The Strings of My Heart
My Life's Story
by
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It was March of 1934, just one month shy of my twentieth birthday. We finished teaching school that day and I walked over to my Aunt Francisca’s house with anticipation. Too numerous to count were the times I had dreamed of this day. I could feel the excitement in my being, and the rapid beating of my heart. When I reached the door I saw unfamiliar faces, these were relatives that I had never met before. As I entered the room my glance locked on someone I thought to be the most handsome man I had ever seen, and the strings of my heart reached out. I felt an instant bonding. The minute he stood up and walked across the room with his arms outstretched, I knew that this was indeed my father! With tenderness he hugged me and said, “I am so happy to meet you my beautiful daughter!” I felt his body tremble as his tears began to stream down his cheeks and on to my face. After a minute, he was unable to utter another word, but instead pulled himself away and went into the kitchen; there he sat down at a table and with his hands covering his face, he wept loudly. I followed him and put my arms around his shoulders and said, “All my life I have waiting for this moment. This is a great and happy day in my life!” I looked around and realized that everyone in the living room was weeping, but for me there were no tears. There was only the joy that comes from a long awaited desire finally fulfilled. That day I knew what it felt like to be in the presence of my father, to feel his embrace, and to rest my head in his bosom. In those few moments in his arms, all the years of doubts regarding his love for me vanished, and I understood that he did love me, and I loved him back. After our hearts were comforted, we sat and talked and drank some tea. Later I met my other paternal relatives, including my stunning blue-eyed, black-haired Aunt Sanjuana. I was so grateful to have finally met my father and my other relatives. Far too soon, it was time to say goodbye, but I left hoping to see my father again soon, and he promised we would. The next day my father and aunt returned to Corpus Christi. In meeting my father, I had found a missing piece of my life. It had been like salve to my wounded heart. And to know that he had found me beautiful was unbelievable. That was the very first time in my life that I had been called beautiful, and the words had come from the man I had so much longed to be loved by, my father.
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About the Book
The life and times of Beatrice Garcia is a truly fascinating and enthralling tale of the triumphs over adversities and hardships by this woman of faith. You can see how her trust in God made all the difference in the world to her and to her family. As the wife of a Pastor, her dedication to God, family, and the Church, is an inspiration to me and those who love her. I believe that those who do well only for themselves are remembered while they live, but those that do well for others achieve immortality. Ruben R. Garcia While books of the rich and famous, the creators and innovators, the movers and the shakers are numerous, there can never be a sweeter book to me, than the one that tells the story of my mother. This book captures the memories and resilience of a woman who kept the faith and that even to this day at age 96, continues to find strength and a reason to rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ every day. Elizabeth Martin The story of Beatrice Garcia is an interesting and inspiring book. As you read her story you see the name of Jesus written in every event of her life. Her hardships and joys helped me realize that happiness does not come from material possessions but from the love and joy that God freely gives. My mother’s life has truly been an inspiration to me, her friends and family. She is a true model of a virtuous Christian woman, strong in faith and full of wisdom and love. Alice Landeros
About the Author
Mother was a voice of someone from “the Greatest Generation” who lived from 1914 - 2011. She was not rich or famous, although she met many who were. She was simply Beatrice Garcia, a Mexican-American woman rich in life experiences and blessed with the intelligence and mental capacity and wit to write and finish telling her life story at the age of 96.
Mother had a certain way of telling her stories that captured your attention and transported you to that time and space. Whether it was from her storehouse of personal experiences or a Bible story, she took you there, and as she spoke it you lived it.
Her book unveils the life of a resourceful fatherless girl that learns early on that life’s adversities can become opportunities and paths to knowing the power of Christ’s love. The courage of her youth, the proving of her faith, and her wisdom and steadfast commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ, are revealed in this autobiography.
The last 6 years of her life, Beatrice lived with me, Elizabeth Martin, her oldest daughter, in Fullerton, California. During this time, my sister Alice Landeros and I were able to capture all the final stories of her life. One week before her passing, on July 31, 2011, she had the joy of knowing that we had just completed translating her book "The Strings of My Heart" to Spanish, "Las Notas De Mi Corazon."