A conversation with a friend of mine earlier tonight brought to memory my dad, Jesse Garcia, who died when I was 10 years old.  Cancer was the guilty party and this happened in the Summer of 1983, June 19th to be exact.  It’ll be 27 years this June since he left us, and sometimes it really does feel like only yesterday that I was hanging out with the best, toughest, smartest man in the world.

Of course, at age 10, every dad is the smartest, toughest, most powerful man around, but my dad truly was a great man.  I have nothing but good memories about him and every time I hang out with my 70 year old mother, I drill her with questions about him that give me just a little bit more insight on who my dad really was.  Even though I was 10 when he passed away, i was still too young to retain solid memories.  There is a lot that is somewhat vague, which makes those conversations with my mom so valuable.

Like tonight, I sat with my mom for a couple of hours and learned about the initial diagnosis of his cancer.  I learned about how much pain my father had to endure and how strong my mom had to be for him.  I learned a little about what he wished for all of his sons and daughters and I witnessed a love that my mom still has for my dad even after being gone all these years.

So yeah, I have no problem expressing the sadness I sometimes feel when I recall not growing up with a father.  I can remember certain instances in life where having my dad by my side would have been awesome.  I remember being nominated for something in high school, and while all of the other students had their mom and dad waiting in line with them to go out on the football field, i stood there with only my mom.  I envied the others who had their dad standing there with them and I remember looking at my mom, trying to hold back my slightly tear filled eyes from leaking, and saying “Man, it sure would have been nice to have dad standing here with us right now, right mom?”.

When I see a father and son out in public and it’s evident that they’re not close, I sometimes want to go over and slap both of them in the back of the neck and tell them to snap out of it.  When I see a dad hanging out with his son(s) and enjoying his time with them and vise versa, I sometimes want to go over and shake his hand while letting his kids know how lucky they are.

I understand that not every family situation is perfect and there are probably some very good reasons why some people don’t grow up being close to their mom and dads.  I also know that certain situations take place later in life that put a wedge between us and our parents.  But whatever the case may be, I would give anything to be the 37 year old man that I am right now and have my dad in my life.  I would cherish and value every day that I could have with him and not take any of my time with him for granted.  I would still want to learn from him and simply be content with having someone in my life that I could call “dad”.

So whatever your case may be, and wherever you are in your relationship with your “dad” or father, I encourage you to do something different today.  Make a shift.  Step out and do something for him that you haven’t done for him in a long time.  Be the kid that he remembers you as and hug the crap out of him the next time you see him.  Buy him something that speaks volumes to the man.  Encourage him today.  Love him today.  And if you have to, forgive him today if he needs to be forgiven.  You don’t have to wait until father’s day to honor him and let him know that you were thinking about him.  Everyday can be father’s day.  Everyday.

- Hector

I know, the last blog post in here is dated August 29th.  Those very few followers that I may have had for a little while are probably wondering where i’ve been or disappeared altogether, just as I have.  My intentions for this blog were to be a source of encouragement for readers and provide inspiration for others to “make a shift” and do something awesome with their lives.

Well, that would have been kinda hard over the past few months, especially with a lot that’s been going on in my life.  There hasn’t been a whole lot of encouragement to give out since I myself have been the one needing to be encouraged.  Yes, these past few months have been crazy and life changing.  Lots of ups and downs, but I’m working through them and learning from it all.

If i had anything to share with you today, it would be this.  This life is not easy and it was never intended to be “easy”.  We are going to face challenges everyday.  Some of them will be small and others will bring us to our knees, but they are what they are.  What we do with these challenges and what we learn from them is the big question.  We all handle trials differently.  Some of us try to run from them.  Others react negatively.  And some of us embrace them.  However you handle the challenges in your life, don’t do it alone.  Hopefully we all have family, friends, or other people in our lives that we can turn to for support.  And if you believe in God or a “higher” power, allow Him to walk with you through this.  He can prove to be the best friend you ever had while going through your “stuff”.

I’ll be back to blogging regularly very soon.  I love to write and it’s very therapeutic.  My next post will include an update about a children’s book i’m working on.  Thanks to a good friend of mine who helped push me to get it started.  I now need to follow through with it and get it done.  thanks for following and visiting.

- Hector

Those of you who have been following Homie’s story as of this past week, thank you for your kind words and prayers.  We really really appreciate it.  Tuesday was when we rushed him to the vet because of his symptoms, and it didn’t look good for him.  We found out that he has Idiopathic Vascular disease, which is a disease that basically affects his balance, equilibrium, and other areas of coordination.  Homie basically walks around like a drunk person with his head cocked to the side all the time, as if he’s saying “Huh?”.   It’s Saturday and we’re pleased to say that Homie looks like he’s already improving.  He’s still walking around like he’s hungover, but he gets up a little more often and he’s starting to bark again.  We’ll know he’s doing super good when he starts grabbing his decapitated stuffed toy and ripping it’s cotton ball guts out.

We’ve been touched by everyone’s interest and concern about Homie, which is tight, considering he’s just a dog.  But is he really “just a dog”?  To us he’s like a son, and for those of you that don’t share the same passion for animals as we do, I’m sure it’s hard for you to understand this.  It’s funny because a friend of Minette’s from work didn’t see the “big deal” regarding Homie, because in his part of the world, dogs are just dirty animals that roam the streets and occassionally get eaten by humans.  We’d never eat Homie though, unless I was really really really hungry, but even then I’d have to have a few side dishes like mashed potatoes and gravy, corn on the cob, and some corn bread.  mmmm. 

With Homie being sick this past week, it had me and my wife recalling many cool and crazy Homie stories since his puppy days.  One that comes to mind that we always rememeber was how much he use to love chewing stuff.  He once chewed up my glasses and we found them in pieces in the living room as if he was eating potatoes chips.  Another time I found my cell phone lying on the floor with huge teeth bites and a crushed screen.  He’s chewed up the corners of a coffee table, chewed paint off of a brick fire place, would always chew the wood base board underneath the windows, would ram his head into our wooden fence and break planks so that he could sit there and chew on them, and a stuffed animal never lasts one day after homie rips its eyes off first, then the head, then its guts.  He had and still has issues, but we love those “issues” and have a lot of good memories with this dog.

We’re hoping to see Homie recover a lot more over the next couple of weeks and pray for the best.  He’s still very healthy, has a lot of energy and though being 12.568 years old, he still acts like a puppy.  We’ll keep everyone updated on his progress, and I think i’ll pull up some old pics and throw up a gallery this week.  Thanks again to every for caring.  Homie says “Word to your mother” and that he’s a gangsta.  ha.

- @hectorgarcia

(To comment, click on the title above to be taken to the single post page.  thanks.)

Well, that’s not his real name, but that’s what I call my 12 year old Golden Retriever. He probably thinks that it’s his real name by now, but then again he has many names. What started out as “Holmes” slowly turned into “Homie”, “Homeless”, “Homeless Kablonless”, “Homie Cabana”, and of course “Homie Balonie”.

He was given to me as a puppy after a friend of mine found him as a stray in her neighborhood. She brought him to work and immediately I wanted to take this little crazy dog home with me. I love animals, maybe too much sometimes, and Homie is by far the best dog that I’ve every owned. He’s like a son to me and we know one another like white on rice. He truly has been this man’s best friend (next to my wife of course).

Though i know he’s getting old, it wasn’t until this past weekend that I realized how old he really is. You wouldn’t think that he was 12, especially by his playful, puppy-like behavior. He loves people and loves to play. If he sees you at a distance while out on a walk, he’ll want to run straight towards you (while freaking you out at the same time) just so he can meet you and get petted. Dogs are awesome. I don’t know any other word to describe them, especially this one.

Well, while at the park, in the middle of playing with another dog, i noticed that Homie was exhibiting some balance issues. Looked like he was drunk, but it was obvious that his equilibrium was off. It was almost as if he were having a small stroke. Not sure yet. But I immediately squatted down next to him, held him close to help him keep his balance, and simply asked him what was wrong. This helpless feeling came over me and if it would have gotten worse, I’m man enough to admit that I would have teared up. Once he got his composure, I thought it would be a good idea to walk over to this fountain nearby so he could cool off a little, and that’s what we did. Near the fountain he once again showed signs of imbalance, but once he got in the water, he chilled for a little while and he hasn’t exhibited this issue again . . . . yet.

Why am I writing this little story about my dog? I don’t know, but because he’s so close to my heart, I had to write down my thoughts and feelings.  I’m not sure what i’ll do when he passes, but that time could come sooner than I think. Most Golden’s live about 12 - 14, maybe even 16 years. Hopefully those will be a llloooonnngggg few more years.

I’m doing as much as I can with him now. I know that he loves the water, so I’ll be taking him to do some more swimming soon in a lake or two. Getting him out of the house more than usual, and working to get him around other dogs more often. Just want him to have a lot of fun his last few years.

I’ve thought of writing a children’s book based on Homie’s life. There are a lot of stories to tell and tons of morals to teach though them. Yeah, as a puppy he chewed up my glasses, a cell phone, shoes, and window base boards, but he’s come a long way since then and if i could clone him I would. Best freakin dog ever.

With all of this said, I’ll most likely be writing a little more about Homie and sharing some thoughts and insight about life in general, based on what I feel I’ve learned from this dog. This could be the beginning of the book I want to write, which would be appropriately titled “Homie Balonie”. Thanks for reading.

- Hector Garcia
Twitter: @hectorgarcia

This post isn’t support for the National Day of Prayer, which took place yesterday, but more of my interpretation of Obama’s avoidance of the country wide observance.  The Day was established as a national observance by President Truman in 1952, and since then, most presidents have gladly taken part in public participation of the day.  More than most, President George W. Bush took his observance a step further and gathered with religious leaders of all faiths on a yearly basis to pray for the country and world.  A proclamation in writing usually accompanied the public observances.

However, yesterday, President Obama confused supporters of the day by not participating and clearly going out of his way to avoid it altogether.  He stated that he would issue a proclamation, rather than participate publicly as his predecessor did.  The proclamation was released later, with only one reference to “God”.

Obama’s lack of  “participation” left many asking “Why?” and questioning this president’s motives.  My opinion is that this move could be Obama’s way of distancing himself from any type of religious observance that would in turn expose who he really is and who he really worships.  Since his introduction into the world as a presidential candidate, his religious beliefs have always been in question, and left unclear. By only providing a “proclamation”, which some view as a cop-out, this man will be able to stay away from any form of public prayer to a “christian” God, which is what the majority of this nation would expect (take note that this country was founded on “christian” principles and beliefs).

There is a large amount of information already available that would suggest or even support that Obama is not a “christian”, as he says he is, but a follower of muslim religion (Islam). Avoiding taking part in the national day of prayer by introducing the “proclamation” allowed Obama to dodge this bullet . . . this time.

One of my favorite shows to watch is “Heroes“.  Before that it was “Smallville“, and before that I loved anything that had to do with “Xmen“.  Still love X-men of course, and Smallville, well it got kind of weird and went into some craziness so I lost interest.  My love for these shows / movies all have one theme in common; plain, simple human beings that either develop special powers or discover powers that were already inside of them.

This interest and intrigue with “super powers” goes as far back as 8,9, or 10 years old.  It hasn’t been a normal child hood “dream” to be Superman or Spiderman, but a true desire to have powers so that I could save and change the world.  I know, it’s crazy, but even at age 10 or 11, I remember walking down the street at night, talking to God and asking him to give me the ability to fly so that I could help people.  I would literally run and jump in the air with my arms stretched out, hoping that by some divine or freakish coincidence I’d begin moving through the air and begin my new job of “superhero”.

I grew up with rough surroundings and a lot of my desire to help people and see change take place in people’s lives is because of the “trouble” I’ve seen growing up.  I’ve never developed the ability to fly or break through steel (go figure), but the desire to “give back” and “save the world” is still there.  It was multiplied when I had a life changing encounter with God in college and its what drives me everyday to do something “big”.

No one will ever develop the “super powers ” that we see in movies and in comic books, but we do have the ability to help change at least one life around us and become a “hero” to him/her.  We all have unique gifts and talents and God wants to use you to change the world around you.  Your ability to “fly” may be your ability to “make things happen” or bring the right people together for a specific task.  Your ability to break through steel might be your gift of helping someone break through barriers in their life.  And someone’s “xray vision” could be their “vision” and contagious ability to “dream”.

Be a hero today. Change a life.  Impact your world.  And if you have time, go for  a quick little flight around the earth backwards as fast as you can.  I’d love to see if that works to rewind time (see Superman the Movie - 1978)

This past weekend, my wife and I attended a surprise party for one of her uncles. My wife is Filipino and what that means in regards to parties is that there is enough food to feed about 5,000 people! Seriously, if you want to go to parties where it’s a given that you will take a bag full of food home, then go find some Filipinos to become friends with. You won’t regret it. White people, learn from the Filipinos and Mexicans. Stop having parties that only provide chips, dip, and one plate of tuna sandwiches and some cookies. You should be ashamed of yourself! ha. Sorry, I had to throw that in there. It’s all good. No hurt feelings, right? Just take your party food up to another level, please.

Well, this post is’nt about food or parties, it’s about a young man. While at this party, there was a young guy (we’ll call him Mike), maybe in his late teens, and from the time that we entered the house till we left, he spent most of his time off to the side with his head and eyes buried in a Nintendo DS. Of course I step out and address these kinds of people who try to hide out and avoid being social, but I was probably the only one who acknowledged “mike” (other than his parents). But even when I did, his response was weak and not full of a lot of life or enthusiasm. His hand shake was weak as well.

This encounter confirmed some thoughts I’ve had for quite a while about young people and the affects that technology has on them, particularly young men. This is a generation of young boys who are growing up under the care and teaching of a computer or gaming system, allowing technology to replace their need to be social through the most basic form we know, which is human to human. Technology is keeping our kids glued to a screen and universe that doesn’t require them to be truly social.  We call the use of tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace as “social media”, but anyone can type thoughts and pretend to be whatever they want online.  “Social Media” doesn’t require a lot of work or effort.

Why was “mike’s” handshake so weak and passive?  Why was he afraid to talk to anyone at the party and why could he not really look me in the eye as I addressed him and acknowledged him?  Kinda threw him off guard, but regardless, this young man did not have the confidence and security that he should have at his age.  And his obsession with a computer game in the midst of a room full of people tells us a lot.

I know that some of you may attribute other factors to “mike’s” behavior or lack there of, but this is just one instance.  There’s more, lots more.  Just go to the mall and watch young people interact with the world around them.  They seclude themselves from real world interactions, outside of their circle of friends, but even then you can have a group of them standing together and each one of them has head phones on and no one is talking to the other.

This is the world they’re growing up in and I believe its our job, the adults and mentors out there, to approach the “mikes” around us and help teach them how to interact outside of their cell phone, computer, nintendos, and ipods.  Men out there, teach the young people around you how to give a strong hand shake and how to look others in the eye.  Women, teach young ladies how to respect themselves and be lady like.  Teach them to demand respect from young men, and lets all teach both how to communicate with their eyes, ears, and mouth, not just their fingers.

The thing is that this affects us all.  How many of you go to a restaurant with friends and keep your phone in your pocket the whole time?  You can’t.  Especially with new distractions like Twitter and other tools that addict us to monitoring a feed.  We have our heads buried in our “social media” devices and we forget that there’s people around us that are more important than @yourbestfriend or @youbetterupdateyourfeed.

Let’s all be couscious of this as we walk around our little world today.  Men, let’s give strong handshakes today and teach a young man to do the same.  Today, let’s practice being “social” without the “media”.

Last week I posted my thoughts about the religious observance we all know of as “Lent” and “Ash Wednesday”.  “Fat Tuesday” can be grouped with these other two, which we all know of as “Mardi Gras”.  By definition, mardi gras actually means “fat tuesday”.  In essence and in layman’s terms, Fat Tuesday is the day that a person get’s as much “sin” out of their system before Ash Wednesday, which is when they say, “Ok, sorry for all the sin i did yesterday God, but here I am to make up for it and promise to be ‘good’”.  That is, of course, until Easter comes, which is when observers forget their “promise” and start all over again.

Well, my view on this “season” or these “observances” can be misinterpreted as me “hating” on the church or more specifically, hating on Catholicism.  I “hate” neither, but I will admit that I don’t care much for religious observances or rituals for the sake of the ritual.  My love for God runs deep, and my passion for speaking against rediculous “rituals” runs just as deep.

Because I was raised within the Catholic church, all of my thoughts on this subject are based on true & honest experience.  And believe me, the Catholic church is full of rituals and observances that I’ll always question and speak out on.   For example, I remember one Christmas Eve service when I was 10 or 11, where the priest stood at the altar with a plastic baby doll (was supposed to by symbolic of baby Jesus), and members lined up to kiss the doll.  What is that all about?   For one, it’s not biblical, and two, it’s rediculous.

With that said, I’ll always call things as I see them, and I’ll be 100% honest in doing so.  I’ll concentrate on the essentials, and the non-essentials will be put to the test.  God wants our hearts, and isn’t interested in rituals that we think keep us in right standing with Him.  Those days were destroyed with the arrival and sacrifice of Jesus.  By continuing with religion and rituals, we’re pretty much saying to God, “Um, I know that Jesus was the bridge to you God, but because I don’t want to give myself to you 100%, let me comfort myself with these rituals so that I can at least “feel” better.  Ok God?”.

Any thoughts?  Would love to hear them.  Thanks for stopping by.

Driving through Dallas last weekend, I was confronted with a huge billboard with this guy’s face on it (above: scary isn’t he?).  Seeing the words “IAMSECOND” next to him sparks one’s curiosity as to what he’s second to.  So, as a good human being who responds well to good marketing, I visited the site www.iamsecond.com.

What I found was a beautiful, well designed site with a great purpose.  Upon entry into the site, you’re welcomed by a few celebrity faces and at random, one of those people sits in the foreground and scares the crap out of you (if it’s this guy above.  By the way, that’s Brian Welch, former lead guitarist of Korn.).  Through further inspectiona and site travel, you realize that this is devoted to sharing stories from people who have had their lives changed by God and have put themselves “second”, allowing God to be First.

The stories shared come from celebrities such as Brian Welch (former guitarist of Korn),  Jason Castro (from American Idol), and Tony Evans, one of Dallas’ leading pastors.  All of the stories are different, yet the topic is the same: “I’m nothing without God, and unless He’s first place in my life, I have no purpose”.

The site is a fresh of breath air in reference to how the “church” has always marketed itself and its endeavors to minister to the world.  Usually it’s a straight up blast of religion in your face, driving you away before any message can even be delivered.  I don’t believe IAMSECOND is being subtle in any way with their message, they’re just doing it “right” and “smarter”.

Like every one of us on this earth, we want to feel like we have a purpose.  At one time or another, we all question our existence and wonder why we’re even here.  I ask that question all the time.  In fact, I was asking that same question last night to my wife.  “Why am i here?”, “What was I created for?”, “What purpose does God have for my life and when will I see the fruit of that purpose?”.  Those are just a few of the questions I often ask, but I believe that’s a good place to be.  It shows that a person acknowledges that there’s something larger than ones self and that we need “it”.  The “it” for me is God, and I have no problem admitting that I need Him.  I don’t ever want to try to live this life for myself or even attempt to think that I can.

Tomorrow I’ll talk about what it means to live a “second” life amongst the world around you and how you can walk in a way that serves others.  Thanks for stopping by.

I understand the significance of lent and ash wednesday, but from an early age as a child of Catholic parents, I’ve always had a problem with these observances (at face value).  And as I aged, matured, and developed a greater understanding of God and my relationship with Him, my view of these practices and this time of year has only been reinforced.

While lent is to some a holy  and sacred observance, in essence it’s a period of time created by religion to help appease people’s guilty consciences.  I grew up seeing people give up beer, cigarettes, sodas, and various vices for lent, only to celebrate the end of lent with a cooler full of beer and alcohol.  I’ll hear so many family members tell me over the next few weeks how they’ve given up beer, cigarettes, or chocolate, thinking that God is pleased with them and is adding points to their heavenly scoreboard.  They won’t eat meat on Fridays, which only reinforces their “feeling” of “holiness”, and for those that didn’t give up alcohol for Lent, well, they’ll just enjoy their fish sandwich with a tall 40oz bud light.

On Feb 25th, observers of Lent will be walking around town with ashes on their forehead, which to me, is just another re-enforcer of a false sense of righteousness with God.  In Matthew 6, Jesus encourages us to pray and worship God in “secret” or in private.  He made reference many times to how the Pharisees enjoyed displaying their “religion” and “holiness” with their long robes and religious garments and head gear.  Those Pharisees were seeking attention and acknowledgment of their “holiness” from men.  If that’s what they wanted, then they surely received that reward in full.

In Matthew 6:6, Jesus states: “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” What benefit is there in having ash put on your forehead?  Is it because of the attention that is drawn to you?  Does it make a person more “holy” or “righteous”?  Yes, I understand that these observances allow “christians” to remember Christ and his sacrifice for us, but that can be done without the ashes and it should be done on a daily basis without the help of ashes, palm leaves, or not drinking beer for 40 days.

This type of religious observance isn’t necessary, given the fact that Jesus fulfilled any need or desire for us as humans to please God in our own ability. “Giving up” something for Lent is a form of “sacrifice” in the eyes of its participants, but the ultimate “sacrifice” that we can offer to God is to surrender our lives to him.  And if a person doesn’t “know” Jesus as savior, then in all honesty, the only thing a person will get out of fasting junk food or a vice for 40 days is a smaller waste and a well deserved break for their liver.

This season that we call Easter can be different for us all if we stop and think about what do and observe.  The sacrifice to be be made this year is very clear.  It’s not about giving up any type of food, beverage, vice, or hobby.  The sacrifice for you and me this year should be to give our lives totally and completely over to God and trust Jesus as our savior.  Only then will any other sacrifices or fasting having true meaning.

Would love to hear your thoughts.  Thanks for reading.