Category: Pat Garcia

DAY 19, MARCH 19, 2024, HAPPY BACKYARD DAY!

Good Morning, Everyone,

When I first came to Europe as a United States Army soldier, I thought the world revolved around the United States. Imagine my surprise when I found it didn’t. The Europeans are different. Their differences lie in treasuring their time off from work, the public holidays they celebrate, and their summer vacations.

If you visit Europe in June, July, and August and maybe the first two weeks in September, you will find few Federal offices open. Some stores, doctors’ offices, and other medical facilities are closed too. People are on vacation or at home working in their backyards, and if they don’t have a house with a backyard, they have gardens and can apply to the city municipal office, where they are put on a list to rent one.

Our space in Europe is small; we live close to one another, which I had to get used to.
I have a home, so my backyard is my garden.

Let me put a disclaimer here: I am not a gardener, but I like being in one. I am thankful that I have a couple who are very close to me, like a sister and brother. My brother does the heavy garden work, and his wife helps me at home while I write. I have committed to a few responsibilities that no one else can do, but I and I’m happy that God has sent me dear friends to help lighten my load.

My brother, sister, and I looked at my garden last Sunday afternoon when they dropped by and decided it was time to clean it up sometime next week so I could enjoy the glass patio and look at my trees.

It has been freezing here, so my cherry, apple, and walnut trees have not started blooming yet.

I think they will bloom in April, and they will be gorgeous when that happens.

I gave each of them a name when I planted them and have written a caption with their name, like a name tag you get when you go to a conference. I took the photos this morning.

My backyard is looking forward to spring just as much as I am.
I hope you enjoyed the visit.

Have a nice day, everyone, and take care.

Shalom shalom

Pat Garcia

DAY 15, MARCH 15, 2024, WORLD SLEEP DAY

Good Morning, Everyone,
I thought long and hard about today’s calendar topic because I always contemplate and ask myself when the world will wake up. I don’t mean that to sound sarcastic, either.
When I hear the news on television, read various newspapers, or listen to specific podcasts, when I examine the unrest among the different nations and the wars that are taking place, I can only shake my head at what I see and hear, and I wonder why others don’t see it.

We are at fault for disturbing the circadian rhythms of our internal clocks. It is time we wake up to see that our behavior patterns keep us from sleeping.

I don’t know of any child who can sleep on an empty stomach or while bombs are bursting all around them.

All the elements needed for a good night’s sleep will be available when we change our way of living and stop bickering and fighting against one another in wars.

Have a lovely day, and take care.

Shalom shalom

Pat Garcia

DAY 13, MARCH 13,2024, HAPPY NATIONAL GOOD SAMARITAN DAY!

Good Morning, Everyone,

I’m using National Good Samaritan Day as a shout-out for all those who refuse to close their eyes to people’s hunger, thirst, nakedness, homelessness, and many other ills of the human condition that we close our eyes to because it’s scary, or we’re afraid that we will have to give or do something to help minder the needs of those people.

Yes, I said, “Those people.” We tend to separate ourselves from the reality of what is happening around us. Good Samaritans don’t.

We ignore a child walking around in winter with strappy sandals or no shoes, placing the responsibility of their need on the parent or parents, but again, Good Samaritans don’t. Instead, they go to the next shoe store and buy shoes that fit and cover their feet.

We watch children shivering with cold, snotty noses and crying for food and fresh water, and some of us are confounded and others overwhelmed, but Good Samaritans aren’t. They usually buy food and clothing and leave it on the doorsteps of the homes to protect the dignity of the ones they are helping out.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that giving to organizations to feed and clothe the needy is wrong. This kind of giving is needed too, but others like Doctors without Borders, Mercy Ships, Charity Water, and many other smaller organizations volunteer in person, giving medical care, building houses, and bringing clean water to people who die because of not having medical care or clean water.

Good Samaritans give not only of their money but also of their time. They use their hands to work on ships and travel to the sick and hurting, binding up wounds, and they use their hands as they go to countries to build water vessels for people who have never tasted a glass of clean water. These people are the Good Samaritans who donate their time freely; this shout-out goes to them. I applaud you.

Have a lovely day, and take care.

Shalom shalom

Pat Garcia

DAY 12, MARCH 12, 2024, HAPPY NATIONAL ORGANIZE YOUR HOME DAY!

Good Morning, Everyone,

I am smiling about this special day because I have been in the process of organizing my home since February 2024. I decided last year that anything I wasn’t using, regardless of what it was, would be going to a junk house, which in German is called Sperrmüll.

In our communities, one fills out a card and sends it to the people responsible for picking up old furniture, electric items, and small things, like flower vases, chairs, etc, to dispose of. We pay for the privilege to do this through our municipal taxes, which are paid yearly.

Therefore, I am remodeling my home, and the first step I am still doing is packing everything downstairs in a room in my basement so that it can be picked up after I have turned in my card requesting pick-up.

I am downsizing, and I want to. There are only so many glasses you can drink out of, coffee cups you can enjoy coffee in, or chairs you can sit in. Since I know you can’t take it with you, why should I keep it? Thus, I have promised myself to enjoy my home and not clutter it up.

By the way, the picture of my stairway that I showed on my blog on DAY 8 is the first part of my home I uncluttered.

Now, I can sit on my stairway and dream whenever I want to. And that is an incredible feeling.

Have a lovely day and take care.

Shalom shalom,

Pat Garcia

DAY 8, MARCH 8, 2024, HOW I AM DISCOVERING THE MEANING OF MY NAME

It has taken me years to discover what my name means, and I am still searching. Learning the meaning of my name is a lifetime process. Early in life, I found that people who tried to define me and what I was supposed to be did not coincide with what I thought I should be. When I turned eight, I knew I would have to one day leave the land I was born in if I wanted to find my purpose, which means finding out what my name truly means. It might be easier to look it up, but I don’t usually choose the easy way or the way that looks simple. I am a Patricia kind of person who latches on to ideas that fascinate me, and I hang on until I find out why those thoughts find ground to grow within me.

Since the name Patricia has no biblical meaning, I sought to know why the name was so unique in ancient times. Patricia stemmed from Latin and led me to two words that got me looking into directions that would have been, at that time, impossible for me to walk in the deep South. Those two words were honor and noble. According to the content I googled, the name Patricia has deep infinity, and people with that name have power and charisma when expressing themselves, whether in speech or writing. They love to study and do research.

My love of research and study is an integral part of me. I remember discovering that Dwight David Eisenhower and I were born on the same day, October 14. Knowing that threw me in a tizzy, and I researched every book I could find about the man because I wanted to know how he had made it through life. I even contemplated writing him a letter, as he was the President of the United States, to tell him that we had a birthday on the same day, but I never did. I regret that now. However, whenever my birthday came around, it was a pick me up just knowing that we had the same day of birth, although it was not the same year. Knowing this gave Patricia (me) the strength to take steps that kept me going forward

I am always learning something new about my name; when I do, I write it down in my journal.

Finally, I learn about the meaning of what my name means to me by reading about other Patricias like Patricia Hill Collins, Patricia Cornwall, Patricia Highsmith, Patricia Neal, Patricia Scotland, Baroness Scotland of Asthal, Patti Labelle (born_ Patricia Louise Holt), Patricia Hearst and many more and comparing some aspects of them to what I find in myself.
Am I happy with my name and what I have found so far?
Yes, Patricia is an honorable name, and there are infinite qualities that will propel me to become all I will become.

One last thought about a different topic–– the weather.
I woke up to a fantastic, sunshiny day. As I walked down my stairs, I looked at my stairway and saw how the sun shone through the glass on the stairs. I wanted to sit on the stairs all morning and stare out the window, but I didn’t. However, it was worth taking the time to sit there for ten minutes.

Have a beautiful Friday, and take care.

Shalom shalom

Pat Garcia