Category Archives: Miscellaneous Posts

Monday Meanderings: Donald Trump is the Voice of the Racist Right

Miscellaneous Posts, Public Affairs,
Image by Red-carpet.de
Image by Red-carpet.de

I’m taking a page from the Trump playbook. I won’t be politically correct and give in to the PC police. I’ll just tell it like it is. Donald Trump is the voice for the Racist Right in America.

He’s a smart guy. The average person isn’t worth $10 billion. It takes some brainpower to make that happen. So what gives? He really wants to be President of the United States. Who knows what was behind his initial motive for running for the highest office in the land. Now, he thinks he can win.

Trump has sustained his standing in the Republican polls despite comments that are seemingly at odds with conservative icons. At a family conference, he said that he didn’t need God’s forgiveness for his sins. He called war hero Senator John McCain a loser for getting captured in Vietnam and belittled conservative news celebrity Megyn Kelly at the Fox News debate. Not one of these incidents resulted in a slide in his support.

Shrug off God, Mr. Trump. That’s okay according to the religious evangelists on the right. Proclaim that John McCain isn’t a war hero. No problem, say some veterans. Insult the star of a conservative news show. Wagging their fingers, the PC police scold women for being too sensitive.

That’s where the racist thing comes in. Trump revived the racially divisive term “Silent Majority” in a speech at a rally last month in Arizona. That term is not without historical significance. To exploit the civil unrest of 1960s urban America, Richard M. Nixon coined “Silent Majority” to rally the racist Deep South to support his election. Angry and frustrated by civil rights gains, southern voters swept Nixon into the White House in the 1968.

Trump is trying to bring that racist anger and frustration back as a political strategy. He hopes to replicate the Nixon landslide. The thrust of his message is “make America great again.” For the Silent Majority types, this means going back to the days when Blacks knew their place and Mexicans stayed in Mexico. That explains why conservatives give Trump a pass on trivializing Republican stalwarts like God, Senator McCain, and Megyn Kelly.

When he outlined his immigration proposal, Trump solidified his support in Racist America. The lynchpin to his plan is to abolish the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution. The Supreme Court has cited the amendment to rid our nation of the evils of racial segregation, ensure voting rights to all Americans, and guarantee equal treatment under the law for everyone. Repealing those values has always been the goal of the Racist Right.

Trump wants to take away the birthright of American-born citizens guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. He believes that their parents don’t belong here, so those born in the U.S. don’t have the right to be American citizens. There’s plenty of legal and constitutional precedent that demonstrates that Trump might be drinking too much Southern Comfort. That doesn’t matter though. He just wants to rally the Racist Right to go to the polls and vote for him. It worked for Nixon.

Fortunately, the group of Americans who want to return to a nation that provided equal treatment for just a few white folks is shrinking. These people scream at the tops of their lungs that they want to “take America back.” During a Trump rally in Alabama last weekend, his supporters heard shouts of “white power” coming from the crowd. The Silent Majority is really the vocal minority. They now have a self-proclaimed champion in Donald Trump.

While his poll numbers continue to hold steady with those who yearn for an America of yesteryear, we’ve come a long way since 1968. The rest of the country has moved on. Poll after poll shows that a vast majority of Americans support a pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers. We are part of a reasonable majority that sees the true greatness of America, not in the past, but just on horizon.

Despite the belief shared by most Americans that our nation is better off with cultural diversity, Trump will continue his assault on immigrants, especially those from south of the Rio Grande. With each promise to build the Trump Wall to keep Mexicans out and every proclamation that all undocumented immigrants and their American-born children “have to go,” the vocal minority will cheer with enthusiasm and hope for the return to the racist America they loved.

The Trumpnado, as his followers call his campaign, will soon pass. Sadly, it will leave a trail of destruction and bitterness in its wake. When the winds of primary season calm down, Americans will go the voting booth and elect a president who will govern from the center. For 225 years, Americans have always found a way to elect thoughtful leaders that have kept us on the road to equality and justice.

After Election Day 2016, I’m confident that we’ll continue on our journey to make the United States the “more perfect union” that our Founding Fathers envisioned. I believe in America and I have faith in God that He will lead us down the right path.

San Jose City College: Home to World Champions

Miscellaneous Posts
Photo by Golden State Warriors
Photo by Golden State Warriors

Yes! The Golden State Warriors are world champions! I’m still nursing my celebration hangover from Game 6 of the NBA Finals. It was quite a story. There was all the hoopla about the the Splash Brothers vs. “the greatest player in the world.” With the exception of Warrior fans, the rest of the country was sure that King James would carry the day like Michael, Magic, and Larry did in the 1980s and 1990s. But he didn’t.

And the Golden State Warriors are world champions!

This was a topic of conversation when I had lunch with Hall of Fame basketball coach Percy Carr last week. Coach Carr just finished his 40th season at San Jose City College and has his fair share of championships. He mentioned a tidbit of history that I’m sure not many people know about. The last time the Warriors were world champs, the team’s practice facility was the gym at San Jose City College.

The team practiced at SJCC from the mid-1960s through the end of the next decade. Hall of Famer and 1975 NBA Finals MVP Rick Barry played there, as did Warrior greats Al Attles, Clifford Ray, Jeff Mullins, Jamal Wilkes, Phil Smith, and Charles Johnson. Attles was also the head coach of that 1975 championship squad.

Coach Carr shared stories about the NBA stars playing pick-up hoops with the SJCC players during open gym. He recounted how the NBA players were right at home on his floor. They interacted with students and others who happened to hang around the court. Coach still has one of Clifford Ray’s size 19 high-top sneakers in his office as a souvenir from those days.

I peppered Coach Carr with questions: When did the Warriors start practicing at SJCC? How did it happen? Why did the team choose to workout in San Jose, not Oakland or San Francisco? Since the the Warriors/SJCC relationship started before he arrived in 1976, Coach Carr didn’t have answers to my questions. I could see the light bulb illuminate above his head as he picked up his cell phone and dialed his old friend and “Mr. Warrior,” Al Attles.

After a few minutes of friendly ribbing and chit chat, Coach Carr asked Coach Attles some of my questions before handing the phone to me. It was pretty cool for me to be able talk to the legendary Al Attles just a week after the Golden State Warriors won the NBA championship. Actually, it was VERY cool!

Here’s what I learned: A generation ago, the NBA wasn’t the glitzy showbiz entertainment juggernaut it is today. That had its beginnings in the late 1970s with Dr. J’s acrobatic dunks and the Magic vs. Bird show. Then came Air Jordan, and the rest is history. The NBA evolved from a hard-nosed league of large men who happened to be the best basketball players in the world to today’s multi-billion dollar mega business featuring large men who are the best players on the planet.

In 1962, the Warriors came to San Francisco from Philadelphia in when a group of local businessman pooled their money together to buy the team. When the Warriors arrived in San Francisco, there was only one other NBA team on the west coast, the Los Angeles Lakers came from Minnesota just two years earlier. The group bought the franchise for a whopping $850,000.

Yeah, you read that correctly.

A few years later, San Jose native Franklin Mieuli, who made his fortune in the local radio and television business, eventually bought out his partners and became principal owner of the franchise.

As the NBA was getting a foothold in California during the early years, the Warriors were having a hard time finding a place to practice. The University of San Francisco was the only local college that was willing to give up some gym time for the pro team. That arrangement didn’t last long. The club then moved to the Oakland Mormon Temple where the old ABA Oakland Oaks practiced during its one year in existence. The Oaks failed to pay the rent, so the deal almost fell through because church leaders mistook the NBA for the ABA.

That’s where owner Franklin Mieuli’s San Jose roots came in handy. He reached out to the SJCC administration and secured a long-term commitment to use the gym as the pro team’s official practice facility. Part of the deal included the construction of a professional-style locker room that the SJCC Jaguars still use today. Coach Attles told me that the SJCC community was always warm and welcoming. “We loved our time at San Jose City College,” he said.

Today, the Warriors play regular season games at the Oakland Coliseum and work out in a state-of-the-art practice facility befitting a 21st century NBA franchise in that city’s downtown. The team is the best basketball club in the world. The best two players have a splashy nickname that resonates with fans in the high-energy entertainment industry the NBA is today. Steph Curry jerseys are the hottest items in the NBA’s retail business.

In simpler times, the NBA champs hung out in a little gym in San Jose. Earlier this spring, I wrote that the SJCC men’s basketball team was the best kept secret in town (click here to read that article: https://esereport.com/2015/02/23/monday-meanderings-san-joses-best-kept-secret/). Now we know that the college has another wonderful secret. It is home to world champions.

Monday Meanderings: San Jose’s Best Kept Secret

Education, Miscellaneous Posts
Speed City Getting Ready to Run (photo courtesy of Twitter @SJCCBasketball #sjcchoops #speedcity )
Speed City Getting Ready to Run
(photo courtesy of Twitter @SJCCBasketball
#sjcchoops #speedcity )

Okay, please bear with me. I’m really going to meander today.

I want to talk about the best kept secret in San Jose. First, let me say this: San Jose doesn’t have a clue how to attract, support, and celebrate big-time sports. There, I said it.

We pride ourselves in being the 10th biggest city in America. Yet, when it comes to sports teams, one of the characteristics of a big-time city, we have but one major-league organization, the National Hockey League Sharks. Oh yeah, we also have the Earthquakes.

I still sting over the voters’ rejection of a ballot measure to build a stadium and bring the Major League Baseball Giants to town in 1990. I can’t forget how the Golden State Warriors used the city to get a better deal in Oakland a few years later. What about the ongoing effort to lure the A’s here?  Don’t even ask. And, please don’t even mention that little hamlet on our northern border getting one of the most storied franchises in NFL history.

For goodness sake, the 40th largest city in America has the Braves (MLB), Hawks (NBA), and Falcons (NFL).

I must also confess that I’m not much of a hockey fan. As someone who is a native of our beloved city, I didn’t play hockey or watch it on TV as a kid, although I do remember that it snowed here once for about 10 minutes when I was in the 7th grade. The Earthquakes is a major league soccer franchise, but its new 18,000-seat stadium is a far cry from the 114,000 seats in Estadio Azteca, Mexico City’s soccer venue.

But, I digress (and meander).

The best kept secret in town is the San Jose City College Jaguars men’s basketball team. The program is also the most successful sports organization in the history of our fair city. Period.

Let’s start with the numbers. During the past 39 years under Coach Percy Carr, the Jags have won 864 games, the most wins for a California college basketball coach ever. Seventeen players have earned All-State honors. The best number, however, is the 97% of players who move on to a four-year college.

On Saturday afternoon, the team clinched its 14th conference championship and 35th playoff appearance in the Carr era by finishing 12-0 in Coast Conference play and 25-3 overall.

And, guess what? No one outside of the SJCC community knows about it. No mention in the Mercury News, no stories on NBC Bay Area, ABC 7, CBS 5, or KTVU Channel 2. Was the mayor on hand on Saturday to celebrate with the college chancellor and president? Nope.

What gives here? How can a city that prides itself on success and innovation completely ignore one of its most successful institutions?

Unfortunately, I don’t know the answer to that. But I know this: San Jose City College basketball is fun to watch! If you love basketball like I do, you won’t find a better place in this town to watch a game than in the Jaguar’s gym. And it’s up close and personal.

The squeak of basketball shoes on the maple floor, the referee’s whistle, coaches shouting directions to the players and scolding officials, and the sweet sound of the ball swishing through the net after a three-point shot can all be found at SJCC.

And, the basketball is big-time. The players are big, strong, fast, talented and well-coached. More than a few of them will play at a NCCA Division I school. Fans call them Speed City. At any given moment, a breathtaking fast break or a thunderous slam-dunk will ignite the small crowd.

Did I mention that the basketball is big-time?

Luckily, this season isn’t over. The Jags will host the first-round of the state playoffs at home on Saturday, February 28th at 7:00 PM. Do yourself a favor. Go watch them play. Follow their quest for a State Championship.

It’s the best kept secret in town.

 

 

 

 

 

Monday Meanderings: Walking Along the Path of Faith

Miscellaneous Posts

spiritual-journey

I’ve spent a lot of time lately thinking about faith.

Faith is a powerful word and an even more powerful force. It’s been the catalyst for the most important movements in the history of the world. We hear the word all the time, usually in times of great sorrow and fear.

But, what does it mean?

No one really knows, and I think that’s the point.

We can start with the religious concept of the word. It is the foundation of all religious beliefs. Whether you practice Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism or any other organized religion, faith is the cornerstone. The short story is that God is in charge and the secret to a productive and happy life is accepting that fact.

In non-religious terms, New Age thinkers and motivational speakers have stirred people through positive thinking and believing in oneself. The wisdom they share has inspired countless people to achieve success and improve their lives by accepting “universal laws” and using them to realize personal and professional dreams.

Even pragmatic practitioners of the scientific method rely on a form of faith to explain why things like gravity and the rotations of planets around the sun exist. Scientific research has explained what causes these phenomena and how they work. However, science doesn’t answer why they happen, so they are accepted as Universal or Natural Law.

What do all three of these examples have in common? Acceptance of what can’t be explained. This is the basis of faith.

Since the summer a massive heart attack changed my life, I’ve been on a personal faith journey with bridge crossings marked by calming enlightenment and uncomfortable uncertainty. I fully accept what occurred that summer and understand how it happened.

Every now and then, I arrive at a bridgehead of doubt. The nagging why seeps into my consciousness and causes hesitation. Why me? Why now? Why has my life taken this dramatic turn?

While pondering those questions, I remember how I survived a harrowing heart attack, sudden cardiac arrest, and life-threatening lung failure. I remember the many family, friends, and even strangers who prayed for my survival. I remember learning again how to walk, talk, and eat after a month in a paralytic coma. I remember that I’m alive.

Then I thank God for what I have and move on along the path with gratitude.

As I meander through the unknowns of the trail, the why crossings are fewer and further apart. Pauses at the entrance to those insecure bridges of uncertainty become ever shorter as I get closer to the gates of true and unconditional faith.

And my  journey lives for another day…

**************************

COMING Wednesday: The FINAL EXCERPT of Summer in the Waiting Room: How Faith, Family, and Friends Saved My Life. If you missed last week’s excerpt, click here:https://esereport.com/2015/02/04/summer-in-the-waiting-room-how-faith-family-and-friends-saved-my-life-excerpt-50/

East Side Eddie Report Surpasses 30,000 Views!!

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Image by vintagevelvets.blogspot.com
Image by vintagevelvets.blogspot.com

East Side Eddie Report.com now has more than the 30,000 views!!

Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!

Check out the features and the Tags on this Homepage to see what all the fuss is about.

The most viewed feature on this blog is Summer in the Waiting Room: How Faith, Family, and Friends Saved My Life. It’s the real story of a man who failed early in life and vowed never to fail again. So he worked tirelessly trying to redeem himself, only to find true redemption while in a state of complete helplessness in the ICU. Here’s the link to the series:

About Summer in the Waiting Room

As always, I would love to hear from you. Please let me know what you think and share your ideas on future stories.  Thanks so much for your support!!

Eddie García

San Jose, California

February 5, 2015

Monday Meanderings: Turning the Corner in 2014

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García Family - Christmas 2014
García Family – Christmas 2014

Five years ago this month, I was on top of the world. My obsessive quest for career success was in overdrive. After more than a decade as an executive in corporate America, I was serving my second year as chief of staff to an elected official who represented 300,000 residents, president of the high school board of trustees, and co-founder of a leadership academy created in collaboration with Stanford.

In addition to my six-figure salary and high-profile community leadership roles, my wife was a successful elementary school principal and our daughters attended private Catholic schools. I lived in a nice house and drove a late model European sedan. For a kid who grew up in a working-class neighborhood, who could ask for more, right?

Well, I did. Striving for “more,” I worked around the clock pushing myself harder and harder.

Six months later, a massive heart attack brought it all crashing down. A month after that, I was in the ICU clinging to life in a coma and on breathing machines. By the end of that summer, I was a living testament to the miracle of God’s will. I survived a heart attack, cardiac arrest, and a rare lung syndrome.

That’s when the hard part started. I had to completely change my way of life.

Although my mind still works at hyper-speed, 106 days in the hospital and three major health issues have wreaked havoc on my body. I’ve struggled to reconcile my desire to live at the hectic pace I love with the reality that I can only do as much as my heart and energy will allow.

Working hard and the struggles of leadership excite me, but the stress that comes along for the ride is life-threatening. I love Kentucky Fried Chicken, Roundtable Maui Zaui pizza, ravioli and meatball sandwiches, all of which are off limits on my low-sodium, low-fat cardiac diet. I miss working up a sweat in the gym and knocking back a few ice-cold Coors Lights on tap afterwards.

Everything I do now is measured in calculated moderation, a concept that is completely foreign to me. Bland food, light exercise, and no-stress work are orders of the day.

In the years that followed that horrific summer, I’ve been in a daily struggle with myself trying to come to terms with my new life. Faith, family, and friends formed the foundation of my miraculous recovery, so I turned to that same formula to guide me through my dramatic life change. Making that change has been an emotional a tug-of-war.

On one side of the rope is a maturing relationship with God and an evolving understanding of my place in life. On the other side is the adrenalin rush and ecstasy that come with working and playing hard. Swaying in the middle of that taut rope are the elusive concepts of happiness and living life to the fullest.

I spent 2011 slowly recovering, rebuilding strength, and refocusing on my relationships with God, family, and friends. The next year marked my return to the chaos of full-time work. When my professional career came to an abrupt and exhausting conclusion in 2013, I was lost and confused. I believed that the last exciting thing that brought joy to my life had been taken away.

But, I was wrong.

By the end of 2014, the spiritual side of the rope began gaining ground. It was another year without the thrill of professional challenges, meatball sandwiches, energetic games of hoop, or multiple mugs of ice-cold beer. I earned less income than in any other time in my adult life. Nevertheless, 2014 was a glorious year.

All of those things that gave me short-term exhiliration finally began giving way to the bliss of living life for no other reason than to celebrate God’s gift. Faith is no longer just an otherworldly concept. It forms the foundation of how I manage my day. My relationships with Sandra and our daughters, extended family, and good friends are becoming more fulfilling and meaningful.

Although 2014 was a turning point in my understanding of life’s mysteries, I still have much work to do. I need to keep trusting in God and putting my life in His hands. There are more family and friends that deserve my love and attention.

As my journey moves on, I know the long road ahead will meander with twists and turns. I’ll follow the path that God created for me and I’ll continue to celebrate life with those I love.

****

I’ve been writing about my life journey and posting excerpts every Wednesday in Summer in the Waiting Room: How Faith, Family, and Friends Saved My Life. Check it out at: https://esereport.com/summer-in-the-waiting-room.

 

 

2014 in Review

Miscellaneous Posts
Image by www.sodahead.com
Image by http://www.sodahead.com

Dear Readers,

Thanks to you, 2014 was a great year for East Side Eddie Report.com! Click below to see this year’s highlights. I can’t express enough my appreciation for you taking a few minutes of your day to read what I have to say. I’m also grateful for your comments, as they help me ensure that what I write is meaningful.

What to look forward to in 2015

As you know, since August I’ve only posted excerpts of “Summer in the Waiting Room: How Faith, Family, and Friends Saved My Life,” so that I could complete the entire manuscript. Beginning on Monday, January 5, 2015, East Side Eddie Report.com will resume posting the following features:

Monday: Monday Meanderings – I will post articles on issues I’m passionate about: education, leadership, politics, and current events. My goal is to highlight issues with an insightful and edgy style.

Tuesday: Quotes and Quips – I love quotes, quips, and anecdotes! I will share my favorites every Tuesday.

Wednesday: “Summer in the Waiting Room: How Faith, Family, and Friends Saved My Life.” – The story of my life-changing health crisis will continue.

Thursday: Latino Thursday – Occasionally, I will post about issues that impact the Latino community.

Once again, thank you so much for checking in every week. Your support is my inspiration. As always, I would love to hear from you.

Here’s to a healthy and safe 2015!!

Eddie García

San Jose, CA

December 30, 2014

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 22,000 times in 2014. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 8 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Summer in the Waiting Room: The Day That Changed My Life – Part 3 (excerpt #34)

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My Quiet Spot (Sandra & Eddie García family photo) Click on image to see all excerpts
My Quiet Spot
(Sandra & Eddie García family photo)
Click on image to see all excerpts

Author’s note: The following passage from Summer in the Waiting Room: How Faith, Family, and Friends Saved My Life is the third of nine parts that details June 7, 2010, the day that a massive heart attack forever changed my life.

********************

Miraculously, I got home safely, stepped out of the car, and listlessly walked up the driveway and walkway that led to the porch. Marisa and Erica were at home because school was out for the summer, so I stopped at the front door to take a deep breath before I walked into the house. I didn’t want the girls to notice the strained look on my face and the uneasiness in my gait.

They were in the family room watching television as I walked away from their view to the bedroom.  I was sweating and the anxiety was building up inside of me like the volcano my friend metaphorically described. I took off my necktie and suit jacket, and threw myself onto the bed.

Marisa later said that she saw me walk into the house with the usual grimace I had on my face when I was stressed out.  She heard me walk down the hallway and slam the bedroom door shut, then silence, then a thud.  She rushed to the bedroom door and asked if everything was alright, I curtly answered, “yes.”

Marisa figured that a work or political matter was on my mind because she lifted the phone to call a friend and heard my voice on the other line.  She later ironically remarked that I seemed so upset that I was probably figuratively “having a heart attack.”  In the bedroom, I wasn’t talking business. I was on the phone with the Kaiser Permanente Health Plan advice nurse.

Positive that I was having a full-fledged panic attack, I explained to the nurse that I had an anxiety and panic episode nearly six years earlier. I was now experiencing the same symptoms, just a little more intense. The advice nurse asked standard questions about age, weight, medical history.

I mentioned that the cause to my anxiety was a result of my mom’s passing and my sister’s premature death at the hands of heart disease. I also confessed that my fear of having a heart attack led to minor symptoms of anxiety, but that I was able to manage though it.  This time, the symptoms didn’t want to go away despite my efforts to deal with them. She then asked pointed questions:

Nurse: “Do you feel a heavy weight, like an elephant, on your chest?”

Me: “No.”

Nurse: “Do you feel tingling radiating down your left arm to your hand?”

Me: “No.”

Nurse: “Do you feel short of breath?”

Me: “Sometimes, until the breathing exercises settle it down for a while.”

Nurse: “Do you feel light headed or dizzy?”

Me: “No.”

Based on my answers, the nurse said that the symptoms I described sounded like a panic attack and recommended I take a warm shower and rest. Heart attack was the furthest thing from my mind. I was so convinced of my self-diagnosis, I persuaded the nurse as well. If the symptoms persisted, she continued, I should call back immediately.

I called Sandra to update her on my conversation with the advice nurse and got ready to get in the shower. Erica told me a couple of years later that she caught me walking between the bedroom and shower to ask if she could go the movies with some friends, and I answered “yeah, sure” in a “grumpy way.”  Like Marisa, she too thought I was just stressing over one of the many things on my mind.

I started a steamy shower, sat down on the shower floor, and closed my eyes to clear my mind of the multitude of thoughts that raced through it.  Once out of the shower, I put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, and walked out the sliding door from our bedroom to the patio, my favorite place to relax.

The backyard and patio had become a sanctuary for me and Sandra.  About five years earlier, Sandra and I designed what we thought was the perfect backyard for our home, a Mexican motif with winding clay-colored sidewalks that lead from a tiled gazebo to a large arbor covered with climbing pink trumpet flowers.

A green lawn separates the two structures and a variety of plants, bushes, and flowers grow behind a four-foot retaining wall topped with bull-nose bricks.  Three tall pine trees dominate the far corner of the yard and majestically stand over the property.  My favorite part of the yard is a small patio behind the arbor covered by a natural canopy made of the pine tree branches and the intertwining of the neighbor’s willow tree and the climbing trumpets that cover the arbor.

The only sounds that can be heard from this relaxing quiet spot are birds chirping, the wind going through the pine trees, a neighborhood dog occasionally barking, or a jet departing from San Jose International Airport leaving the valley for parts unknown. Sitting in the small patio behind the arbor helps me relax and keep the troubles of the real world from my thoughts.  This time I couldn’t relax, I kept thinking about how anxiety and panic were consuming me.

The symptoms weren’t getting any better or any worse. I closed my eyes to take in the soothing sounds of the swaying trees above, but the tightening in my chest, the ever growing heaviness on my shoulders, and the frequent need to catch my breath drowned out everything but the noise of my hectic life reverberating in my head.

********************

To read previous excerpts click here: https://esereport.com/summer-in-the-waiting-room/

Next Wednesday: June 7, 2010 continues…

Thanks for Reading!!!

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Image from www.seoclerk.com
Image from http://www.seoclerk.com

Dear Readers,

Over 20,000 readers have viewed East Side Eddie Report.com since the blog’s first post on September 30, 2013!

With deep gratitude, I thank all of you who take a minute from your day to read my articles and my story, Summer in the Waiting Room: How Faith, Family, and Friends Saved My Life. I also appreciate all of your comments.  Keep ’em coming! I always want to hear what you think.

Please take a moment to look back at the five most viewed posts on East Side Eddie Report.com:

1. Summer in the Waiting Room: Excerpt #16 (originally posted on April 2, 2014) – https://esereport.com/2014/04/02/summer-in-the-waiting-room-chapter-2-excerpt-16/

2. “This is Fifty” (originally posted on November 11, 2013) – https://esereport.com/2013/11/11/this-is-fifty/

3. “Leadership Lessons at Kinney Shoes” (originally posted on October 14, 2013) – https://esereport.com/2013/10/14/leadership-lessons-at-kinney-shoes/

4. “You Can’t Score If You Don’t Shoot” (originally posted on October 21, 2013) – https://esereport.com/2013/10/21/you-cant-score-if-you-dont-shoot/

5. Immigration Reform Will Strengthen American Values: The Fausto Peralta Story” (originally posted on November 4, 2013) – https://esereport.com/2013/11/04/immigration-reform-will-strengthen-american-values-the-fausto-peralta-story/

Until Wednesday…for the next installment of Summer in the Waiting Room. Thanks again for reading!!

Eddie García

August 11, 2014

Quotes & Quips: Wise Words to Live By

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"The Coaches" circa mid-1980s (García Family photo)
“The Coaches” circa mid-1980s
(García Family photo)

“Coach ‘em up, and let ‘em play.” ~ Fred O. (Lico) García

Fred O. García is my dad. Even though he passed away almost 20 years ago, I turn to him often for advice. He taught his children how to live a productive life through anecdotes, analogies, and one-liners I call “Licoisms.” His simple philosophy on raising kids is one of my favorites.

He would say that you can’t start teaching values when kids are teenagers, people can learn values from the time they are babies. Together with my mom, they prepared my siblings and me for the tough road called life. He taught us the values of respecting ourselves and others, working hard, taking responsibility for our actions, and owning up to our mistakes. From mom, we learned to trust in God, love unconditionally, and give to others less fortunate.

My dad believed that once children have a strong foundation of values, parents should let them take risks and make mistakes. According to Lico, mom and dad’s role is to be there for more coaching to “help steer them back on track when they wander off.”

Recently, an old friend shared with me that her son was going to start the 8th grade in a few weeks. She commented how it seemed like he went from a little boy to a teenager from one day to the next. I told her that the transition from teenager to young adult happens just as fast. We chuckled and continued sharing stories about our kids.

Then, reality hit me. My daughter Marisa will drive back to Los Angeles soon to start junior year at Loyola Marymount University and Erica is entering senior year in high school. Both are taking big steps in their lives. Marisa and a few friends have rented an apartment off campus. We will move Erica into a college dorm room right around this time next year.

My chuckle quickly turned into concern. I’ve been around enough to know that college isn’t just about term papers, mid-terms, and finals. Alcohol, parties, and other unknown dangers lurk around every corner during down time. Outside the relative safety of campus security gates is a world filled with beauty, wonder, and yes, even bad influences, evil, and darkness.

I thought about how Sandra and I have taught the girls to be independent and confident. We’ve shared with them the values our parents shared with us. On a daily basis, Marisa and Erica make more decisions on their own as their transition to adulthood evolves. It’s easy to worry about external forces that could shape the rest of their lives.

After some more thought, my parents steered me back on track. Concern turned back into a chuckle. My parents were pretty good coaches. God has this figured out, and Sandra and I coach the girls the best we can. As Lico would say, now it’s time to “let ‘em play.”