Saturday, October 29, 2011

RIP Jackson


Whew! Ever have one of those days that ends waaaaay different than you thought it would?

Our lovable little furball of will and energy is no longer with us. He was hit by a car around noon on Saturday. He was gone mere moments after impact. Less than an hour and a half later he was wrapped in his favorite blankets and buried with his favorite stuffed toy as we had a graveside memorial in our backyard. [Attn: City Officials... not really. This is all just a big metaphor.] We still kept our plans to celebrate Cindy's birthday, but there was a palpable fog in our day.

As expected, tears were shed and hugs were in great demand.

Lucas' questions and observations were wrenching:
"We should pray for him to be alive."
"Can I blow in his ear to make sure he's dead?"
"I'm all done crying now."
"Dad, today is kind of weird huh?"
And many, many more.

Then there was the indelible image of Ethan's face when he heard the news. He went from mouth-agape shock to a silent cry of (what may be the first time for him) legitimate heartbreak.

If you are the praying type, we'd sure appreciate them! If not, we'll take your good thoughts. Our heart for the boys is that in a very real and tangible way, they would experience the love and comfort of Jesus Christ. And that God would draw them to Him. We shared with them God's promise that:
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18
We believe this to be true, and that God is faithful to word.

I'm not sure this is doctrinally Biblical, but I like to think Jackson is in whatever doggie heaven all dogs who love Jesus go to and he is having a blast running around with all his new best dog friends and peeing on every tree he sees.

The Los Garcias are really going to miss him, but we are really, really grateful we got to play with him for a while.

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Happy Birthday Cindy

Dear Lord Jesus,
I want to thank You for my smokin' hot wife Cindy Garcia. Thank you for the way she continues to reflect Your kindness, grace and forgiveness. I am honored that she has let You knit our hearts together. Thanks for the way she gently reminds me that we need a date! And I really appreciate the way she faithfully loves and serves our family. She is pretty awesome Lord, thanks for making her! Please give her a great birthday!
--Sincerely, Joe Garcia

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