In my previous post, I briefly mentioned the unique relationship that develops between human and animal when they are inextricably tied together by life and death. Well, yesterday I realized that I really didn't know what in the world I was talking about...yesterday we slaughtered one of our rabbits for class.

I've seen goats and cattle slaughtered while in Haiti, and those processes weren't too dramatic--so I figured watching one of our rabbits being butchered wouldn't be that big of a deal. I mean come on, it's part of the rodent family. Well, it ended up being a little harder to watch than I imagined. The process was about as humane as it could have been, and it was a pretty clean and painless ordeal all in all. But I think that the reason why my heart rose up into my throat was because I've been personally caring for the rabbits each day since I've moved out to the farm. There was a sense that I was losing one of my own, or even the feeling that I had betrayed them somehow.

(I can't imagine having to slaughter goats, chickens, or rabbits on a weekly basis in order to eat. Or to take it a step further, I can't even fathom how much more intensified Abraham's pain must have been when he was preparing to sacrifice his own son!)

As a whole, I learned a lot through the experience. I learned about the health and cost benefits of raising and eating rabbits, as opposed to chickens or cattle. I ended up making rabbit & dumplings for lunch yesterday to complete the life cycle. Knowing where my food came from--harvesting the veggies used and personally knowing the rabbit eaten--made me truly thankful for what I have.