This week, I got the message from Microsoft that my MVP-title has been "renewed" for the fifth year in a row. Here is an excerpt from the notification email:

Congratulations! We are pleased to present you with the 2009 Microsoft® MVP Award! The MVP Award is our way to say thank you for promoting the spirit of community and improving people’s lives and the industry’s success every day. We appreciate your extraordinary efforts in Team System technical communities during the past year.

MVP status is awarded to credible technology experts who are among the very best community members willing to share their experience to helping others realize their potential. Being an MVP has opened many doors for me as a software architect and (sometimes rather pushy) Microsoft customer and the relationships I've been able to develop have added a great richness to my life. Thanks Microsoft ;-)