THE TRAIL
OF A WRITER
by Rani Birchfield
W
es, its moods and whims. River life
takes a toll, though, and Garcia sold
the business in 2000 when she felt it
was time for a change.
“I thought I’d like to be a housewife
– I’d never done that. I had a child at
home at the time and I thought I’d do
recipes, try crafts, all
these things.” It took
about three weeks for
Garcia to realize that
was not the life for her.
She decided to get a
“job” and hired on at
the Big Bend Motor
Inn at the store as a
cashier.
While working at the
store, Garcia realized
the
children
of
Terlingua had nothing
to do after school.
There was a huge gap
in their time, a desulto-
ry void in the after-
noons between school
and when their parents
would get home, if the
parents even came
home. Garcia decided
to open the “Terlingua
Youth Club.” She
found an old, falling-
down building in a cen-
photo courtesy of Beth G arcia
tral location that the
owner was agreeable to
letting them use, and using her own
For Elizabeth A. Garcia, the call
money, Garcia bought snacks and sup-
sounded like arts and crafts, and
plies, and someone donated a pool
homespun baked goods. Owner and
table. The kids were encouraged to do
guide of Big Bend River Tours for 15
their homework and offered help as
years, Garcia took intrepid seekers by
needed, and it was checked for com-
raft, canoe and back roads through the
pletion. Thirty-nine kids came the first
rugged beauty that is the Rio Grande.
day, which was much of the offspring
A venture Garcia shared with her hus-
in the sparsely populated area. “We
band at the time, she adored the river
had a great turn out,” Garcia said.
and knew all the canyons and expans-
hen it’s time for a change of
direction, a call to adventure
is sounded, a hail is made
and new destinies emerge from the
dust. If your Ordinary World is a life of
adventure, however, what does it look
like when a new journey beckons?
22
Cenizo
First Quarter 2018
“Everything was to show the kids
they could get out of Terlingua. If they
were asked what they wanted to be
when they grew up and they said a
waitress at the Motor Inn... well, of
course, there’s nothing wrong with
that, but we wanted them to see differ-
ent things,” Garcia said. They went to
the Fort Worth Zoo and Six Flags over
Texas. They traveled to San Antonio
to SeaWorld to see Aric Bostick, the
motivational speaker who encourages
people in reaching their potential.
They canoed the Rio Grande, as most
of the kids had never been on the river
a stone’s throw from where they live.
They had a ball.
In time, Garcia was
encouraged to take the nec-
essary steps to becoming
part of the Boys & Girls
Club of America. Being a
part of the national organi-
zation would help with
funding, grants and general
support. (B&GCA is the offi-
cial charity of Major League
Baseball,
and
Denzel
Washington, a former club
member, has been the
spokesperson for years.)
Garcia went to meetings
and seminars to educate
herself about the B&GCA
and the steps to join. In
order to be accepted, there
was a full audit of the books,
management practices, per-
sonnel, and the youth programs.
Oftentimes when the seeker crosses
the threshold, tests and trials rise up.
Perhaps they build character or create
focus for the journey. Whatever the
purpose is, tribulation does not come
dressed as good fortune. Just as the
Youth Club got approval to join the
B&GCA, which was quite an accom-
plishment in out-of-the-way Terlingua,
some of the board members turned
against Garcia and tried to usurp her
with false allegations. Although there
was no proof, like any “fake news” (or
small-town gossip), it takes a toll on
reputations and trust. The case went
to court and Garcia won, but during
the ordeal, the community stopped
supporting the club, which is a neces-
sary part of the structure. (The com-
munity needs to put in 25k to get 50k
in grants for the BGCA, for example.)
The group that started out to benefit
the kids lost momentum and the club
folded. It was a very difficult time for
photo courtesy of Neil Ragsdale
Garcia. “I went through hell, my
health was failing, but all that brought
me to writing and I wouldn’t give any-
thing for that,” she said.
Garcia started writing about the loss
and stress as a way to work through the
disappointment and bitterness of the
battle. She started in 2005 immediate-