The Valley Catholic
Marriage & Family Life
BEE the change!
By Kathy Meister
This time of year
we reflect on what has
happened in our lives, how we want to
change or maintain, and what we can do
to further our goals. As news and media
posts are full of child safety issues, now
is the time to decide that you can make
a difference and be the change.
The National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children, in conjunction with
the Diocese of San Jose, Office for the
Protection of Children and Vulnerable
Adults, encourage all families to take 25
minutes to talk to their children about
staying safe, in life and online. One report, one defender of the innocent, one
strong person can make a difference in
the life of a victim.
The hottest topic of 2013 was cyber
bullying and cyber safety. I anticipate
it will not cease. I think the Internet
is fantastic. It is here to stay and only
getting bigger and, by some accounts,
better. Internet service providers, web
masters, and social media sites are making great strides in updating policies to
help protect all of us.
We need to remind ourselves and our
children to use the REPORT buttons to
help ensure safety on all the sites we
use. The REPORT/Mark as Spam/Flag
as Inappropriate buttons are designed
to send messages to the web master
when someone is misusing the site to
gain personal information, send/post
inappropriate messages or photos, and
harassing any user.
When these buttons are pressed, a
message is sent to the host site alerting
them to a problem. It is the best way to
let the site know about a problem. As
safe users, it is our responsibility to protect ourselves and others online.
Another child safety concern this
year, and every year, is child abuse,
abduction, exploitation, and trafficking.
We can anticipate possible dangers and
help raise awareness by educating our
families and communities.
Children who attend Catholic
schools and Faith Formation programs
• ONLY chat or “friend” users you
know in REAL life.
• NEVER post addresses, phone
numbers, passwords, or account
numbers.
• ALWAYS re-read your words before
making a post, blog, email or text.
• DOUBLE check who is receiving
your messages; there is NO real privacy online.
• When in doubt, REPORT!
in the Diocese of San Jose have been
learning the message of NO! GO! TELL!
These simple safety rules can make the
difference in keeping kids and teens
safe. As parents, guardians and family
members, we have the responsibility to
protect children and teens and provide
safe environments for them. You may
have to remind children and teens to:
Say NO! if someone, friend or adult,
wants them to break any rules or keep
secrets.
GO! to safe places when they need
help--open areas with other people
around who can help them. Hiding
should always be a last resort.
TELL! a safe adult. Reminding our
children and teens that safe adults follow the rules of society, schools and
most importantly – safety.
We will never live in a society that
is 100 percent free from predators and
unsafe situations, but we can try our
best to protect the ones we love and
care for everyday. We have to muster
courage to say something if we see or
suspect something! Bravery, Everyday,
in Everyway can help you BEE the
change!
• Katy Meister, www.katythesafetylady.
com, works with the diocesan Office for
the Protection of Children and Vulnerable
Adults (OPCVA) in providing Safe Environment workshops. For more safety related tips
and books see Katy on Twitter, FaceBook, and
amazon.com.
Valentine
15
Marriage Minute: Food & Marriage
By Jesus and Raquel Quintero
Worldwide Marriage Encounter
I can’t cook, but my husband loves good food. He’s a
wonderful cook, but with a dual-career household and three
young children, cooking is no longer the artistic, relaxing
pastime it was before marriage. Breaking bread together and thanking God for
our blessings is a sacred tradition, but our daily meals are often just one more
to-do in the morning and evening rushes of our fast-paced lives.
What makes a meal sacred rather than routine? We spend a great deal of
energy carefully planning menus for parties and special events, but that alone
cannot dictate the spirit present when the meal is shared.
One of the many reasons I fell in love with my husband is the way he shows
love to people in his life by cooking for them. When I was finishing graduate school
and spending late nights on campus, he once brought a freshly made pot of pasta
on the city subway, and we shared a midnight meal outside the campus library.
If cooking is an expression of love, I often worry that my terrible cooking skills
leave me unable to return the gesture. Early in our relationship, my husband
got the flu and couldn’t make what he most wanted--his mother’s caldo de pollo
(chicken soup). I made it for him, and as he recalls, “it was decent and not nearly
as good as his mother’s, but it didn’t matter. I didn’t taste the bland broth, the
undercooked celery or the unseasoned chicken. All I tasted was love.”
In Man Becoming, Gregory Baum speaks of depending on others for food as
redemption from solitude and individualism. “Sharing the same food, acknowledging our common need, and helping one another to fulfill it, opens us to fellowship and creates a special kind of friendship among us. The Word is present
at the table.”
We still rush around on many a weekday morning or evening, but once in a
while we pause together to savor a ripe mango or a hearty Saturday morning
breakfast. Feeding one another is sacramental when it is a selfless act of giving
and redemptive when we are present, not just in body, but also in spirit.
Sometimes chicken soup can hold more magic than the most expensive candlelit dinner, if it has been made with the simplest ingredient of life -- love.
For more information about Worldwide Marriage Encounter, visit:
www.sanjosewwme.org.
8 t h A N N UA L
P R I E ST S vs S E M I N A R I A N S
B AS K E T