What's in Your Heart?

Last night I was preparing a couple of chicken carcasses to make broth (by the way, homemade broth is one of the most nutritious things you can make and worth the time to make homemade) while Mark and Savannah began marinating the turkeys for Thanksgiving. Mark asked if I needed the neck and gizzards for anything.

"Oh, yes yes yes! I need those for my broth! I buy free range organic chickens from the health food store and they don't come with the neck and gizzards. That will make my broth even more awesomely nutritious!!!" Oh, yes. I was that excited over turkey necks and organs. The only thing that would have gotten me more excited was if I had access to chicken feet! That's a testament that people can change. I grew up in a household that never served meat on a bone with the exception of steak MAYBE once a year.

Mark brought the highly coveted parts over to my pot while Savannah echoed my joy over turkey necks. She watched intently as Mark dumped in the necks and the liver. The next organ Mark picked up to identify before adding it to the pot. "Here's the heart." He stated.

Savannah leaned in to examine it closer and asked, "That's the heart?"

I knew she couldn't be grossed out. She is totally OK with knowing where her food comes from and seeing the big picture (as in, it's fun to see cows at the farm and they are yummy to eat too!) So, I wondered what she was trying to figure out in her head.

Then she spoke again as she leaned in even closer to peer inside the heart. "Is Jesus in there?"

Mark and I smiled both wanting to laugh but also touched that she was trying to get a glimpse of Jesus in this turkey heart. She's been told many times that Jesus lives in our hearts but we failed to specify that Jesus does not live in the hearts of animals.

But, it did provide a great opening for a conversation about how Jesus came to save us and He wants a relationship with us (to live in our hearts spiritually). You just never know where these conversations are going to come from!

What a sweet moment. However, now that she is sure Jesus does not live in the turkey heart she wants to roast it. I'm just not ready for that yet.....



P.S. Although I buy my chicken from the health food store, the chickens are from a local farm. If anyone would like to go in on an order with me to get organic free range chicken at wholesale price, email me. I plan to ask for necks and chicken feet as well ;)!!!