Sandie filled me in on the epidemic of pet obesity, which is a very real problem that mirrors the larger problem of American obesity.  Surely the well-intended use of dog food like Beneful (the name is, I assume, meant to invoke the word beneficial) is a contributing factor.

Here is the ingredient list (emphasis mine):

INGREDIENTS
Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), salmon, rice flour, soy flour, sugar, propylene glycol, meat and bone meal, water, tricalcium phosphate, soybean oil, animal digest, salt, phosphoric acid, sorbic acid (a preservative), potassium chloride, dried carrots, dried green beans, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, calcium propionate (a preservative), choline chloride, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, added color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 2), ferrous sulfate, DL-Methionine, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium carbonate, copper sulfate, Vitamin B-12 supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite.

That being said, while it is incumbent on a married couple in the Orthodox Church to attempt to have children, it is not always possible, for various reasons.  It can, in fact, be very difficult or impossible to conceive or carry a child to term in some cases.  This is why pressure from a couple’s parents who are anxiously pushing the grandchild button can be very destructive.  This phenomenon is not uncommon in Greek culture.  The stress from this can cause all kinds of mental and physical problems in couples and certainly affects the whole conception process.  While the Church blesses marriages for, among several reasons, the continuance of the human race, we as the body of the Church must be loving, patient, supportive and understanding of all our married friends, regardless of their parental status.

Around Mothers Day I always quote my own mother – “Every woman is a mother.”  You can extend this to “Every man is a father.”  We all have family, whether we are married, celibate, have kids, don’t have kids, whatever.  And in Orthodoxy – both at our Cathedral and in the Church as a whole – we are one big family.  What a blessing.