Dear Gregorio,

It’s hard to believe that it’s been sixteen years since you and Sarah met back in 2009, and thirteen since you two got married. That has been an eventful sixteen years, marked by the addition of your three beautiful children and the life you two have created for yourselves and them. You can be very proud of how all of that hard work has come to fruition. I am certainly proud of you for being such a loving, kind, and decent husband and father to my daughter and grandchildren. You have been truly devoted to your family in a way that shows both strong commitment and deep love.

I know it has not always been easy—and probably isn’t all that easy now. After all, you do a lot of juggling on a daily basis. However, the time you put into hauling your kids to soccer, basketball, baseball, swimming, gymnastics, plus all the school activities, plus coaching their teams in soccer and baseball, while also doing all the extra things that help kids feel supported and loved, while working full-time on top of all that (oh, and being a full-time husband), well—that is clearly paying off in spades.

How do I know? Just look at your family. Your kids adore you, your wife loves you, and the community that you have created as a support system for everyone through sports and school also seems to think you are pretty darn cool, Not to mention your colleagues at Cal State LA and the students you take on those archeological digs to Utah. In short, you have distinguished yourself as a top-notch husband, father, and human, which is wonderful in its own right but even more so when the happy recipients are my daughter and grandkids. Thank you for being the strong, caring, and deeply passionate human being you are. You have built a wonderful life and one that I appreciate that I get to share with you, Sarah, and the kids. Please know that I do not take that gift for granted.

Happy birthday to you, my dear. I hope you had a wonderful day today and a lovely week with Sarah and the kids at Estero Beach in Ensenada. I also wish the best for you in this upcoming year.

I hope you and Sarah are having a wonderful time at the George Strait concert tonight. That’s a fabulous way to celebrate your birthday!

Much love to you,

Len