“Don’t name what you’ll eat!” I get to hear a bunch.

….I want to assure you, we have vegans and former vegans that buy from us because they know we care about our animals.

But yes we do name our food, and many times we don’t, but if it’s an animal staying for an extended time, we can’t help naming them because they have such different personalities.

As our family’s cook, having a small farm with animals for meat, I have to have the sensitive but very practical conversation with children and visitors that many of our animals are for food—and others are not.

How to get around that odd thought?

I tell my family that our red angus Corrie’s job, for example, is to serve a proud job of growing to be the best she can. (Otherwise I wouldn’t spend all that money for her care–I couldn’t, I have a growing family to feed.)

These “protein” animals have a luxury lifestyle here–lounging in the sun, on the grass, fed top notch food, plenty of clean water, friendly companionship, and no worries about their safety.

But I feel a responsibility to best decide when it’s time to go because I’m the one feeding them daily, and they trust me, and I see their growth.

I’ve been on trailers guiding 300lb hogs Jenny and Donkey to come feed and then clambering over the side after Aaron shut the gate, because I wanted them comfortable, but most of all, I wanted them safely on that trailer.

Last week, I clanged shut the door on Corrie, the almost 900lb heifer, after luring her on a trailer leaving dishes of food, walking away to watch by a tree for a while, and hoping she didn’t catch on when the door started creaking shut and speedily locked.

It’s not easy—but it’s not supposed to be.

I pray and I do thank the animal, and I am relieved when it’s all over, but it’s so much better than an impersonal factory life for them.

My children are a little sad about them going beforehand—which is totally normal, but after they’re gone they also seem relieved its over and we move on with life.

The animals get so big that we know we wouldn’t want them around longer anyway. Plus, meat chickens are so time-consuming and so much work that it’s a relief for our family to have them finished, too.

And we really enjoy our meals later knowing it’s just the best.

I just think it’s better for the world to have a connection with the animals that will support our families—

it makes us

• —more humble thinking people used to have to sacrifice birds, lambs etc. for sins but Jesus has thankfully taken that place for us
• —more conscious about food waste,
• —we will eat meals together over food we raised instead of eating on the fly with out paying attention,
• —grateful for what we have
• —and a bit sensitive about the work and life that witnessed that sustains us—right from our land.

Hope that explained it.

I know many of you have a story to share about this topic, so comment below.