It's easy to become cynical, ungrateful, and eventually hopeless. Especially, when the focus is on all that has been lost or taken. When life seems to have been so unfair and brutal. I've been there and can still go there today; if I want to.
I remember feeling the despair and only seeing darkness surround me. It was a place that I never again want to be in.
I vowed to myself, my children and to God, that I WILL NEVER LOSE HOPE AGAIN!
I write so that I will always remember where I used to be. I write about the countless people, places, and things that I have to be grateful for. I keep practicing GRATITUDE! I don't Give up or Give in. I'm done with doing that to myself!
My life is far from perfect, but, I can say that it is nowhere near the dark and empty place that it used to be.
My mind is the decider. I get to choose how I want to see my life today. I get to decide how I want to live. I "Get" to take ownership of the Life that I want. I refuse to allow others to decide this for me.
I have been given an amazing gift to open my heart and mind to the beauty that is all around me.
Yes, I have sad, ungrateful, and self pity moments, I choose not to allow my mind to get stuck there. If I can't seem to shake those thoughts and feelings, I WRITE! I will give myself permission to lay down and rest.
I'm forever grateful for these tools. They have changed my life. Thank you, God!
Thursday, November 15, 2018
Saturday, November 10, 2018
A smokey cold November morning
As I lay here in my bed with the heater on to stay warm, all that I can think about is the thousands of people who have lost everything to these horrific fires.
Many agencies are accepting donations such as new towels, new clothing, under garments, bras, sweatshirts, and shoes in all sizes. These donations can be accepted at the Butte County Fairgrounds in Gridley.
The Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds in Yuba City are in need of pet food and supplies including Hay for livestock.
Butte County's Camp Fire Information is directing monetary donations to the North Valley Community Foundation - Camp Fire Evacuation Relief Fund: https://www.nvcf.org/
Contact: Logan Todd
ltodd@nvcf.org
ltodd@nvcf.org
530-366-0397
Fund Purpose
The North Valley Community Foundation is activating the Northern California Fire Relief Fund to raise money to support the operations of organizations that are sheltering evacuees of the Camp Fire.
Friday, November 2, 2018
Being Fifty-two
Today, I'm another year older and I hope a little wiser. My heart is extremely full from all the birthday wishes I have already received this morning. I am truly blessed with the most amazing family and friends. Thank you!
I find it hard to believe that I am fifty-two years old today. So much has happened in my life that has shaped and molded me into who I am today. I'm grateful that I have been "present" for most of it.
Today, my spirit is filled up by the simple things in life which costs nothing.
1. Spending quality time with loved ones
2. Being Kind to myself and others
3. Being a better version of me each day
4. Focusing more on WHAT IS POSSIBLE
5. Finding gratitude in "something" every day
Thanks GOD
I find it hard to believe that I am fifty-two years old today. So much has happened in my life that has shaped and molded me into who I am today. I'm grateful that I have been "present" for most of it.
Today, my spirit is filled up by the simple things in life which costs nothing.
1. Spending quality time with loved ones
2. Being Kind to myself and others
3. Being a better version of me each day
4. Focusing more on WHAT IS POSSIBLE
5. Finding gratitude in "something" every day
Thanks GOD
Sunday, September 2, 2018
September 1, 2018 10 Years Later
Ten years ago today, my son and I had our last face to face conversation. Matt was later shot and died. I have been asked many times over the years if time really does heal? I can honestly say for me, things get different but my heart is forever shattered and devastated that my boy is not here.
For the rest of our lives, Matthew will remain twenty-two years old.
How do I reconcile this fact within myself, my soul, and my spirit? I do a lot of “stuff”! In the first five years after this horrific day, I poured myself into anything I could. I didn’t want to feel. I didn’t want to think. It occurred to me that if I could keep my mind and my body busy with a lot of outside things, I could be ok.
It never worked! Everything I did had to do with Matt. I even ran for, the city council in 2009 and lost. I wanted to not only try and continue on with his passion but I also wanted to get a sense of what things were like for him on the council.
Matthew would come home after some council meetings and lay on my lap (like he did as a little boy) so I could massage his head. He would tell us that things were so crazy and that we wouldn’t believe some of it. I would often ask him to tell me what happened/happening that made things so crazy or unbelievable? He would always say, “I can’t’ discuss it with you, Mom” Matt was a great rule follower.
I would continue to rub his head until he was ready to run out the door again for his next meeting or event. He had an enormous amount of energy. He could never rest for long. He had many things to do, places to go, and people to meet.
Matt loved his family, friends, and community. He wanted to better our city. He knew it was going to take long hours, dedication, and commitment. He was absolutely up for the challenge to ensure our citizens lived in a place they could be proud of.
Matt always saw the amazing potential in people and our Fairfield. He was that person who would sit down and talk with you about your concerns no matter what else he had going on. I can tell you that even ten years later, people come to us and share a Matt story they had.
Each and every new story shared with us is about how Matt took the time to sit and talk with them. It’s simply amazing to us how Matt was able to touch so many lives in such a short time. But, that he did!
Here we are ten years later. My heart aches still but I am also overwhelmed by the continued love and support we receive every day. You, our community, have helped us to heal in ways that I never thought possible. Because of you, we have been able to Keep Matt’s Dream Alive by supporting youth, which in turn helps stop crime, and coming together, in all of this, strengthen's our community.
I want to thank our former and present board members, advisory board members, and volunteers, you all have been the backbone of The Matt Garcia Foundation. I want to give a huge shout out to those of you who have supported us financially, without you, none of the things accomplished in the last ten years would have been possible. Thank you to our community leaders for always supporting us and recognizing Matt. Thank you to our community at large, each and every one of you, for Keeping the Dream Alive! Here’s to another ten years.
Friday, August 17, 2018
Matt's 2008 Cadillac CTS
I just needed to type out all of the nonsense regarding Matt's car.
When I returned home on July 22nd from my annual women's retreat, I was going to drive to the store. I noticed that the power steering wasn't working also the indicator dash confirmed to "Service Power Steering". I parked the car back in the driveway. I took my husbands truck instead.
We dropped the car off to our local dealership on Friday, July 27th. It was later in the day so they said they would get to it on Monday.
We did hear back from the dealership until Monday letting Raymond know that the cost of the power steering mechanism and all the other issues that they found would come to $3300.00 They said they would give us a 10% discount. On Tuesday Raymond told them that we couldn't afford that so they said they would give us a 20% discount. They were told to go ahead with all the repairs. With the 20% off that would leave us paying close to $2700.00 I decided that it was worth it to have Matt's car fixed.
The dealership said that they hoped to have it back to us by Friday, August 3rd. On Friday we were told that some of the parts still had not come in and so we would have the car back on Tuesday, August 7th. That did not happen either! They were having a hard time with the driver's side door installing the new mechanism for the locks.
Finally, On Friday, August 10th I said I don't care about the driver's side door I just needed my car back. It had been 2 weeks!!!
We arrived at the dealership around 5:30pm I wrote the check to the dealership for $2656.06. As I drove down interstate 80 I noticed that the car was making a loud noise. It sounded exactly like it did when we took it to the dealership on July 27th. Moments later the same power steering indicator came on and my steering wheel became hard to turn. I just paid nearly $2700 to have this replaced and here we are not even 15 minutes later with The SAME ISSUE two weeks after them having my car!
To say I'm not Happy would be an understatement! They picked me up at Target where I had pulled in. We went back to the dealership and they have my car once again. They said they would hopefully not have to charge me more. That statement shocked me. How would you charge me MORE when the problem has not been fixed? They did give me a loaner car but acted like they were really doing me a favor by not charging me for it! Wow!
BTW, the dealership cashed my check the very next day even though they still have my car?
So now, here we are another week later Today is Friday, August 17th. I still do not have my car. They told my husband that it will be another nearly $500 with another 20% discount. This time it's an EM component? Oh, and the wrong part was ordered so that is why it's taking longer.
I do realize that the car is 10 years old. I have taken very good care of it. Matthew loved his car.
I don't know much about cars or what it takes to fix them but I am shocked that my car has been in the shop for 3 weeks they cashed my check without the problem being fixed and the car still there and are going to charge us even more!
When I returned home on July 22nd from my annual women's retreat, I was going to drive to the store. I noticed that the power steering wasn't working also the indicator dash confirmed to "Service Power Steering". I parked the car back in the driveway. I took my husbands truck instead.
We dropped the car off to our local dealership on Friday, July 27th. It was later in the day so they said they would get to it on Monday.
We did hear back from the dealership until Monday letting Raymond know that the cost of the power steering mechanism and all the other issues that they found would come to $3300.00 They said they would give us a 10% discount. On Tuesday Raymond told them that we couldn't afford that so they said they would give us a 20% discount. They were told to go ahead with all the repairs. With the 20% off that would leave us paying close to $2700.00 I decided that it was worth it to have Matt's car fixed.
The dealership said that they hoped to have it back to us by Friday, August 3rd. On Friday we were told that some of the parts still had not come in and so we would have the car back on Tuesday, August 7th. That did not happen either! They were having a hard time with the driver's side door installing the new mechanism for the locks.
Finally, On Friday, August 10th I said I don't care about the driver's side door I just needed my car back. It had been 2 weeks!!!
We arrived at the dealership around 5:30pm I wrote the check to the dealership for $2656.06. As I drove down interstate 80 I noticed that the car was making a loud noise. It sounded exactly like it did when we took it to the dealership on July 27th. Moments later the same power steering indicator came on and my steering wheel became hard to turn. I just paid nearly $2700 to have this replaced and here we are not even 15 minutes later with The SAME ISSUE two weeks after them having my car!
To say I'm not Happy would be an understatement! They picked me up at Target where I had pulled in. We went back to the dealership and they have my car once again. They said they would hopefully not have to charge me more. That statement shocked me. How would you charge me MORE when the problem has not been fixed? They did give me a loaner car but acted like they were really doing me a favor by not charging me for it! Wow!
BTW, the dealership cashed my check the very next day even though they still have my car?
So now, here we are another week later Today is Friday, August 17th. I still do not have my car. They told my husband that it will be another nearly $500 with another 20% discount. This time it's an EM component? Oh, and the wrong part was ordered so that is why it's taking longer.
I do realize that the car is 10 years old. I have taken very good care of it. Matthew loved his car.
I don't know much about cars or what it takes to fix them but I am shocked that my car has been in the shop for 3 weeks they cashed my check without the problem being fixed and the car still there and are going to charge us even more!
Sunday, July 15, 2018
Writing it all down
Over the past year in a half, I've been writing a weekly gratitude summary on a piece of colored construction paper and then placing it in a large jar that a beautiful friend gave to me.
This weekly healing process is done every Sunday morning. It has become a weekly ritual.
I have to be creative with my words because the paper I write on is not big! I write down the things that I'm most grateful for from each day of the week prior. It is a wonderful tool to help keep gratitude in my life daily.
This morning as I sat down in my meditation room to write my weekly gratitude list I was overwhelmed by the love and support I felt in my heart. The heartfelt messages, texts, and calls that I received yesterday comforted me in my soul.
Yesterday, July 14th would have been Matt's 32nd birthday. My number one plan for the day was to honor him. The last time we celebrated with Matt on his birthday was 10 years ago. Forty-nine days after his 22nd birthday Matt was violently taken from us.
The earth stopped spinning on that day nearly 10 years ago and our lives were changed forever.
I feel extremely blessed by the tremendous outpouring of love that our family receives on a daily basis. Today, I can feel love, receive love, and give love on a much deeper level than ever before.
Yesterday, Raymond and I went to Home Depot to purchase items that we needed for the meditation memorial garden that we had been working on. It was our intention to do this on Matt's birthday.
I was waiting for Raymond with our cart of soil and plants just outside the garden area because we had forgotten a few things. I could hear Raymond talking with a couple. I heard Matt's name. I then heard Raymond say, "I can't let you do that" A minute later, I was introduced to Gabe and Louise whom Raymond had been talking with. They asked to purchase our remaining items for the meditation memorial garden.
My eyes began to tear up as I felt the lump in my throat. We have never met these beautiful people before. They just wanted to be a part of remembering Matt. My heart is opening more and more every second.
Last night I received a text message from my dear friend. We haven't spoken much in the last couple of years. I was so happy to hear from her. The love, respect, and admiration for Deb and her family go without saying. Thank you!
I thank you all for all of these priceless gifts.
I will continue to write it all down with love and gratitude
Teresa
This weekly healing process is done every Sunday morning. It has become a weekly ritual.
I have to be creative with my words because the paper I write on is not big! I write down the things that I'm most grateful for from each day of the week prior. It is a wonderful tool to help keep gratitude in my life daily.
This morning as I sat down in my meditation room to write my weekly gratitude list I was overwhelmed by the love and support I felt in my heart. The heartfelt messages, texts, and calls that I received yesterday comforted me in my soul.
Yesterday, July 14th would have been Matt's 32nd birthday. My number one plan for the day was to honor him. The last time we celebrated with Matt on his birthday was 10 years ago. Forty-nine days after his 22nd birthday Matt was violently taken from us.
The earth stopped spinning on that day nearly 10 years ago and our lives were changed forever.
I feel extremely blessed by the tremendous outpouring of love that our family receives on a daily basis. Today, I can feel love, receive love, and give love on a much deeper level than ever before.
Yesterday, Raymond and I went to Home Depot to purchase items that we needed for the meditation memorial garden that we had been working on. It was our intention to do this on Matt's birthday.
I was waiting for Raymond with our cart of soil and plants just outside the garden area because we had forgotten a few things. I could hear Raymond talking with a couple. I heard Matt's name. I then heard Raymond say, "I can't let you do that" A minute later, I was introduced to Gabe and Louise whom Raymond had been talking with. They asked to purchase our remaining items for the meditation memorial garden.
My eyes began to tear up as I felt the lump in my throat. We have never met these beautiful people before. They just wanted to be a part of remembering Matt. My heart is opening more and more every second.
Last night I received a text message from my dear friend. We haven't spoken much in the last couple of years. I was so happy to hear from her. The love, respect, and admiration for Deb and her family go without saying. Thank you!
I thank you all for all of these priceless gifts.
I will continue to write it all down with love and gratitude
Teresa
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Trauma and Healing
My spiritual journey took a sudden, devastating detour on the night of September 1, 2008. My only son was visiting a friend. She and Matt were talking outside of her home in a quiet neighborhood when out of nowhere, several shots rang out, and Matt was hit by one of the bullets.
There are no words to describe what transpired inside of me as I was faced with the knowledge that my child had been a victim of violence.
After all, helping to decrease violence in our city had been Matt’s passion. Just 10 months before Matt was shot, he was elected to a seat on the Fairfield city council in December 2007 at the age of 21. He was the youngest person to have ever been elected to public office at that time. We were beyond proud.
The horrible call that night had to be a mistake. This could not be happening – it could not be our son, not Briana and TeaRae’s big brother. It had to be someone else. I prayed that this was a nightmare that I would soon awaken from.
A police officer was dispatched to pick our family up and drive us to John Muir Trauma Hospital miles away from where we lived in Fairfield. It was approximately 9:00 pm by the time the officer arrived. Our youngest daughter had already left to head to the hospital with another family member.
Word was spreading fast that Matt had been shot. Our cell phones were ringing nonstop as my husband Raymond, my oldest daughter Briana, and I sat in the cramped back seat of the police car. The seat felt like I was sitting on hard and slippery ceramic. My message to everyone that called was to Pray! Pray! Pray!
It was Monday, September 1, 2008, on Labor Day night. We were inching slowly forward in massive traffic as folks were returning home from their Labor Day weekend festivities.
The only thing that I could think of at the time was that I needed to get word to my boss that I would not be coming into work the next day. It is strange to look back now and notice how the mind works when faced with a horrifying situation.
At this point, we had no idea what part of Matt’s body was hit by gunfire. It never even occurred to me that we were being driven to a trauma hospital.
The last time I had been to John Muir Hospital was seven years earlier. My friend Melissa’s father had been in a terrible car accident on Interstate 80. Tom was in a coma. Many of us stayed several nights on the floor of the John Muir ICU waiting room. We waited with Melissa praying for a miracle. We prayed that Tom would heal and wake up. Tom died 12 days later.
It did not seem to us that the officer driving us to the hospital was using all the resources he had available to get us to the hospital quickly. We started yelling at him to turn his sirens on and get us there already! My God, my son has been shot! I will never forget my question and the officer’s answer as we were driving over the Benicia Bridge. I asked him, “Do you know what happened to my boy?” His reply will forever echo in my mind: “All that I know is that he was shot in the head.” Everything from that moment on until we reached the emergency room is a blur to me.
Upon arriving at the hospital, our family waited in the crowded but eerily quiet emergency room. The room was filled with city, county and law enforcement officials. I felt like a vacuum had sucked everything out of my mind, body, and spirit. I was an empty shell sitting there waiting for word about my son. In that silent space, I literally felt God’s arms around wrap around me.
When I finally was led to the area where my son was, I was horrified to see him with tubes running through every part of his body. The image that I have of him lying there will never leave me. I can still remember the blood that was in his ear. I wanted someone to wipe it away from him.
I was hysterical and horrified. Our beautiful Matt had been so alive just hours earlier when I stopped by to see him at his grandmother’s house. My son, who was doing so much with his life by helping others, was now lying there motionless.
When I asked the emergency room doctor about Matt’s condition, he just said that Matt’s wound was “devastating.” What did that mean? Could he recover from devastation? My mind was flailing. I was confused and shocked. I just could not comprehend this situation.
Being in a place of complete and utter powerlessness is both frightening and humbling. People began arriving at the hospital in droves. Matt’s friends were angry and wanted to find whoever did this to their friend. We all held hands and prayed. As our prayers lifted, everyone came to a quiet agreement that Matt would not want more violence to come from this.
Our friends came wanting to support us. The news media was there for a story. It was all so surreal.
I remember telling my friend Laura, “This is why I have been working on all that forgiveness stuff.” In that moment of clarity, I understood that God was preparing and carrying me. That moment was fleeting.
Nothing could be done for Matt. He was on a ventilator. We would know nothing more until the neurologist came in at 9:00 the following morning.
I was thinking of our daughters. How are they going to get through all of this? TeaRae had already shut down at this point. Briana was hysterical.
Like a mantra, I repeated in my mind, “God, Please clear our minds and heal our hearts.”
After several hours, Matt was transferred to the ICU. Armed detectives were assigned to him. The shooter had not been caught. It wasn't clear if Matt had been targeted and they couldn't take the chance of someone coming to finish him off. I never had the opportunity to sit with my boy alone. I am still so sad about that.
I thought, “How ironic, my friends and I are again sitting together, just like years before in that same ICU waiting room.” Only now our prayers for a miracle were for Matt.
There was no sleeping for me. I went in to see Matt several times. Nothing had changed. He didn't squeeze my hand when I asked him to. He didn't blink his eyes. He was just laying there, with the detective beside him, the loud sounds of the machines surrounding us. The blood in his ear was gone now. Someone must have cleaned him. Deep in my soul, in that quiet place inside, I knew that he was already gone.
At 9:15 the next morning, the doctor called us into the ICU. He informed us that Matt had zero brain activity. He showed us the X-Ray of Matt’s brain. The bullet had severed his brain stem and was still in his head. There would be no surgery. Matt would never wake up.
Even though I had felt that Matt had already left us, I was not prepared to hear the finality in the doctor’s words. I am sure that no parent is prepared to hear that. Oh My God, Oh My God! How could this be happening? Why? What did I do? This is so crazy! God, please I will give anything. Please, let my boy live. My pleas went unanswered.
Everything went so fast. The next thing that I knew, we were in an office, and the donor network people were there to talk with us about donating Matthew’s organs. Matt liked the fact that he was a donor. He was also proud that he had the much needed 0 negative blood. He donated his blood often.
Knowing all of this about my boy didn't make this discussion any easier. I was still completely in shock from everything that had already happened. And now I am expected to have a conversation regarding which one of my son’s organs will be donated. They asked if we would consider the donation of his eyes and his skin. It was all just too much to even try to wrap my mind around.
Matt was a very handsome young man. He was also a bit vain. We teased him often about how he had to have his hair cut twice a week. The answer to the donor network was No! You can take his internal organs but Matt’s eyes and skin were non-negotiable.
The beautiful correspondence that we have received from the donor recipients has been amazing. The gratitude they share with us for the gift of life that Matt gave to them is so humbling. I know that God is here.
Since Matt’s death, I have been on a journey of seeking. I have reached out and attended many different spiritual and religious teachings.
On my journey, I became friends with baseball Hall of Famer. He is Buddhist. I began to attend Buddhist meetings with him and his wife on Monday evenings. We would chant for an hour and then feast on terrific Japanese food.
During this time a woman named Jenni sent me a message in regards to Matt’s gift to her. She mentioned that she corresponded with me a couple of years before, but I had no recollection. The email stated that she felt the need to write me and tell me that she is Buddhist, and when she meditates, she and Matt breathe together. Jenni had received Matt’s lungs. My heart smiled reading that, and I knew that my seeking was precisely what I was guided to do.
Jenni and I finally met in August of 2015 when she invited me to attend a celebration for Heart and lung recipients at UCSF’s Mission Bay campus. Jenni is a beautiful human being. I’m forever grateful to have her in my life.
I also met a woman who has become a very dear friend of our family. She was raised Hindu and later began praticing Buddhism. She took me on an amazing Buddhist retreat. I will hold those 3 days in my heart forever. She has become a beautiful mentor in my life and also my dentist!
I realized, for me, that "GOD" could not be placed in a BOX. God was everywhere and in everything! My heart and mind were opened in ways I would have never expected. I believe that my shattered heart and mind were ready for whatever GOD wanted to show me.
I also met a woman who has become a very dear friend of our family. She was raised Hindu and later began praticing Buddhism. She took me on an amazing Buddhist retreat. I will hold those 3 days in my heart forever. She has become a beautiful mentor in my life and also my dentist!
I realized, for me, that "GOD" could not be placed in a BOX. God was everywhere and in everything! My heart and mind were opened in ways I would have never expected. I believe that my shattered heart and mind were ready for whatever GOD wanted to show me.
Our family has made it our mission to help keep Matt’s Dream Alive. His dream consisted of supporting our young people, helping to stop crime, and strengthening our community. Matt’s campaign focus was his dream and is now a part of our life purpose.
In December of 2016, my husband and I went to Soledad prison to meet with one of the men responsible for Matt’s murder. Gene Combs shared details from that horrific September 1st, 2008. He described his relentless craving for drugs that day. He needed to get them before he could attend his son’s birthday party at a water park.
My heart ached to listen to him. Gene Combs repeated how he wished he would have just left and gone to his youngest son’s party. My tears were for that same reason. Everything would be so different right now if you had just left and gone to your youngest son’s birthday party.
As we are coming up on the ten year anniversary of Matt's murder. I continue to struggle to find forgiveness. One minute I think I have forgiven and the next minute I'm raging with blame. I have a lot of work to do and a lifetime to do it.
I will never get used to Matt not being here. Learning how to find a life of hope, love, and forgiveness after the murder of my son has become the quest of my life.
Sunday, April 15, 2018
SEEING through different Lenses
National Crime Victims' Rights Week is over. The theme for this year was; Expand the Circle, Reach all Victims. I wanted to share our tribute to victims and their families that took place on Wednesday, April 11th at the Matt Garcia Career and College Academy as well as my visit last Friday, April 13th to California State Prison, Solano. The array of emotions, feelings, and thoughts can be overwhelming due to the vast differences between these two situations.
Every day is a reminder that our loved ones are no longer here. They were taken from us by heinous acts of violence. This past week has been another revealing one for me. The more I ask God to give me the eyes to see, the ears to hear, and the words to speak, HE does!
The fact that a mom who lost her daughter, her grandson and her son-in-law to murder and then was denied counseling for her remaining grandchildren, (her 8-year-old grandson's cousins) due to lack of funding, is thoroughly insane to me! The funds that are available for counseling services are for immediate family only.
One of the things that happened after she spoke of the lack of services STILL for victims and their families; a woman introduced herself and said they have a trauma recovery group which has funding to offer her grandchildren counseling. WOW! Thank you, God. Thank you, for speaking out and helping not only your grandchildren but many others who will live this horrific nightmare also.
Besides grieving the devastating loss of our loved one/ones to murder, we believe we must help others who come behind us just as those who are living this already have helped us.
The services for victims' and their families are many, but they are still NOT ENOUGH! The perpetrators have most of the rights. The victims and their families are left to even more heartache, through the court proceedings, where many times, WE the victims and family members have very few rights.
I know of many victims families, and I, myself have been witness to not being informed of court dates and appearances or filed motions by the murderer/murderers, over and over again. For me personally, this had happened since 1999, when my cousin Kathy O'Brien was stabbed to death and thrown out of a car on a lonely road like a pile of discarded trash.
The court appearances that I was informed about was like being at a circus. The murderer of Kathy acted out by yelling profanities, threatening the judge several times, screaming and flailing. It was utterly insane to witness. The judge would ask the bailiffs to remove the murderer from the courtroom after calmly asking him to calm down over and over again. It seemed to me that the more the judge tried to talk to him and reason with him the more he would act crazy.
Although, while all of this was happening, we the family members of the victim was not allowed to cry loudly nor make any noises. If we did, we would be promptly removed from the courtroom. I got to witness this behavior countless times for over eight years. Where was Kathy's rights in all of this madness?
Kathy's murderer finally got sixteen years to life in 2007. Yes, eight years after he plunged a sharpened screwdriver into her body over fifty times! Again, where were Kathy's rights?
The fact that many of these same issues happened after my only son, Matthew Terrahl Garcia, was murdered in 2008 was and still is mindboggling! Where were Matt's rights?
Last year I was given the opportunity to appear at Kathy's murderers first parole hearing. The shock and horror of seeing this man's face again after ten years made me sick to my stomach. I felt the rage and anger burn inside of me. My skin was crawling.
He was still acting out, but in a different way than the last times, I had seen him. He came into the parole hearing room in a wheelchair. One of the CO's informed me that this was new. He had not been in a wheelchair until this day. He was incoherent at times, and he objected to what the parole commissioner was saying to him. They reminded him often that he was not in a courtroom and he could not object to what was being said. Their words went unheard. Witnessing these antics AGAIN was devastating AGAIN! These are typical situations that occur for victims and their families due to the rights of the accused. Change is needed!
We again got to be witness to all of the insane acts and unnecessary delays during all the trial proceedings and the many hearings following sentencing for the person who killed Matt. He has rights to several appeals following conviction. It's another circus that victims and their families are subject to.
Our family and countless other families are given a life sentence, and we will never get paroled.
On Friday, April 13th I attended California State prison Solano's "No more Victims" A day of Awareness, Acknowledgement, and Amends ceremony in the Level II gymnasium. This event was presented and attended by men who are mostly serving life sentences.
I have been coming here to CSP for four years now. Today was my second time speaking at their ceremony for National Crime Victims' Rights Week. This day a few other groups were here to talk as well as several of the men serving life sentences for murder.
Every time I come to CSP I feel nervous and a little fearful. It's intimidating to walk through the yard where hundreds of convicted criminals are watching you. I am mindful to stay between the thick red line that the inmates are not allowed to cross. Today, I was walking and talking with one of the other speakers, so I appeared a bit more confident while my insides were twisting and churning.
I felt a sense of calm when I walked in and saw Mr. Ward standing in the auditorium. Mr. Ward is a man in his 70's who has served 37 years for murder.
When I came to speak here for the first time years before, Mr. Ward was the first convicted murderer serving a life sentence to apologize to me for his actions in harming an entire family and loved ones just like mine because of his decision on the day he killed his victim. I didn't know how to respond to his apology except to cry. I had not expected to hear any remorse or apologies from anyone. I was confused by the empathy that I was feeling.
My heart forever shattered, and this man who had also murdered someone's child was standing before me accepting responsibility for the devastation and destruction his actions have caused countless family members and loved ones that will last for a lifetime.
Mr. Ward has donated $10 checks to The Matt Garcia Foundation over the years. It's not the money that touched me but the fact that he was making an effort to be a part of the solution now instead of part of the problem.
Several other men and I recognized one another from my previous visits. They came up to me and shared about how they remembered watching the news when Matt was murdered. Some of them cried as I shared about the phone call on September 1, 2008, which brought our family to our knees and devastated our hearts forever.
I reminded them that every decision we each make every day affects more than just ourselves. The ripple effect of violent crime and murder is far-reaching.
Another group that was there to speak was Project Avery. It's a non-profit organization that helps to improve the lives of children whose parents are incarcerated. The program provides weekly retreats and leadership mentoring programs as well as life skills for youth aged 8-18.
I was so taken aback by the three teenagers who spoke about their parent/parents being incarcerated. They talked about how they felt alone and unable, to tell the truth about where their mother or father is because of shame. They now have a place to go where other young people are dealing with the same issues. These young people are brave and amazing. I was and still am honored to have been there to meet them. The cycle does not have to continue. There is HOPE!
We also listened to several men serving life sentences for their violent crimes. They shared about the harm they will never be able to fix for their victims or their victims family members and loved ones. They talked about what they are doing differently now. How they are dealing with their internal conflicts and childhood issues. I'm grateful that they are now willing to look at themselves although there will always be that part of me that says to myself, "You're too late, our kids are dead."
I will continue to work on myself and allow God to clear my mind and heal my heart. This is a lifelong process. I know that! I'm willing to see things in my life with different lenses. I'm willing to open my heart and my mind to change.
Thank you, God
Every day is a reminder that our loved ones are no longer here. They were taken from us by heinous acts of violence. This past week has been another revealing one for me. The more I ask God to give me the eyes to see, the ears to hear, and the words to speak, HE does!
The fact that a mom who lost her daughter, her grandson and her son-in-law to murder and then was denied counseling for her remaining grandchildren, (her 8-year-old grandson's cousins) due to lack of funding, is thoroughly insane to me! The funds that are available for counseling services are for immediate family only.
One of the things that happened after she spoke of the lack of services STILL for victims and their families; a woman introduced herself and said they have a trauma recovery group which has funding to offer her grandchildren counseling. WOW! Thank you, God. Thank you, for speaking out and helping not only your grandchildren but many others who will live this horrific nightmare also.
Besides grieving the devastating loss of our loved one/ones to murder, we believe we must help others who come behind us just as those who are living this already have helped us.
The services for victims' and their families are many, but they are still NOT ENOUGH! The perpetrators have most of the rights. The victims and their families are left to even more heartache, through the court proceedings, where many times, WE the victims and family members have very few rights.
I know of many victims families, and I, myself have been witness to not being informed of court dates and appearances or filed motions by the murderer/murderers, over and over again. For me personally, this had happened since 1999, when my cousin Kathy O'Brien was stabbed to death and thrown out of a car on a lonely road like a pile of discarded trash.
The court appearances that I was informed about was like being at a circus. The murderer of Kathy acted out by yelling profanities, threatening the judge several times, screaming and flailing. It was utterly insane to witness. The judge would ask the bailiffs to remove the murderer from the courtroom after calmly asking him to calm down over and over again. It seemed to me that the more the judge tried to talk to him and reason with him the more he would act crazy.
Although, while all of this was happening, we the family members of the victim was not allowed to cry loudly nor make any noises. If we did, we would be promptly removed from the courtroom. I got to witness this behavior countless times for over eight years. Where was Kathy's rights in all of this madness?
Kathy's murderer finally got sixteen years to life in 2007. Yes, eight years after he plunged a sharpened screwdriver into her body over fifty times! Again, where were Kathy's rights?
The fact that many of these same issues happened after my only son, Matthew Terrahl Garcia, was murdered in 2008 was and still is mindboggling! Where were Matt's rights?
Last year I was given the opportunity to appear at Kathy's murderers first parole hearing. The shock and horror of seeing this man's face again after ten years made me sick to my stomach. I felt the rage and anger burn inside of me. My skin was crawling.
He was still acting out, but in a different way than the last times, I had seen him. He came into the parole hearing room in a wheelchair. One of the CO's informed me that this was new. He had not been in a wheelchair until this day. He was incoherent at times, and he objected to what the parole commissioner was saying to him. They reminded him often that he was not in a courtroom and he could not object to what was being said. Their words went unheard. Witnessing these antics AGAIN was devastating AGAIN! These are typical situations that occur for victims and their families due to the rights of the accused. Change is needed!
We again got to be witness to all of the insane acts and unnecessary delays during all the trial proceedings and the many hearings following sentencing for the person who killed Matt. He has rights to several appeals following conviction. It's another circus that victims and their families are subject to.
Our family and countless other families are given a life sentence, and we will never get paroled.
On Friday, April 13th I attended California State prison Solano's "No more Victims" A day of Awareness, Acknowledgement, and Amends ceremony in the Level II gymnasium. This event was presented and attended by men who are mostly serving life sentences.
I have been coming here to CSP for four years now. Today was my second time speaking at their ceremony for National Crime Victims' Rights Week. This day a few other groups were here to talk as well as several of the men serving life sentences for murder.
Every time I come to CSP I feel nervous and a little fearful. It's intimidating to walk through the yard where hundreds of convicted criminals are watching you. I am mindful to stay between the thick red line that the inmates are not allowed to cross. Today, I was walking and talking with one of the other speakers, so I appeared a bit more confident while my insides were twisting and churning.
I felt a sense of calm when I walked in and saw Mr. Ward standing in the auditorium. Mr. Ward is a man in his 70's who has served 37 years for murder.
When I came to speak here for the first time years before, Mr. Ward was the first convicted murderer serving a life sentence to apologize to me for his actions in harming an entire family and loved ones just like mine because of his decision on the day he killed his victim. I didn't know how to respond to his apology except to cry. I had not expected to hear any remorse or apologies from anyone. I was confused by the empathy that I was feeling.
My heart forever shattered, and this man who had also murdered someone's child was standing before me accepting responsibility for the devastation and destruction his actions have caused countless family members and loved ones that will last for a lifetime.
Mr. Ward has donated $10 checks to The Matt Garcia Foundation over the years. It's not the money that touched me but the fact that he was making an effort to be a part of the solution now instead of part of the problem.
Several other men and I recognized one another from my previous visits. They came up to me and shared about how they remembered watching the news when Matt was murdered. Some of them cried as I shared about the phone call on September 1, 2008, which brought our family to our knees and devastated our hearts forever.
I reminded them that every decision we each make every day affects more than just ourselves. The ripple effect of violent crime and murder is far-reaching.
Another group that was there to speak was Project Avery. It's a non-profit organization that helps to improve the lives of children whose parents are incarcerated. The program provides weekly retreats and leadership mentoring programs as well as life skills for youth aged 8-18.
I was so taken aback by the three teenagers who spoke about their parent/parents being incarcerated. They talked about how they felt alone and unable, to tell the truth about where their mother or father is because of shame. They now have a place to go where other young people are dealing with the same issues. These young people are brave and amazing. I was and still am honored to have been there to meet them. The cycle does not have to continue. There is HOPE!
We also listened to several men serving life sentences for their violent crimes. They shared about the harm they will never be able to fix for their victims or their victims family members and loved ones. They talked about what they are doing differently now. How they are dealing with their internal conflicts and childhood issues. I'm grateful that they are now willing to look at themselves although there will always be that part of me that says to myself, "You're too late, our kids are dead."
I will continue to work on myself and allow God to clear my mind and heal my heart. This is a lifelong process. I know that! I'm willing to see things in my life with different lenses. I'm willing to open my heart and my mind to change.
Thank you, God
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