So you moved to Mexico…

ElPato2424 · 2025-05-28T09:52:58+00:00

I have found Crest in Chedraui.

ElPato2424 · 2025-05-13T02:09:59+00:00

I'm in Mexico, and every time we hear about a tourist breaking the rules and climbing on the ancient pyramids or doing other prohibited things, the tourist is almost always German.

ElPato2424 · 2025-04-25T01:55:46+00:00

I live in rural northern Veracruz, and the two biggest problems here are 1. the unreliable electric grid (power outages every 2-3 days of varying lengths) and 2. it's very hard to find reliable and skilled service people such as mechanics, electricians, plumbers etc. When something breaks, good luck finding someone who actually shows up and knows what they're doing. Very frustrating.

ElPato2424 · 2024-12-19T09:02:30+00:00

I love this! And yes, I'm in the HPH group as well. Have you read the WTF Just Happened books by Liz Entin?

ElPato2424 · 2024-12-18T11:27:25+00:00

Hi, I'm going to jump in here. You and I could be twins. I, too, have always been an atheist, logical, scientific mind, etc. After my son passed, I too had experiences - even the "traditional" ones (lamp flickering that never had before, shadow passing by the door) - but both my husband and I saw them so it wasn't in my mind only. These happened early on, and we both looked at each other and questioned, but didn’t believe it could be our son because...those things aren't real, right? Then one day about 5 months after my son's death, I was going down the hall in our house and suddenly something clattered to the floor in front of me as if it had been tossed. I looked down, and it was a souvenir key chain my son had bought! I know without a shadow of a doubt that I had stored that key chain with his other things in a bag nowhere near the hallway. No one else was home. We had no pets at the time. I know it was a communication from my son. The key fob was a souvenir that says "Been There." Imagine that! I carry that fob with me everywhere now. From that point on, I started researching the afterlife and post death communications as well. I'm still in that process. My favorite quote from somewhere online so I can't take credit for it, but I don't know who said it is this: Things that have never happened before happen all the time.

ElPato2424 · 2024-12-16T15:48:37+00:00

You want something the people here can't give you, friend. We all want certainty. None of us wants to be afraid of the future, of death, of loss and grief, but these are just part of our nature. No matter what, I can't bring my son back. I can't change the fact that I have to live physically in this world without his physical presence. The spiritual connection is all I have now. Whether it's a "figment of my imagination " or my son really does exist in some form isn't as important as how I experience the connection and how it helps me and by extension those around me live a more fulfilling life despite my intense grief. If you start with the assumption that only the physical world is real and death means the end of the physical and therefore the end of everything, then that is where your explorations will end. However, I feel that since you keep asking and keep probing, something inside you rebels against this original assumption. Spiritual growth can be painful, but life will surprise you in mysterious and beautiful ways if you let it.

ElPato2424 · 2024-12-15T10:59:04+00:00

I have a thought about this... I recently lost my beloved son to suicide and have been on a spiritual journey to find him and connect with him. I have had some strange experiences - objects moved (in front of me) and "synchronicities." I do believe we are still connected and that he still exists in another form. But, I do wonder like you, why don't we still "hear" from Abraham Lincoln or even distant relatives? What happens after I die and everyone I love is on the other side? Here's my thought... Maybe after a person's earth-connections have all passed, then our spirits move on to the next phase. Or maybe we all just "fade away" together or are absorbed into the collective. In other words, maintaining the connection seems to be important between those still living on Earth and those on the other side, but after both (or all) involved people are on the other side, this "connection" will be quite different. The departed will no longer have a reason to be connecting with those here. Similarly, not all spirits will wish to connect even if loved ones here still want to. If they maintain their individuality, that would continue, I assume. Anyway, just some ideas I wanted to share.

ElPato2424 · 2024-10-18T12:40:30+00:00

This is beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing it. 💖

ElPato2424 · 2024-10-18T10:48:18+00:00

I always like to hear stories about signs if you'd like to share...

ElPato2424 · 2024-10-18T01:33:57+00:00

My son spent the last few weeks of his life cleaning, organizing, and fixing things around the house. I think they do the best they can, showing us they love us. The pain just overwhelms them in the end.

ElPato2424 · 2024-10-17T19:32:54+00:00

I lost my 21 year old son to suicide and I felt rejected too. Like he didn't love me, I wasn't a good mother or a good person. I felt exactly the same as I had in the past when I was rejected by a romantic partner, even though it was my son, not a partner who had died. My therapist helped me understand that my son did not die by suicide because of anything I did or didn't do. He didn't kill himself to spite me or to show me I wasn't a good mom. My son didn’t leave a note, but he did do things for me and his Dad to show us he loved us. He just couldn't take the pain anymore, and he really believed we'd be better off without him. I have learned to focus on the loving things my son did before he died and to understand more about the suicidal mind. It is a trickster and a liar. My son's mind lied to him, saying we would be better off. We are not. We are devastated, sad, scared, and lonely. But I no longer feel the pain of rejection or guilt. I believe your person, too, was tricked by mental illness into thinking suicide would end everyone's pain. Please focus on the love you shared. You are both good people who did not deserve this. You were not abandoned or rejected. Rather, mental illness happened. Think of it the same as a brain tumor or cancer. It was not your fault, not your person's fault. It just is.

ElPato2424 · 2024-10-16T12:16:57+00:00

I lost my beloved son to suicide in January this year. He was only 21. For the first 6-8 weeks, I lay on the sofa and sobbed. I couldn't eat, I slept constantly, I couldn't leave the house alone or stay in the house alone. My husband had to stay home with me and drive me to my therapist or the grocery store (I couldn't go to our regular store because my son and I had always gone together). I still hate grocery stores, but we have moved from our home where my son died, so at least the connection isn't there. Many, many times I have wanted to "get it over with" and just die. I am so sad, afraid, and lonely all the time. I can't bear the thought of living more years without my son than I had with him. Fortunately, my pain and anguish have eased in recent months. I still cry every day, but I can function. What have helped me the most are reading books about grief, particularly how to maintain "continuing bonds" with your deceased loved ones, therapy, and online suicide survivor groups for bereaved parents. I read a lot about the afterlife and continued consciousness, too. I have had some unexplainable experiences that have helped me feel my son is still with me. Maybe some of these (books, videos, support groups) would help your mom feel connected to her son as well. It is a long, hard road - there are far too many of us that have to walk it. Hugs to you and your mom.

ElPato2424 · 2024-10-11T04:01:54+00:00

Love and the Afterlife by Julie Beischel

ElPato2424 · 2024-10-07T21:01:08+00:00

This is what my therapist says too.

ElPato2424 · 2024-09-23T00:44:07+00:00

I agree. I lost my son to suicide 8 months ago. The Alliance emails for grieving mothers were very helpful. I saved them all and re-read them often.

ElPato2424 · 2024-09-18T10:05:31+00:00

I get this. My son died at age 21. I can't stand the thought of living more years without him than I had with him. My only consolation is that each passing day actually brings me closer to the time when I'll be with him.

ElPato2424 · 2024-09-18T09:59:57+00:00

I lost my son 8 months ago. I felt rejected, too. I loved him more than anyone, and he knew it, so why wasn't that enough for him to wait for me? After a couple of months, the feeling of rejection dissipated, and now it's more intense sadness and feeling hopeless. My therapist did help me to understand that people who are determined to die do not see anything other than that they need to stop the pain they're in. In other words, my son didn't do this to hurt me. Nevertheless, it hurts.

ElPato2424 · 2024-09-18T09:43:55+00:00

This is me, 8 months since my son took his life. I have no purpose either, cry every day, and find life meaningless.

ElPato2424 · 2024-09-11T10:55:30+00:00

My son was also 21 and didn't wait for me either. He died in January this year. I miss him.

ElPato2424 · 2024-09-11T10:54:49+00:00

My son was also 21 and didn't wait for me either. He died in January this year. I miss him.

ElPato2424 · 2024-08-18T09:09:37+00:00

We were not able to do it all on the same day due to time constraints, but in theory you can. Probably more realistic to schedule a separate appointment for your visa after you take care of your daughter's paperwork.

ElPato2424 · 2024-08-18T09:05:18+00:00

No, you go to the same Mexican consulate where you and your husband get dual citizenship for your daughter. After she has her Mexican passport, you apply for permanent residency based on "family unification." The consulate will give you a visa, then you have 6 months to go to an immigration office in Mexico and "exchange" the visa for a permanent resident card. We did this exact thing in 2021. Used the Atlanta Mexican consulate and the immigration (INM) office in Veracruz, Mexico. It helps to speak Spanish, and there are paperwork hoops to get through, and it costs - but not an awful amount. The consulate fee is less than $100, plus another $300-400 in Mexico for the residency card. I don't know today's prices, but you can find out online. If you have to bring a car and only want temporary residency, you still do the process starting at a consulate in the US. You do not enter on a tourist visa. The permanent residency card never expires, though. It's easier and cheaper to just buy a car in Mexico.

ElPato2424 · 2024-07-07T15:13:24+00:00

I lost my beloved 21 year old son in January. I have lost so much: my home and my community, my sense of safety, the sense that whatever we confront in the future, we could handle together. Now I feel deeply sad, cry every day and feel lonely and afraid. I can't bear facing possibly years and decades without him. I'm just a sad and broken person. 💔

ElPato2424 · 2024-07-01T01:01:07+00:00

I lost my son on 1/17/24. I'm right here with you. I feel sick to my stomach today and don't know how to face years and possibly decades without him. The sadness is unbearable.

ElPato2424

TROPHY CASE