Mind over matter

Ok. I am not quite sure how to detail all of this, but I am going to try.

First of all, have you ever heard of a Piggery?

Let me just say you are better off if you haven't ... I wish I never had.

Yikes.

Here's the story ...

It was a great day yesterday. We went to this Market that is huge and found all kinds of cool stuff really cheap. We sat and drank a coke on this big open area (or what is supposed to be 'open' but actually pretty crowded!) at the market and then decided to head back.

We are walking towards the car, and we see this sign on a building separate from the actual market. I sooooo wish I had a picture of it. It said, "(Insert name of city where we are) PIGGERY" "Fresh hams, bacon, pork chops"

I look at my dh and without even speaking a word, we just both kinda cracked up laughing.

It's a huge building inside. Of course, we DID NOT go inside. I just took one look down the main aisle of this place and it only reminded me of one thing.

The barns at the 4-H fair.

kwim?

I am soooo not kidding.

There were stalls with what I assume were some kind of pig, and dirty nasty floors and a smell ... yes a smell. Impossible to describe, but impossible to miss just walking past it.

I take this glimpse of the Piggery and know (if I ever doubted, which I didn't) that I will never go in there!

We go home.

This morning, our helper comes who has just been to the market for us.

(Ok, quick timeout here. Are you saying to yourself, "you have a helper?" Yes, yes we do. He goes to some markets and buys things for us that I just can't do YET. And btw, you have a helper too, their names are the butcher at Krogers, the butcher at the meat department at Walmart, the machines or people who clean the fruit so it's edible before it's in the produce department at Marsh, etc... etc.. kwim? We don't have a 'meat department' here, we just have an animals. And we don't have fruit that we can just buy, rinse, and eat ... so, yes, a helper. It's not a luxury, it's a necessity here in order to prepare food and eat without getting sick!) Ok I just wanted to explain that, so now back to the story ... ;-)

He comes in this morning and says, "I've got something new I found at the market today."

I say, "oh really! what is it?" I am constantly giving him lists and even a picture or two of some things that I would LOVE to have (like marshmallows, regular sugar, tortilla chips, etc... etc...) so I am excited to find out what he found.

This is what he says -

"Do you like ham and bacon?"

My legs immediately get faint and I know what I am about to hear.

I meekly said "yes."

His face lights up and he explains how he met an old friend that showed him where to get these things now.

I really didn't want to ask. I really wanted to just keep MY BIG MOUTH SHUT and go on.

But I couldn't.

I asked him where this 'new place' is.

He said the name of the market we were at yesterday, where the PIGGERY is. And then he explained how it's not in the market it's in a separate building outside.

Yep. That's the place.

He goes on to explain how excited he is to make ham with pineapple sauce today for lunch.

gulp.

gulp again.

I said, "great!"

But I was thinking ... "Omy! How in the world am I going to eat that when I KNOW where it came from? WHY?????? Why did I have to see that place yesterday?"

See ... I know where the place is that we get our beef from. BUT I have never been there. I PURPOSELY don't go there because I know once I do, I'll be done eating beef for a while. Mind over matter, I know ... I know!!!!

A little while later, we hear the dreaded words that lunch is ready.

oh great.

My wonderful dh is out in the village all morning practicing his language, so he has no idea this is going on.

We sit down to eat and yep, there it is. 4 pieces of ham w/ grilled pineapple.

I was glad the ham was covered up with the pineapple.

Needless to say, I eat anything else first. I drink my drink, I eat some potatoes, etc... etc...

Finally our youngest says, "yummy! We haven't had ham in India before!" and off goes the first piece of ham.

I feel like a complete loser mother when the first bite of the ham is taken by one of my dear children and not me.

But it was.

The reaction was good from this brave little one of mine (but, mind you, there was no image for this child to be trying to squelch of the Piggery!)

It encouraged me to get my ham down.

I took a little bit of ham w/ a big piece of pineapple.

I ate it.

But it was just too much for me. I think I will maybe become a vegetarian while in India.

After lunch I asked if that was all of the ham. I received an elated response that it wasn't and we still have anther half in the freezer.

yeah.

So, I am sorry that this post isn't full of the amazing powerful things that our Father is doing here among us (which He is, and I will post about that too!) but I just wanted to share a really transparent day of transition for me in this new life of ours!

Now for the bacon ... good grief!