Love from: Raja

There are so many different great memories of Lauren that it is so difficult to remember one in particular.

I met Lauren years ago and have developed a lot of respect, admiration and affection for him. His humility, wealth of knowledge, vast experience, patience, sense of humor, kindness, huge heart, desire to make the world a better place and daring to sometimes be unconventional are among some of his many incredible qualities….

I will always remember a board meeting at our house in Cambridge a few years ago. It  was a cold winter morning and Lauren got off a cab wearing the weirdest hat I had ever seen! I wondered what the cab driver must have thought picking up a customer who looked so different. Although I consider myself to be a free spirit not really attentive to established norms of clothing and appearance I couldn’t help but think that I would not have had the courage to wear the same hat. Yet Lauren did not really seem to care about what other people would think, he simply liked the hat, it was warm, it was different, it served a purpose and he wore it.

I will also mention the video that Lauren sent me for my 60th birthday. I found it very creative because most people filmed themselves talking in videos I received for my 60th whereas Lauren shot a scene of the water and other houseboats and was speaking in the background. I loved it! 

Being sometimes outside established norms and creatively different is so great! I try to keep this in mind everyday.

My hope is to be able to meet Lauren and Karen and Ed and Peter in 2021! To find you all healthy and happy in a world that has recovered some sense of normalcy.

Benedicte joins me to wish you a happy birthday Lauren! 

With much love and affection from Beirut .

Your friend Raja