My wife Patty and I have always been community friendly. She especially has a way about her that people are drawn to. Her giving compassionate nature is in her DNA. It runs through her veins and is an intricate part of her every day life, heart and soul. She is 17 years younger than I yet I've learned more about living from her than from anyone or anything, and to put it mildly, I've lived a very colorful life. We are a union. A marriage is in many ways akin to a community. A community only takes more than one person. I have a pinned tweet on my Twitter page that I wrote. It states, Community is "a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals" It's not a popularity contest or who can one up the other. It's giving of oneself into a contribution of the larger entity. #XRPCommunity
For many years Patty was an EMT Paramedic. She made a career out of helping others. During this period she was thrust into tragedy after tragedy striving all the while to save a life even in the face of hopelessness. A true hero within a community, but humble in her endeavor because it came natural. I have the upmost respect for the members of our communities globally who live their lives saving other lives. This is an extreme example of what "Community" stands for.
My upbringing in Western Michigan was and is a huge part of who I am. Nothing heroic but rather about a child raised in the restaurant business. I began working for my dad washing dishes and busing tables at 8 years old. This went on for the next decade. It taught me many life lessons and gave me a sense of belonging to something much bigger than I. My dad's restaurant was very busy with many regulars. All these people joining daily not for the sole purpose of eating my dads cooking, but also to share stories, joke and laugh, lend an ear or just sit in silence. A daily "Community" gathering.
I woke up very early this morning. Unable to get back to sleep, I got up made a coffee and logged into my Twitter. The first thing I see is a Tweet by our beloved Tiffany Hayden simply stating the name Edgar Soares repeatedly. Of course I followed through the feed and discovered this guy had attacked Tiffany in a very vulgar manner. The #XRPCommunity struck back, including myself. The paradox in this is that it's sad that people can stoop to this level and yet as a community we pull together to ward it off.
The #XRPCommunity is absolutely incredible. People from all walks of life from every corner of the globe. We gather 24/7 and that brings me a sense of comfort. I've grown to love this community. I learn new things every day, I'm able to help others, we have fun, we have challenges but we are #XRPstrong. We are attacked not only on Twitter and other social media but also by mainstream media. Yet we march on and hold our heads high because we know what we stand for, unified. Some have deemed us a cult, a defensive bunch of hopeless degenerates hodling our shitcoin. In contrast we are a fast growing community that truly cares about the world and are striving to make a difference. I couldn't be prouder of any "Community". We will reign supreme.