If it’s Wednesday instead of Monday, It’s Mama having a LOT of homework...
F is for Farrow and
Faith and Father
A “Swine Song”……..
Years ago, I am not sure exactly how old I was, but I
believe I was around 13-14 years old, we had some church friends who were pig
farmers. Gayle and Shirley Mattox, and
Brenda, their daughter and my family attended church together. We were a very small congregation, one where
each person was important and generally did many church-tasks, so you got to
become close…like family.
The Mattox’s had a sow who was farrow..meaning she delivered
a new litter of pigs and invited us to come see them. Never in my wildest imagination did I ever
think I would fall in love with those little pigs, but they were so
cute…adorable…sweet….if not a little stinky, muddy and noisy! I really fell in love with the runt of the
litter and had to have her. Of course,
you can imagine Poppy and Grammy’s surprise that one, I would even want a pig
and that two, Gayle and Shirley would “give” me one. I remember the Mattox’s telling me, “Lesa, we
will give you this little runt pig if you promise to take care of it
yourself. Not your Dad, not your Mom not
even your brothers. You must feed it,
water it and take good care of it.
“Oh yes, I promise…I will love it, take care of it, feed it,
water it all by myself, every day, forever.”.
Those were my words and I sincerely believed I would do just that.
I named that pig after Brenda, Gayle and Shirle thus
“BeGaSha”…..and, once it was big enough, we went to their home and picked her
up in Poppy’s truck. In the interim,
Poppy had me “help – and, I use the word loosely” him build a smallish cage for
the pig so that it would stay in one place.
He taught what and how to feed it and water it. “I can do this,” I remember thinking.
Oh, at first, it was wonderful to be a new pig farmer-ette…..I
told all of my girl friends about the sweetest, cutest, pinkest pig ever….and
told the boys that I was a tough-girl farmer who was raising a pig – hog! We did live in the country and they all
seemed to appreciate my new farming opportunity.
All was going pretty smoothly until it rained…and, then it
rained and got cold….and, then it rained and got cold and got muddy. I do remember going out a few times and
feeding that dang pig...ooppss…I mean sweet, precious little pig. I do.
I really do. But, I have to
confess, she didn’t seem so sweet and pink and precious in the rain and the
mud…in the cold and in the damp. She
didn’t seem as cute either as she grew…B I G.
And, then came the Pig…lesson.
Poppy and I were discussing my swine-situation….”well, he
said, you can always let me take her to the butcher and our family can enjoy
pork chops, and bacon, and pork roasts and all of the other good things which
come from port.”
“OMG….NOT BeGaSha!!...Daddy, I would…I could NEVER butcher
my sweet, cute, pink little piggy girl.
NEVER”.
“Oh well then, Poppy said….guess you will have to keep
feeding her...as he kept strumming along, never missing a beat.”
Out I would trudge to the barn and feed BeGaSha. I know I fed her at least 1,000 times…well,
at least a few weeks worth. It was
torture. I think Uncle Chuck fed her
mostly or Daddy….(I’m sorry, Dad and Chuck).
Feed her or butcher her.
“Wait…where did that thought come from??” Would I actually go so far as to actually
butcher her?
But, she’s my pet, my piggy, my pink little swine-ette….
Could I? dare I?
Then, Gayle came in and saved the day…he said he would take
back BeGaSha and would trade her to us for another pig from which our family
could have pork.
Sounded like a good deal to me…HE takes back BeGaSha and WE
get pork on our table from a different pig.
So, that is what we did.
But, I confess as I write this…I don’t remember eating much
of the pig we received because I always wondered if it was BeGaSha or not? Did they really change out my pig for a new
one? Or, did they just let me think that.
I did ask Poppy the question…as we sat there with pig roast
on our table, and he looked me in the eye and said, “what did I tell you it
was?”
To which I replied, “a different pig.”
“Well, that is my word.
This is not BeGaSha.” And with the faith that comes from a believing
daughter, I grabbed a slice of the port chop and ate.
But, I learned a few lessons along the way:
1) Taking care of a animal is not for the faint of heart
2) Taking care of an animal means you have to “take care of
the animal”….outside
3) Pigs live outdoors and in a pen because they are messy
and when you take care of them you become messy, too
4) Daddys that let
little girls have pigs, build their pigs a pen and then teach you how to care
for a pig really love their little girls
5) Daddys who then, when you the little girl, out-grow pig
farming, allow you to take back the pig are being VERY generous in the lessons
they are teaching you
6) Sometimes, our hearts take on more than our bodies can handle
7) Sometimes, when we take on too much, we not only hurt
ourselves, but we inconvenience or hurt others.
THIS is an important lesson. It
is one thing to make a decision which affects you, but when you make a decision
which others are forced to deal with….that is not good.
8) THINK about what you are doing hard and long and consider
the consequences…and PRAY before you act (I don’t remember praying about the
piggy situation. I confess, I don’t
remember thinking about praying at all…NOW, I pray about everything…even piggy
situations).
9) Be grateful that even when you take on more than you
should have, God always can take your choice and make something good out of
it…like pork on the table to feed a family of seven
10) REJOICE in the opportunities God provides to add joy and
laughter to your days…sweet and tender memories to your life…king and loving
lessons to your heart…
D A N C E….even when your Pig Story becomes your Swine
Song!!
My Pig Episode taught me the power of faith on so many
levels….faith that I could take care of a pig, faith in friendship that a
family loved me enough to share their livelihood and then faith that they
helped me out of a questionable decision.
Faith in a Daddy who walked me though a life lesson and did
not quit on me until the end…just as he does not quit on me even today. And, faith in a Daddy’s word….
Faith in a Heavenly
Father…the creator of pigs, friends, Fathers, Mothers and....
because of a Godly, earthly Daddy...
Blessings on your day….
ILYAOYMC,
Mama
