My Dad’s Legacy

By: Hope Garcia

“My parent’s divorce impacted my life greatly. I had to grow up as a young boy without a father there for me. It made me realize that I never want to have a divorce. I don’t want my kids to go through what I went through.” 41 year old, John Garcia said. At 41 years old, my dad is still kicking it with his family. He has a beautiful wife named April Garcia and two loving daughters… myself and my sister Savannah.

My Dad has a legacy of playing hard and going for the gold. “Play your heart because at the end, something gold will be waiting for you.” My Dad told me when I was younger. This is my Dad’s motto. He lives by this statement. He wants my sister and I to always try our hardest at everything we do no matter how much we like or dislike it. This quote has impacted my life greatly. It shows me how I should live my life. It makes me want to try my hardest so I can get to where I am going in life.

          My Dad has also told me that for the longest time, he didn’t know what life was about. “As a kid, I didn’t know what life was about. In my late teens to early twenties, I was wild and reckless. As I’ve gotten older and been married, my prospective has changed to live life as it comes at you.” My dad said to me. This is something my dad has said a lot to me. He has told me many times that I don’t even know what life is about yet.

          “Your dad is a very non-selfish person, who always thinks of others before he even thinks about himself.” My Mom told me. My dad has very unique qualities that make him who he is. He isn’t one of those stuck up jocks that you hear about. He is the kind of guy that thinks of others before he comes into consideration about himself.

          ‘If I could change one thing about my life… I wouldn’t change a thing. I love my life the way it is and I love the way I am.” My dad told me. My Dad has always wanted a family, which made him choose a family over becoming a pro baseball player. He was an amazing baseball player who could have gone pro, but he didn’t want to take that path. Instead he met my Mom and got married.