FEATURE
Fe Y Familia
LAMPASAS CENTENARIAN SHARES SECRETS TO A YOUTHFUL HEART BY ALEXANDRIA RANDOLPH DISPATCH RECORD Editor’s note: Beatriz Garza’s first language is Spanish, and some of her responses above were provided by a bilingual translator.
A Lampasas centenarian attributed her long life to faith and the will of God, good family and learning to enjoy the little things. Beatriz “Beatrice” Garza is 102 years old. She lives at Lily Springs Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center. Garza said she never expected to live such a long life, and her faith is what keeps her going. “In my thoughts, it’s because, I believe, just God has me here, nothing else,” she said. “I’ve lost my three sons. I want to be with my sons, but it’s not going to be until God decides it. I’ve never thought about it, but I’ve
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been told God has me here for a purpose – to help my neighbors in some way.” Daughter Olga Garza said her mother is an example to all around her. “She’s very verbal about her faith,” Olga Garza said. “She’s constantly witnessing. She goes out of her way to lift people’s spirits.” Beatriz Garza has a number of friends at the rehabilitation facility, and she regularly participates in social activities, especially when plants are involved, said Angel Norton, center activity director.
“I love plants,” Garza said. “They enchant me.” Garza keeps looking to God’s purpose and plan, even when life has presented her with great challenges. “My only wish is that if my sisters are afflicted with illness, that they will trust in the Lord like I did when my legs were amputated,” she said. Garza’s legs were removed in 2012 due to peripheral artery disease, but it hasn’t weigh on her spirits. “I never questioned or asked, ‘Why me?’ That’s what the Lord put in my life, and I moved on. I
