Michael Altamirano R.I.P.

When I was 19 years old, I met and fell in love with a man 13 years my senior.  He was quite the handsome man but also was mysterious, wise (in his own way), and well... FUN.  In my youth, I envied his ability to shake things off, to take life lightly, and to move forward no matter how much he stumbled and fell.  Nothing kept him down, physically or spiritually.  He was always "ready" for anything life had in store.  What got me most was that he loved me but was unwilling to settle down.  And of course, at that age, I wasn't ready to either but I was so engaged and impressed in his personality and demeanor that I was simply "taken".  He could walk into a room and turn heads, not only because he was beautiful but because he knew how to make people laugh...  at him, at themselves, and at life.  Eventually, I "GOT" him...  so to speak.  He fell for me in ways that even he couldn't understand.  I was relentless...  and persistent, LOL.  I was never able to settle him down, and he never married anyone but not too long ago, he voiced to me that if there was anyone in his life he would have married, it would have been me.  That meant A LOT to me, and for those that knew his love of freedom and free spirit, it means a LOT for him to give himself to anyone that way.  He loved life and freedom too much to commit to just one person or thing at any time.  He was reckless and he knew it, and he didn't want anyone to be hurt by his negligence...  he didn't want to cause any pain to anyone else for his own sake of happiness.  You had to really KNOW him to UNDERSTAND him.  He was a different man of a different breed.  He was a proud man.  He was a proud American Indian/Mexican man.  But as tall and big as he stood, he was also a soft spoken, caring, and loving person.  One of the most loving people I know.  During our relationship of a few years, he taught me much more than what the usual older man could teach a young girl.  He taught me recipes (quirky ones) and he taught me how to check my oil, and to inflate my tires, and to walk.  He walked everywhere, and so did I.  He taught me if you put one foot in front of the other, you will eventually make it from point A to B.  :)  Makes me smile just thinking of some of the jokes and laughs we shared, even at my own expense, LOL.  He always knew how to poke fun at me and make the whole room laugh...  ugh!  But it was okay.  I had thick skin to begin with and he knew it.  I was a SPUNKY young gal and that is what he fell for most.  My inner strength and endurance... and he taught me how to channel and use it to my advantage to continue surviving and growing.

Our world wasn't perfect and neither was our relationship.  He was always "taking time out" from us and well, I dealt with it as best as I could... but like I said, it was like trying to keep an EAGLE's wings clipped and in a cage.  When he had to go, he had to go.  Whatever was on his mind, he had to do.  And I either had to respect it and deal with it, or let HIM GO.  Well, eventually I did... deal with it in my own way.  And once I decided to let him go, he fought to try and keep me.  But when I was done, I was done.  Except that in a very strange way, we became closer friends.  He became my protector and my shoulder to cry on through future crisis in my life.  He was there for me even when another man made me cry, just as he had done when we were together.  It was funny and ironic, but it worked for us.  Our relationship was never normal, but then again, whose is, right???  My eldest son, (Michael Joseph - who he nicknamed Mojoe) was named after both Michael and his brother, Joseph (fondly nicknamed HOBO by loved ones) who I also loved and cared for deeply.  Years ago, we lost Hobo to physical ailments, and then their mother Rosie.  Michael also realized one day that his son (Michael Ray) by a young school sweetheart named Rosie, had passed away from Hodgkin's disease during his early 30's whilst living in Texas.  When I met Michael at 19, he had a son that was only 3-4 years younger than me...  who I grew to know and love as well.  The news of his son's death broke his inner soul and spirit and I know he has never been the same.  Though we had a son during our relationship, it wasn't the same (another story to share on a later blog).  Our story isn't simple, it has its many ups, downs, and twists.  But through and through, we reconnected on many occasions and for many reasons.  More so for tragedies and sad times, unfortunately, though he did get to see Mojoe graduate Junior high and High School.  He also always reached out to me when he was hospitalized for one thing or another.  Lord knows that man lived a rough life!  He wasn't one to start a fight, but boy did he know how to end one!  He was one of the strongest men I'd ever known.  And when someone messed with his loved ones, they would pay.  He was always there to defend my honor as a lady.  No matter what. 

Yesterday, I felt things were a little "off"... though much was accomplished, I felt a feeling of loss and confusion throughout the day.  Last night, I realized why.  I was given news by one of his nieces after midnight that Michael was found dead in the canyons of Azusa.  I don't know the details as of yet, but what I know is that he and a friend went up ahead of friends and family for camping and during "setting up the campsite", he wandered off thinking he could find an easier route and fell 50 feet.  I pray that he died on impact or perhaps that his heart failed from the fall before he hit the ground.  But deep down inside, I fear that his great will and strength and the very endurance that allowed him to remain alive through his roughest moments in life might have kicked in to spite him in the end...  and I fear that he might have survived the fall and died alone and that for once in his life, he knew what fear and loneliness meant.  The only peace and comfort I can muster up is the thought that he was preparing to do what he loved most...  to have a good time with loved ones.  Michael wasn't ever lonely, though he lost a lot of friends and family along the way, he had many more who cared deeply for him.  For some of us, it was torturous to watch his health decline over the years (having once known his strength and vitality).  For those of us that loved him, it was tough to just stand by and watch him slowly kill himself (he loved beer almost more than he loved women and life itself)!  And though our life as friends, lovers, and soul mates was never perfect, he taught me one very important thing that to this day, allows me to exist in peace, to LAUGH.  My life was never easy, and I didn't really care about myself as much as he did at the time our paths crossed.  But through laughter, he taught me to overcome my fears, pains, and inhibitions... and to live again.  We had many years that we were apart, but we were eventually reunited, as truer friends than ever.  And I was glad to be there for him when he needed me most.  Through death, illness, sorrow/pain, and laughter.  We were always there for each other, to console, to listen, and to encourage.  He didn't have a prosperous life, but he was RICH in many ways, he had so many who cared for him.  He brought love and laughter to many who needed it.  Lord knows he always knew how to make me laugh and crack a smile no matter what I was going through and he and I knew we could always count on each other for comfort and friendship.  Today, I am left with another scar in heart and soul, but my spirit is lifted knowing he is in a better place and my heart is filled with memories we shared.  At the end of our lives, we leave behind all our material possessions including our bodies, but what remains behind is what is most important, the laughs we shared, the love we showed, and the hearts and minds we inspired.  Take a moment every day to share something positive with a loved one, or even a stranger...  those are the prints of your life you leave behind forever.  Michael Altamirano, you will forever live strong as the day I met you in my heart.  And I already feel the warmth of your presence watching over me.  You are forever my angel, and now... God has given you wings so that you may take flight as you have always desired to.  Rest in Peace, my beautiful beloved friend.