The Valley Catholic May 21, 2019 | Page 10

10 COMMUNITY May 21, 2019 | The Valley Catholic Some Things Can’t Wait By Carolina Scipioni Endowment & Planned Giving Program Manager, Catholic Community Foundation of Santa Clara County As soon as my husband and I had our first child 16 years ago, we knew we needed to document our estate plan and make arrangements for guard- ianship should something happen to both of us. Our daughter was the most amazing treasure ever entrusted to us, and we needed to make sure she was going to be ok even if we were not around. But knowing that something is needed and actually making it happen are two different things. We welcomed our second, third and then fourth child and still, no plan was drafted. Just like most people, we become very good at procrastinating. It wasn’t until two years ago that we actually grasped the importance and urgency of having our wishes documented. This realization came, very sadly, as we were saying goodbye to a dear friend and Godfather to one of our sons. In the spring of 2017, after suf- fering from stomach pain for a few weeks, he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and given only four weeks to live. We were devastated with the news and overwhelmed by how fast things were progressing. While we knew we had to face the reality that he wouldn’t be with us to enjoy life and watch the kids grow up, what we didn’t expect was to learn how complicated and messy leaving everything behind really is. Being hospitalized with a terminal illness is not easy: coping with the ef- fects of the illness itself, dealing with health insurance, meeting a stream of nurses, finding spiritual support, taking notes on what the doctors say, remembering what medicine to take, etc. In the middle of this tsunami of emotions, nobody wants to deal with anything else. Our friend never thought about what he was leaving behind, but worried about minimizing the impact on his family. So, when the flow of visitors died down, he had to do things he didn’t feel like doing… like writing down passwords to access accounts and pay bills, finding a new home for his dog, arranging for what to do with his house, car and other things he owned. Even the most responsible and forward-thinking people often fail to plan for the unexpected. My husband and I were also guilty of this. As we supported our friend’s family, we began to make changes so that if we found ourselves in the same position, we would have a plan in place. We learned the hard way that this is one of those things that just can’t wait. A few weeks after our friend passed away, we made an appointment with an attorney to start drafting our estate plan. The most interesting thing is that we had postponed the planning for so long in part because we dreaded the process and thought of trusts and wills mostly as “a lot of paperwork.” But to our surprise, this was an amazing opportunity for deep conversations as husband and wife and a time to reflect on the past, count our blessings and discern the kind of future we wanted for our children. It was during this process that we agreed that generosity was one of the most important values that we wanted to pass on to our four children. Because of that, naming the Catholic Church as a beneficiary of a percentage of our as- sets was not a difficult decision. As we continue to teach our kids during our life to be generous with what God has given them, we also dream that one day after we both go to heaven, our children -and perhaps grandchildren- will find, enclosed in our living trust, our last lesson in generosity. Catholic Charities Joins Black April Event to Honor Vietnamese Community International Exhibition Saturday, June 15 th , 2019 to Sunday, June 23 rd , 2019 Our Lady of Peace Church 2800 Mission College Blvd. Santa Clara, CA 95054 Our Lady of Peace Church will be hosting an outdoor exhibit of Eucharistic miracles around the world. With an extensive assortment of photographs and historical descriptions, the exhibition presents some of the principal Eucharistic Miracles that took place throughout the ages in various countries of the world and have been recognized by the Church. The current exhibition includes 153 panels that are used to explain 152 Eucharistic Miracles with an additional 22 country and historical panel maps. For more information, please visit www.olop-shrine.org or call the Our Lady of Peace parish office at [phone]. Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County joined the Vietnamese Ameri- can Roundtable (VAR) for the annual Black April commemoration ceremony at San Jose City Hall Rotunda. This marks the 44th year since the fall of Saigon and the 40th anniversary of Catholic Charities’ resettlement of the Vietnamese asylum seekers and refu- gees. As the lead resettlement agency for Santa Clara County, Catholic Charities helped hundreds of Vietnamese families seeking asylum resettle in the valley. The event, “Hands Joined, Hearts United,” celebrates fearless leaders lost during the Vietnam War and personal heroes that have helped the Vietnamese community thrive in the valley. The evening featured photos and listening stations highlighting individual refugee journeys. Performances and first-hand accounts were shared by guest speakers, as well as a moment of silence as the flag of South Vietnam was raised. In planning the collaboration, Mimi Nguyen, Black April event co-chair, VAR board member and staff attorney within Catholic Charities’ Immigrant Legal Services Team, felt it was impor- tant to share the photos and stories of Santa Clara County’s Vietnamese citi- Junior ROTC students from Mount Pleas- ant High School, who opened the VAR Annual Black Friday program with the flag procession. zens. “There are so many stories, photos and memories in our community that are important to preserving our history and journey,” said Nguyen. “Often, these are painful memories and sharing them can be very emotional. Since this can be a difficult process, we commend those who have come forward and hope others will as well.” To mark the 40th anniversary of the resettlement of Vietnamese fami- lies, Catholic Charities wants your story and photos to preserve for his- tory of this important moment in the Vietnamese-American journey. Were you or your family resettled by Catholic Charities? Those willing to share their stories are encouraged to contact Mimi Nguyen, [phone] or [email protected].