Poor chickens

In South Dakota 

When I prepare meat I pray over it when I wash it. I eat less meat than I used to, but I'm still omnivorous. I always give thanks for our food and pray for good stewardship over the animals. All too often the stewardship is lacking. This is the second truck like this I've ever seen, but these chickens look healthy. I still feel bad about it though. How can you not, especially when you're an urbanite unused to the sight of animals going to slaughter.

Several years ago in Barstow, California I saw a truck like this full of chickens that were thirsty and I think hungry. It was about 3:00am at a truck stop. The were pecking at each other. The truck was overfilled I think. The temperature was in the 90s even at 3:00am. It was horrifying. I wish now that'd I'd taken down the license number. Surely there must be someplace to report something like that. I mean, we have to eat but the chickens don't have to be cruelly transported. I didn't eat chicken for weeks after that. Then I finally bought one and I began to pray over it, and all farm creatures, as I took it from the plastic package and washed it over the sink.

I had a beautiful girlfriend, Juliet, whom I worked with, ask me once how I can eat "that stuff." She's all vegetarian and Miss Healthy. I told her I like it, it's good for me in small amounts.  God gave me canines for a reason, and I don't want be all thinly like she is. She's so wan! She thought I was all wrong. We differ on that topic, but turned out we have more important stuff in common. We both unexpectedly got pregnant, both quit our jobs, both are homeschoolers now. What a world!