We leaned up against the pick-up and prayed as they unloaded our animals at the processors. I don't usually share my private conversations with God but on this occasion I felt it best that I should. But first, a little background.
We all know about callings and throughout our lives Christina and I have been called to do many things. This great endeavor of ours, Rural Reverie, is no different. We've always felt that God has graced us with many desires, and the abilities to match, but this one is extremely pointed. In Genesis Chapter 9, God gives us the gift of animals to use for food. God gifted these living, breathing, intelligent, caring, beautiful beasts to us. There are many with different moral and ethical beliefs which prevent them from partaking, and that I genuinely respect. In fact, we'd have to agree that by the way many consume this gift without regard, that abstaining from it may be more in line with scripture. We hold no reservation to using animals for food, our calling is to get this right. Our farm's mission is to respect that gift and be an alternative for those that also choose to show that same respect. To be clear, there are many great benefits that flourish in this symbiotic environment, those reasons inspire us as well. They also provide that often needed validation that we are on track.
Back to that prayer. First, for these precious beings I prayed that their giving their lives wouldn't be for nothing. That the persons who enjoyed their gift would know them like we did. Know that "Sweetness" our steer wasn't the leader of the pack but an outsider who always kept an eye out and protected the herd. That "Pig Jon Un" loved to be scratched behind his ears, and was gentle and shared with the smaller pigs at feeding time. Yes, we name our animals, not all of them but most. Then, this is where you come in. I prayed that you would acknowledge what we are doing and participate.
We acknowledge you, the customer, as the most important farmer at Rural Reverie. I'll try not to be a hypocrite here but when we spend our money on "meat" at the grocery are we honoring that gift? Are we good stewards of the fragile and finite resources also entrusted to our care regardless of our spiritual beliefs? When we make that choice, we chose to send a complicit message to those decision makers who regard profits as their King. We want you to Come and See what you are part of and know that your contribution allows the "Reverie" to become a "Reality".
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