Driving up the gravel driveway to Salt Spring Island Natural Cemetery takes a little time. As I pass by a house, hayfield and barns, the smell of horse dander flairs my nostrils. I have to stop. Visit the horses. Feel my nervous system relax. My animal body attune. Reminded of over a decade of living

For most of human history, the dead were not dressed in polished hardwood boxes, padded interiors, and layers of metal and lacquer. They were wrapped. Long before caskets became the norm, across cultures and continents, the shroud was the most universal form of burial. A simple cloth. A final garment. A gesture of care that