GWC Meetup number three has come and gone, and once again I’m back home with wonderful memories of my GWC friends and family.
This year’s gathering was pretty exceptional in that at least half of the 40 or so attendees were first-timers! And it was truly International. We had Alpacas from Canada, from Ireland, from Sweden! While my old friends and I met and hugged and laughed with the great relief of finally seeing each other again, I watched with a smile…the newcomers.
Seeing a friend from the forum who had talked of coming, had been nervous, unable to attend till now, unsure, to whom I and others had said “Just do it!”…seeing that person there in Texas, thrilled at the leap of faith they’d taken, one I and many others had taken years before…seeing them realize what a Meetup was all about, watching them talk with the Crue, be accepted by all, seeing that initial reserve and nervousness disappear almost instantly, made this Meetup really special to me.
Of course, all of this wouldn’t be possible without the tremendous atmosphere of intelligence, fun, fairplay, and acceptance that the GWC Crue has fostered over these past years. For three years now Chuck, Audra and Sean have hosted a herd of (sometimes :D) barely containable geeks on their home turf, their favorite places, hell, literally their homes! I can only hope that the Crue appreciates how much we appreciate them.
So to the GWC Crue, I say thank you for all you’ve done to bring us all together. For your time and your efforts. I know it’s not always easy. Rarely, even.
But it’s what you do.
Thank you.