By Francisco Ramirez | King’s Network News

HANFORD, Calif. , For more than 30 years, Terry Garcia has quietly written poetry inspired by her Christian faith, filling notebooks, binders, and folders with messages of hope, encouragement, and God’s love. What began as personal moments of inspiration has grown into three published books that continue touching the lives of readers looking for comfort and spiritual guidance.

During an interview with King’s Network News, Garcia shared the remarkable story behind her writing, revealing how God inspired her poems, how family unexpectedly became part of that journey, and why she believes everyone can have a personal relationship with Him.

“I’ve been writing for over 30 years,” Garcia said. “Inspired by God. I get the title, it just clicks in my head. I have to keep paper and pen with me because it just flows.”

Her published books include Connected to Heaven, Connected to Heaven TOO, and Ticket to Heaven, each filled with poems born from faith, life’s experiences, and what Garcia believes are messages placed on her heart by God.

A Family Legacy Revealed Through Faith

One of the most inspiring stories Garcia shared wasn’t something she had known all her life. Instead, she believes it was something God revealed to her at exactly the right time.

While writing poetry over the years, Garcia began feeling that someone in her family had also been a poet.

She eventually asked her father if anyone in their family had ever written poetry.

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“He said, ‘Not that I know of,'” Garcia recalled.

A few weeks later, a relative from Caruthers visited Garcia’s father carrying old family photographs and keepsakes. Among those treasured items was a photograph of Garcia’s grandfather accompanied by one of his poems.

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“I told my dad, ‘Look, Dad, I told you I felt that somebody wrote poems. Look it, Grandpa did.'”

For Garcia, the discovery wasn’t simply a coincidence.

“Maybe I took after him,” she said. “But look at God. Look how He revealed that.”

The experience strengthened her faith and confirmed what she had felt in her heart for years. It also connected her to a grandfather whose gift for poetry had unknowingly become part of her own life’s calling.

Garcia later wrote the poem “A Dream in the Night,” which appears in Connected to Heaven TOO, honoring that unforgettable experience.

Why “Connected to Heaven TOO?”

Garcia also explained that the title of her second book carries a special message.

Originally, the sequel was going to be called Connected to Heaven 2, using the number.

But she said she felt God directing her to spell the word TOO instead.

“I want the people out there to know that they too can receive His messages and that they too can be connected to Him.”

She immediately contacted her editor and changed the title before publication.

For Garcia, the word “TOO” represents more than grammar.

It is an invitation.

She hopes readers understand that the same relationship with God she has experienced is available to everyone.

A Dream More Than Three Decades in the Making

Although Garcia spent decades writing poems, publishing them took encouragement from those closest to her.

She remembers her late mother repeatedly telling her how beautiful her poems were while encouraging her to share them with others.

Years later, her son challenged her in a different way.

“My son kept telling me, ‘Mom, you start something, but you don’t finish.'”

Those words stayed with her.

Eventually, Garcia decided it was time to complete the dream she had carried for decades.

“I wanted to prove, not just to him, but mainly to myself, and most importantly to get God’s words out because I wanted to do His will.”

Today, her three published books stand as proof that dreams delayed do not have to become dreams abandoned.

“If I can do something,” Garcia said, “all of you out there that have a dream, trust me, you can do it too.”

Finding Hope Through Tragedy

Not every poem Garcia has written comes from joyful moments.

Some were inspired by heartbreaking events.

One of those poems, Angel in Flames, appears in Connected to Heaven TOO and was inspired by the devastating Armona house fire in 2011.

Rather than focusing on tragedy alone, Garcia’s writing encourages readers to find hope even during life’s darkest moments.

Her poems consistently point toward healing, faith, and the promise that sorrow does not have the final word.

She believes God can bring purpose out of pain and peace out of heartbreak.

Inspired at Every Hour

Garcia says inspiration rarely comes on a schedule.

Many times she wakes during the night with words already forming in her mind.

One experience involved the birth of her granddaughter.

About a month before the child was born, Garcia repeatedly woke around 4:15 in the morning hearing the words, “On a Wednesday.”

At first, she did not understand what they meant.

She continued praying until she felt inspired to write a poem by that title.

Garcia later told her family she believed the baby would be born on a Wednesday.

According to Garcia, her granddaughter was born exactly as she believed.

Moments like those have only strengthened her faith that God continues to inspire her writing.

Thousands of Poems… and Still Writing

When asked how many poems she has written, Garcia smiled and admitted she has long since lost count.

Shelves in her home are filled with notebooks, binders, folders, and handwritten pages accumulated over more than three decades.

“I’m still writing,” she said. “God wakes me up all hours of the night.”

For Garcia, poetry is not simply a hobby.

It is a ministry.

Whether inspired during prayer, church services, family moments, or difficult circumstances, she believes every poem has a purpose and every message is meant to encourage someone.

A Message for Every Reader

Garcia hopes readers take away more than beautifully written poetry.

She hopes they discover hope.

She hopes they strengthen their faith.

And most of all, she hopes they realize they, too, can experience God’s presence in their own lives.

Her story is one of perseverance, unexpected family discovery, faith, and trusting God’s timing.

A mother’s encouragement, a son’s challenge, a grandfather’s hidden legacy, personal tragedies transformed into messages of hope, and countless quiet moments of divine inspiration have all become part of the pages of her books.

Today, Terry Garcia continues writing, believing that every poem has the potential to encourage a hurting heart and remind someone they are never alone.

Readers interested in learning more about her work can find Connected to Heaven, Connected to Heaven TOO, and Ticket to Heaven on Amazon.

As Garcia’s journey demonstrates, sometimes God reveals our greatest purpose one page, one poem, and one unexpected discovery at a time.