Emotional Post To Write...Recognising Heroes From Our Fabulous Community After A Call For Recognition From The Awesome @apolymask
I should warn you one or two real tears were shed towards the end of this post, read at your own discretion.
This post genuinely started life as a comment after a request from the wonderful @apolymask to make him aware of some fabulous, inspirational heroes of our community. It became apparent about one thousand words in that It would be wrong to clutter his comment feed with such a large comment, thus it evolved in to a post.
It is always great to write a shout-out post acknowledging those who have the communities needs placed front and centre before their own.
OK! I could not pass up this chance to give some shout-outs to some truly special people on the platform...And just this once I will try not to use 26,000 words...It'll be a challenge as community is exactly the reason I am here and I become massively passionate when I write about it.
Here goes...
I can go no further without mentioning @officialfuzzy. The Fuzzmeister General is behind many gigantiferous projects on the blockchain but my favourite project and the one I feel compelled to give the man a shout-out for is the heartbreakingly epic project milkbox. I stumbled across @milkbox.info a while back and could not believe the scale of the initiative that was being proposed...
Project milkbox was formed with the enormously audacious aim of helping families find missing loved ones and even missing pets. This led me to some external links and some further research of my own to look into the process of tracking down a missing person, the information and processes that I discovered left me feeling a little bleak with regard to the system we would all expect to help us if the worst should happen and we found our-self in this tragic position.
The current systems that are in place are far from efficient and as we have all heard, sometimes after a certain amount of time (and resources of-course) families are just dropped and left to get on with it. Many families then spend thousands on private searches and PI investigators with money they did not really have in the first place.
Project milkbox provides a service that restores my faith in humanity and that literally makes my heart ache anytime I read about the initiative. I sincerely hope it can help many, many families going through the unthinkable.
I am now going to share the name of a Steemian who has become synonymous with community initiatives that promote retention of newbies on the platform, is there a more pressing issue, right now? @danielsaori along with @DaveMccoy (OK I sneaked in a 2 for 1...So sue me haha) have so wonderfully developed and promoted @dustsweeper to help those newbies who are losing rewards on dust votes that get burned and disappear into the ether...Not anymore thanks to this amazing tool.
If you have been living underneath a rock and have somehow missed the development of @dustsweeper...Join...Don't think about it, don't question if it's worth joining (IT IS!) Just bloody well JOIN! Yes there is a cost associated, but it is not really a cost, think of it as "pay as you go vote" or maybe that should be,"pay as you get up-voted".
The cost (more like balance in your @dustsweeper account) will be used to round up those dust votes that neither pay you nor give a curation award, you not only get back the amount from your initial investment but also manage to harness the cost of the dust that would have been burned worse than last weekend's BBQ...Lost votes will be a thing of the past...
Got dust? Call Dustsweeper...
Oops...My next nomination also turns into a 2 for 1 by default as I cannot separate these 2 Steemians...They unquestionably come as a pair and their story has touched the heart of many a person here.
source
But they are a community minded pair also and have approximately (if my maths is correct) a gazillion friends here sending love, positivity and the very warmest of wishes. All of this goes on whilst dealing with the most challenging and tragic personal circumstances. @lynncoyle1 and the inspirational @briancourteau! The dude shouldn't even be here today, but he sent a big F.U to his life tormentor and keeps holding the evil monster at bay.
So let's try and separate them for just a moment to take more of an individual look at them both.
@lynncoyle1 is one of the most active people you will ever meet here. If you are involved with communities and worthy initiatives especially if they have been created with the betterment of minnows in mind. If you have not noticed half a dozen comments from Lynn around Steemit today...You my friend have been reading with your eyes closed! All of this work and active support at the same time as dealing with life which is no bed of roses but as she would tell you herself...
...The awesome, unbridled joy of having found your life's love is worth the pain and the hard times.
@briancourteau Wow! not sure where to start here to be honest. Brian would tell you he is an ordinary guy going through a Fucking unfair battle with an evil monster of a disease challenging and difficult time. However giving up was never on the cards, fading away? Haha not bloody likely! He has shared his battle at every stage of the way in an open, honest warts and all way. A lot of people do not want to discuss terminal illness and I am sure we all understand just why that is. It is uncomfortable and makes us squeamish and also question and think of our own mortality.
Just think how it feels for the person living it...Every damn day!
I think his posts may well serve as a source of strength to others going through a similar epic struggle though. I imagine you kind of acclimatise to living with the illness, hard as that seems to imagine but you need to find your way to handle the oncoming storm and even though Brian's struggle does not make for pleasant reading, (sorry man, with the greatest of respect, I'm just being honest, I reckon you'd prefer that). You do not die on the day of that diagnosis, you find a way to adapt and go on.
You find reason and strength to live, life goes on right? As I have already intimated, Brian has one enormous reason to fight on and grab every day extra he can, to celebrate the good days (and he damn well does!). He would tell you if you asked him that he has found the love of his life...Let that sink in...The love of his shortened life.
A lot of people reading would have gasped uncomfortably as I used the word shortened, right? funnily enough I don't think Brian was one of them. If anyone gets it, he does. He knows to live like there's no tomorrow to cherish every kiss, hug, touch. Every time he says goodnight to his muse, his inspiration, his reason to blast through another day, week and month he will have an uneasy feeling, but that love will be more potent for it, right?
You better believe it!
The lovely @lynncoyle1 very kindly allowed me use of this photo which sums up better what would take me a thousand (more) words to describe!
But still he comes and shares the story of his battle and his normal, everyday life. He opens his heart and the rawest of emotions again and again. The man has a lesson for us all to learn, I hope we can take it onboard...
Again the honesty in me must admit that it is not always easy to read what Brian has written, that's a bit of selfishness on my part I think but again we must learn to life life with humility, joy and enjoy the great love's in our life.
I hope you keep saying F.U. man and keep defying the odds as long as you feel able to. Just know that you have touched many people profoundly and I am glad these past years have been spent with your soulmate this makes all the difference. Your love for Lynn always sounds so profound and shows that a real man bears his feelings and makes sure that those whom are truly special know it, every single day. Thankyou!
Wow @stevenwood! This is absolutely beautiful!! Brian's feeling a bit "off" today, so I read this to him and between the two of us, I think our mouths hung open for a minute...completely speechless :)
Saying "thank you" doesn't even come close to expressing how we feel about a post like this; to know that we have affected you so profoundly, specifically Brian, in some weird way gives purpose to our plight. We also both love that you just called it like it is...that is Brian in a nutshell; he wears his heart on his sleeve and never minces words. You my friend, have done him justice here. Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts.
@lynncoyle1 You are so much more than welcome!
It felt right to talk a little more in Brian-terms...
He doesn't try and dress it up as anything other than what it is, I think (as I mentioned) that this will give service to others in a similar situation. I was a little worried that one or both of you may have felt a little as though I had over-stepped the mark writing about something so personal, you can imagine my relief. The post morphed into something very different to what I had intended, I just went with it as it seemed to need saying, hope that makes sense?
Your love story always strikes me as epic (I'm sure to the both of you it just feels like home) and as I have mentioned before today, it serves as a prompt to be with the person you are meant to be with. no compromises or sharing your life with people you feel OK about. Love is far too important to mess about with.
Hope tomorrow is a much better day @briancourteau. trust me, far more people than you imagine are profoundly affected by the story you guys share, I think many people worry about trying to articulate something so personal, so they avoid too much mention of it for fear of saying something wrong. I, on the other hand do not see boundaries and am like a bull in a china shop, emotion is something that should be let out.
And a truly great love must always be allowed into the sun :)
My father has always accused me of being a bull in a china shop, so we are all in good company:)
One of my goals for bringing light to our life and writing so much about it was hoping that cancer and all the ugly messes that go with it and eventually dying are all things that deserve to be talked about, so I'm so glad you did just that @stevenwood. There's a lot of ugly in life, but there's a lot of beauty as well, and you really did capture both. I'm sending you big internet hugs my friend! Thank you again :)
Big internet hugs are always greatly appreciated and returned tenfold to the both of you :)
Oh @lynncoyle1, I feel so silly. Sometime ago I came across one of @briancourteau 's post and left a message and received a beautiful reply. Then I saw your post on the bird's nest that caught me, and then you found me and introduced me ton asapers. In this whole time, I never knew you were such a beautiful couple. Don't know how I missed that.
I'm so glad to have read this post by @stevenwood who has brought this to light for me.
Much love and light to you both who have captured my heart here in Steemit. Xx
Oh don't feel silly @kchitrah! I'm glad you connected the dots :) It's all good.
:) thank you xx
My friend. Hero, never. You hid it on the head that I am a ordinary guy whose has become grateful to you all here. My thoughts are Iam sorry for my writing being what it is, but Its life for me. You are a true gentlemen for mentioning @davemccoy and @danielsaori that are true Steemit heroes. You are a true friend. I am sorry but been awol lately. Tired beyond comprehension. Your post brought me strength my brother
I think you are anything but ordinary :)
Apologies are never expected nor required for either your posts nor your frequency on the platform Brian :)
I also hit the nail on the head about you not wanting to be seen as a hero. All I can say my friend is sometimes the way we perceive ourselves is not necessarily the way that others perceive us!
You see what you do as talking about your life...The good the bad and the damn ugly. Some see it as brave and a potential journal that can explain some parts of the journey to others who will have similar experiences. Some would never talk of what you do, there is sometimes even a stigma how crazy is that?
You show that ordinary people can have extraordinary things happen upon them in both a good way and a bad way. There are no subjects that should be taboo or have negative connotations attributed to them. You speak from the heart and I appreciate that! It's your life and can be as open or private as you wish, you must always speak how you see fit. If this community brings you strength at times Brian I am so utterly overjoyed about that.
You called me Brother! that rocks man. I have a Discord account of the same name. It is always open to direct messages man. take great care of you and yours :D
People watch all kinds of parades, even the one Lynn and Bryan are creating on a daily basis. Not all parades are joyful events, and there are a few - like this one - where people watch, respectfully and with admiration because that is all they can do. Waving flags and marching bands are not appropriate, just as cheers and confetti are not, but there are still other events of both joy and sadness.
What is appropriate is to have a place to be mentally and a thing to do when your heart hurts with both pride and sadness.
Will
That is so true my friend!
I imagine being able to have a place to share the triumphs and joys of the good days and indeed occasionally shout at the world on those other kind of days is a source of great comfort and a way of releasing the pressure-valve. If that is what this platform and this community provides then I say golf clap to steemit too.
This is a great ecosystem in many ways but this is one application that gains it much merit and I am all the happier that we have it.
Thank you @willymac; beautifully said, as usual! I'm ok with confetti and flag waving too...it just means we are all enjoying life whatever it happens to be throwing in our faces on any given day :)
Such a beautiful shout out and thank you for making me realise something I can't believe I overlooked. (You will know what it is in my reply to @lynncoyle1 's reply in your comments )
So many beautiful ppl and communities here.
Thankyou so much my friend. Community is what we are doing, right here, right now.
Community is my big dream for this platform and if I am honest, for the world in general. As Brian and Lynn show life turns crazy at times sometimes for the longterm, life can be hard enough already without the world creating division everywhere. I say we all just be friends and help eachother through it in whatever way we can.
Life, like any journey is better shared with friends, right :)
Indeed. I love that phrase.
Honey
Bomb