I really like cremation songs. As the belt started, it just went 'the long and winding road,' and it made me laugh. It feels so inappropriate because of how abrupt it was. And then I just started thinking about inappropriate cremation songs.
'They're dead.' In disbelief, my response was unfiltered. 'What?' Followed by the F word. A wave of emotion rushed through me. My chest tightened. My body went cold. I could not immediately find the words to offer condolences, not because I did not feel them deeply, but because inside, my many parts were experiencing a collective shock. When you live with dissociative identity disorder (DID), news like this does not land in one place. It ricochets across all parts within.
I did not really plan to speak today. "I was not convinced I'd be able to. And I'm still not quite sure I can get through this, so please bear with me." Valentino, you were the person I spoke to, not the person I spoke about. You were beside me when words were not needed. Life was not always perfect, but it was real. One day at a time, for more than 40 years, all strung together, became extraordinary because we were living them together. This is what I'll miss about you most. I know how many people loved you, and I'm grateful for that, but what we shared was ours alone, and I will hold that carefully for the rest of my life. I don't say goodbye today, I say thank you. For choosing me, for walking with me, and for leaving me changed forever. Thank you.
A passerby discovers it first - and lets out a piercing call. Within seconds, everyone in earshot rushes to the scene. It's mayhem... or so it seems. Crows are intelligent, and super chatty. They watch out for one another within tight-knit groups. As adults it's pretty rare for crows to be killed. So when one dies the others notice. Are they just scared? Or is something deeper going on.
At the entrance to La Clementina, a housing development in the municipality of Concordia, in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, there are five funeral wreaths and 12 votive candles. It is a floral offering in memory of the miners who were kidnapped at the end of January. The bodies of Jose Angel Hernandez Velez, Ignacio Aurelio Salazar Flores, Jose Manuel Castaneda Hernandez, Jose Antonio Jimenez, and Jesus Antonio de la O, all employees of the Canadian mining company Vizsla Silver, have been identified, while the whereabouts of five others remain unknown.
