Where does Sausage Come From? (HOL 94)

House of Laughter 94

My office is closed for Good Friday tomorrow, as is Isaac’s daycare. Guilford County Schools are still open. This means Isaac and I have to go do something awesome since all of the big kids are still in school.

If it doesn’t rain, I’m planning on taking him out to the Homeland Creamery. We can tour the dairy farm on a hay wagon, watch how ice cream is made, and then sample the different flavors.

I think this will be a much more positive agricultural experience than my own childhood tour of the slaughterhouse in Quincy, Florida. There are three distinct images I remember: whole, gutted, headless pigs hanging from hooks from the ceiling, a 55 gallon garbage can filled with the skin of a cow, and the slippery, moist, slanted floor leading to a drain. Mentally conjuring those images also brings up the memory of the smell. I remember cutting the tour short on the way to the killing room because I just knew I was going to slip, slide down the floor and end up underneath one of those pigs. (By the way, I am not making this up…..Ask my family.)

Later on Friday we will probably watch Star Wars and Mystery Science Theater 3000: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.

A couple of nights ago, I was up late playing Mario Kart and I heard a clatter outside on the porch. I looked outside and saw two raccoons involved in a heated turf war over the remaining cat food. I tried to scare them off, but they were too concerned with each other to pay me any attention.

The next morning I told Isaac about the epic raccoon battle. He told me, “You should have woke me up Dad.” I assured him it was too late to wake him up, but I promised I would take pictures next time I saw them.

It turns out he had a practical reason for wanting me to wake him up.

“Next time, wake me up. We will chase em, catch em, and make raccoon pie!”.

His daycare teacher pulled me aside Wednesday morning to show me something Isaac drew. (After watching lots of TV and movies, I knew that this is always a reason to be concerned. TV children always draw pictures of ghosts at their schools which concern the teacher, and leads to a concerned conference with the TV parent.) Isaac’s class had drawn Easter baskets, and the teacher asked them what they wanted in their baskets. Isaac wanted a chocolate bunny, a lightsaber, and a new umbrella. The teacher was just telling me in case I talked to the Easter bunny. Isaac had created a pretty good lightsaber as far as I was concerned by connecting two plastic drill bits from a toy drill set.

Isaac and I went to our church’s Maundy Thursday service tonight (Don’t feel bad if you grew up in church and had never heard of Maundy Thursday. It’s the evening of the Last Supper.) Typically we have a small intimate service and take Communion. This year we also followed the biblical example and washed each other’s feet as part of the service.

Yes it sounds weird, and yes it was slightly odd and uncomfortable. Who says church is always supposed to be safe and comfortable? Isaac and I washed each other’s feet, and immediately afterwards, we went and had Communion. Isaac had never taken Communion before, and I was planning to have him stand and watch, but he was offered bread and he took it. As I watched him eat the bread, I thought about how different denominations and churches celebrate this moment. I know that most are very formal and only happen after a child is at an age where they understand more about what is going on symbolically.

Isaac saw that people he loved and trusted were eating at a table, and he wanted to have a part. Some day he will understand the bread and wine better, but tonight he learned that he is welcome at the table.

Happy Easter. He is Risen
Strength and Honor
Big Matt