A Life of Ups and Downs and Twist and Turns of a Hispanic Family

By Ruben Garcia

The family unit as we know it, is disintegrating before our eyes. Why is this an alarming problem? Because it is the family unit that shapes and molds us into the individuals that we are today. In this book I try to share with you not only my triumphs and successes but, my hardships and failures as well. Born into an Hispanic family, life has given me a unique perspective of the world around us. It has engulfed me with the good and bad of what our society has to offer. On the negative side, I have tried to dismiss the stereotyping that unavoidably is attached to my race. I have tried to overcome the prejudices that still linger today. On the positive side, I have learned to appreciate and respect the wonderful customs and traditions that my culture permeates. As an adolescent, my parents instilled in me the value of growing up in the Catholic faith. As an athlete, my father taught me the value of hard work, grit, and determination. As a teacher, my brother Doug, taught me the value of shaping and molding the minds of our youth. As a coach, I learned the values of being a man of integrity-adhering always to a code of moral conduct. "Be a man of your word," my father would always tell me. "Be a role model and be willing to lead by example." As a senior citizen, I have learned to appreciate the life that God has blessed me with. I ask you now, what defines you as an individual? How do you react to the ups and downs in your life? How will you navigate the twists and turns that life drops at your doorstep? Go forth and make a difference in the world!!!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 20, 2019
• ISBN: 9781645697701

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A Life of Ups and Downs and Twist and Turns of a Hispanic Family

Ruben Garcia

Copyright © 2019 by Ruben Garcia

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Does God Answer Prayer?

God Has Continued to Bless Me

Additional Blessings

Adulthood

Semipro Baseball

Is It the Journey or the Destination?

Tragedy Hits the Football Program

FCA

Moments of Reflection

Family

Traditions of Our Culture

Finish What You Start

Countless Blessings

Everyone has a story to tell. It could be a story about love and romance, maybe a story of adventure, or perhaps a chilling mystery; possibly a story of a sports hero, or perhaps a lesson about life in general. And I’m sure, if everyone were given an opportunity to tell it, they would.

I have a story to tell. It is about me, my family, and the struggles and triumphs I have encountered along the way. More importantly, it is about my faith from a young boy to an adult to now a senior citizen. My story begins this way.

My name is Ruben Garcia. I was born on November 28, 1949. I was the youngest of seven children. I was born with a twin. My sister was born about thirteen minutes before me. My sister and I were offspring from my father’s second marriage. My father’s first marriage was to Simona Castillo Bernal. My father had eight children from his first marriage. Unfortunately, Simona died of tuberculosis at the age of forty-one. My father became a widower with five children at the age of thirty-four. Two of the eight children from my father’s first marriage died.

Pablo Garcia Jr. and Virginia Garcia had passed away. Juanita Bernal, my father’s first child, had married and was no longer part of the household. My father would then meet and marry our mom, Juanita Aguilar Garcia. When my sister and I were born, my parents had not given much thought as to the names that we would be christened with.

Back then, the sex of a child was not known until its birth. It came also as a surprise that there were two of us in my mother’s womb. It just so happened that one of the nurses that had helped in our delivery suggested the names of Ruben and Rachel.

There was a popular song at the time entitled Ruben and Rachel. My parents agreed. The song Ruben and Rachel was written by Harry Birch and music composed by William Gooch in 1871. The song regained popularity in the twentieth century.

Here is a version of the song. The song Ruben and Rachel is a duet between a man and a woman.

(Woman)

Ruben, I have long been thinking, what a good world this would be,

if the men were all transported far beyond the Northern Sea.

(Man)

Rachel, I have long been thinking,

what a fine world this would be,

if we had some more young ladies on this side of Northern Sea.

Refrain:

Too-ral-loo-ral-loo,

too-ral-loo-ral-loo

Too-ral-loo-ral-loo,

too-ral-loo-ral-lee

If the Northern Sea.

(Woman)

Ruben, I’m a poor lone woman,

no one seems to care for me,

I wish the men were all transported far beyond the Northern Sea.

(Man)

I’m a man without a victim,

soon I think there one will be,

If the men were not transported far beyond the Northern Sea.

Refrain:

Too-ral-loo-ral-loo,

too-ral-loo-ral-loo

Too-ral-loo-ral-loo,

too-ral-loo-ral-lee

If the Northern Sea.

(Woman)

Ruben, what’s the use of fooling,

why not come up like a man?

If you’d like to have a lover,

I’m for life your Sally Ann.

(Man)

Oh my goodness! Oh my gracious!

What a queer world this would be,

if the men were all transported,

far beyond the Northern Sea.

Refrain:

Too-ral-loo-ral-loo,

too-ral-loo-ral-loo

Too-ral-loo-ral-loo,

too-ral-loo-real-lee

If the Northern Sea.

(Woman)

Ruben, now do stop your teasing,

if you’ve any love for me,

I was only just a fooling,

as of course you’d see.

(Man)

Rachel, I will not transport you,

but will take you for a wife.

We will live on milk and honey,

better or worse, we’re in for life.

I was born anemic and weak. My parents were unsure if I would be able to survive. The doctor advised my parents that X-rays showed that one of my intestines had a knot. If the problem continued, I would have to go through surgery. My mom was very squeamish when it came to such type of news. Her alternative was to pray to our Lady of Guadalupe, patron saint of all Mexicans. She made the lady a promise that she would make a pilgrimage to San Juan de los Lagos and pay homage to her if I did not have to go through surgery. I did not need the surgery and thus our trip to Mexico.

I mentioned earlier that when my sister and I were born, there were already five children in the family. From oldest to youngest, there were my sisters Otilia (16), Mamie (15), and Erlinda (13); my brothers Douglas (7) and Matt (5). In actuality, they were my half brothers and half sisters, but I never cared to make such a distinction.

I consider my mother a saint. Why you might ask? Put yourself in her shoes. Imagine getting married to a man who was a widower with five children. None of the children being her own and yet agreeing to marry him. She must have had an immense love for my future father. My mom wanted children of her own, and thus my sister and I were thrown into the picture.

As I grew up, I began to notice a slight difference in attitude toward me and my sister from a couple of my older siblings. Perhaps a touch of jealousy since it might appear that my sister and I might be getting preferential treatment from my mother. I’m sure that this was probably true to some extent. However, I have to defend my mom for the sacrifices that she was making in raising all of us. I did feel bad for all my siblings. We all had to deal with a very strict father.

My father made life extremely difficult, particularly for my sisters. He made it so difficult for fellows to get close to my sisters that they felt they had to keep them a secret and as far away from dad as they could. My father would do his best to embarrass his daughters in front of them if need to be. Unfortunately, some of my sisters got married just to get out of the house and away from Dad. This brought to my mind the old saying used by many dads, No one is good enough for my daughter!

My father practiced it to the hilt. When it came to my sister Rachel, it was just as bad. When she decided to get married, my father was so upset with the groom that he did not allow my mom or me to attend the church wedding. The priest had to end up giving my sister away.

My brothers were a handful as well. My brother, Douglas, was a handful. He didn’t play any sports but was a fanatic when it came to supporting