Dad. Hubby. Pops. LJ Dot. Lar. 

You are a man of many names, many hats, many friends, and one terrible leather adventure jacket. How the hell are you 70 years old? It seems like only yesterday you were a 20-year-old wunderkind going on 50. Wearing all purple. 

What do we make of this birthday milestone? How do we make sense of the time you have spent on this earth playing squash, making dry caps, giggling when Karen ambushes you, or thinking about the perfect remote location to plan a trip to? 

Like most confusing rituals that force us to confront time, mortality, and meaning … we have decided to turn to the one thing that experts say matters in life: all of the relationships you have nurtured and cherished over these many years. 

What is self-evident and blindly obvious at this point is the following: is that you are a beloved man. And while we wish we could have flown everyone to Tbilisi, Georgia to surprise you for a big birthday blowout … due to the global pandemic, we have decided to settle for the next best thing: a collection of letters and memories from all of the people in your life that love you and want to celebrate you right alongside us. 

We love you, Lauren John Wasservogel Walters. Happy birthday. 

Karen, Peter, and Ed