A Hard Life Lesson

Yesterday my sweet Hannah learned a hard life lesson.  She has been fishing with her dad for several years now, but they have never caught any fish we could actually eat.  That all changed yesterday.  Hannah and Scott caught 6 beautiful Brook Trout.

What a wonderful accomplishment.  Hannah couldn't wait for me to see her fish.  Scott put them in our wash basin in the laundry room and we watched them swimming around.

Then, dinner time came.  Scott took the first fish out of the tub and brought it to the kitchen.  Hannah, of course, was at his heels, wanting to see what would happen next.  What happened was a true tear jerker, both for Hannah and for me. 

Daddy cut "Rover's" (yes, Hannah had named it) head and tail off and started gutting him for cooking.  If that wasn't bad enough, the nerves in Rover's decapitated head made it appear as though he was still alive and breathing.  At this point Hannah was in full hysterics and I was feeling quite queasy.

So, to make a long story short, two of the fish were returned to the stream behind our house, Hannah took one bite of her fish and looked like she was going to puke, I ate my fish with little enthusiasm, but with much gratitude to that dear fish for feeding me.  Scott ate his fish with gusto and polished off Hannah's fish as well.

Whether Hannah will ever choose to fish again is still an uncertainty, but she seems to be feeling better about the whole experience today.  It is often hard for us to acknowledge what we are actually eating.  I am sure if I had to kill and prepare each piece of meat we consume, I would have become a vegetarian years ago.

So, last night I was reminded how important it is to be thankful for every meal and for the animals that feed us.  May God bless those dear trout that we gagged down last night, Amen!