything for herself for her last three birthdays.

Last year Jovee decided to start the lemonade stand in an effort to raise even more money for the shelter.

Her efforts resulted in a $2,000 check for the animal shelter.

"She just has a heart of gold," Rose McConathy of the Clarke County Animal Shelter said. "To be that unselfish, you just don’t find that a lot. I giver her all the credit. She is going to grow up to be a wonderful human being."