I've been pretty busy polishing up my SQLInspire NYC talk, when I realized that it's another edition of Meme Monday. The topic is, What SQLFamily means to me. This neat blog idea was originally started by SQL MVP Thomas LaRock, aka @sqlrockstar, and today's topic is pretty cool and inspired to make a quick entry here. Speaking of inspiration, Mr. LaRock, will be joining us for a day of inspiring and really awesome talks from MVPs, SQL & BI industry experts! (You can still register and use Confio's Sponsored Code: SQLINSPIRE2011CONFIO to get in for FREE)

But, I digress. Let's talk about family, #SQLFamily!  Now, I saw some of the tweets of other folks participating in this month's Meme Monday, and I'm sure the sentiment is similar for many of us in the SQLCommunity.  So there's one thing that's equally important to family, is community!  Some families are large, others are small.  There's the nuclear family - no, nothing radioactive about this, just means a family group consisting of a father, mother and their children.  And then, there's the extended family - think big holiday get togethers, like Thanksgiving - grandparents, uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws, oh my!  In our case, the recent BIG sqlfamily get together was the PASS Summit!  We had relatives and friends from around the world gather for a big family get together.

Some people love large gatherings, others hate it, and can't wait until they are over!  The SQLFamily is unique, because, well, we hoped that PASS would never be over!  So many folks were so PASSed out from the event, that it took days to recover!  Think about Uncle Al getting drunk on grape wine and falling asleep from turkey pumped full of L-tryptophan. I used Uncle Al, but I have to admit, I got a big laugh when Tom talked about Uncle Buck, because in the SQL context, I swore he was talking about Buck Woody, and not the movie by the same name. Would you want Buck watching your kids?  Of course, he's a great guy!  He can watch my SQL Servers, uh, kids, anytime. 🙂

So, before we break out in song, "We are F-a-m-i-l-y", I've been very humbled about the true dedication and spirit of so many of you, MVP or otherwise, in contributing, helping, tweeting, blogging, volunteering, etc. for a Community unlike no other I've ever known.  Just like any family, you support each other, lift folks up when they're down, mentor, and give back to those who are eager to play a bigger part in the family.  Just like kids, we constantly learn and grow! Not just with SQL Knowledge, but with our colleagues, men and women, who are ordinary folk, with jobs, spouses, children, etc., who take time out of their busy personal family life, to be part of the #SQLFamily. Lots of amazing individuals out there. I am very glad to be a part of this large extended family, and have had the pleasure to meet and work with so many of you in the SQLCommunity! 

And, as many pointed out, we talk, we chat, we argue, we debate, we fight, we make up - just like family!  We stay in touch as often as possible, or like some relatives, like Tom, he never writes, or returns your phone calls 😛  But, nonetheless, we're all part of the same #SQLFamily. And that's plain awesome!

We are F-a-m-i-ly - I got all my SQL Peeps with me.