Some things are exactly the same as they were back in New Jersey. Marilyn bustles about with her chores; Michael strums his guitar and serenades whatever creature is in earshot. Sometimes Percy Shelly (the starling) chirps along. Su and Kevin plan for Kevin's radio show tomorrow, which will be live broadcast from Wilmington, NC and somehow involve the Ice Bucket Challenge. Which, of course, incites Michael to launch into a half-monologue, half-debate about the effects of a vegan diet on ALS.
I got to meet a Facebook friend, Celeste, in person for the first time. We introduced her to Su's version of a traveling gnome, a mannequin named Lilly. In the evening, the gang watched The Birdman of Alcatraz and Marilyn made stuffed shells (with vegan sausage, Daiya and tofu “ricotta”).
I also found out the guinea pigs’ names: Wilbur, Orville, and Ferlinghetti. So now I at least I know who to scold at night for keeping me awake. And if it was entirely up to me, Wilbur and Orville would be Ginsburg and Kerouac. Hands (or paws?) down.
At the Florence First SDA Church this morning, the pastor dressed up like the Apostle Paul, read Philippians 4, and likened our perceived “goodness” in the eyes of God to a child proudly revealing a dirty diaper to its parent.
But he also shared a story about how his daughter fell ill while serving as a missionary in the Philippines and, by God’s grace, they were able to obtain the visa stamp on her passport against all odds so she was able to fly back to the States for medical care.
Michael, Su and I sat down to lunch in the church hall afterward. A toddler with red hair, whose name I learned was Levi, caught my eye. He was looking in my direction and playing peek-a-boo with a box of little toy cars. He’d peer on the left side of the box, then cover his face again, then peer over the box, then attempt to balance the box against his forehead, then hitting the tray of his high chair to knock it down. I was mesmerized.
I approached him and his family, and we played for a spell while his parents went up to the buffet table to get food. We raced a few convertibles, a cement mixer, and a bright orange hatchback. The hatchback won by a nose.
When Levi’s parents returned, I returned to my seat next to Michael. He set his copy of “The Vegetarianism of Jesus Christ” down on the bench beside us.
“Do you know what Genesis 1:29 says?”
I shook my head. “Three years of theology studies, and I have no idea whatsoever.”
“It’s where God tells us what we should be eating. ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for meat.’ Meaning, of course, food. Not flesh.”
“The words ‘meat’ and ‘food’ are used interchangeably throughout the Bible. Depending on the translation.”
Michael’s smile broadened. “Exactly. Exactly right. There’s another one I like. Hebrews 5:13. ‘For everyone that partaketh of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.’”
“It’s a metaphor.”
“What are the Mets for anyway? Nothing but a baseball team.”
I laughed. “The verse doesn’t actually mean people who literally drink milk. It means they’re still an infant in terms of their faith.” He went on to relay a story about a woman who had visited Tent City, whom he described as unusually tall, and her reaction to the Genesis verse. “She responded with, ‘What? God wants me to be vegan?’ I wasn’t telling her to be vegan. All I told her was to read the verse. I told her if that’s what you got from it, then that’s what he’s telling you.”
“That’s generally how it works.”
“But people don’t want to hear it. Even though it’s God’s way. Even though if everyone ate a plant-based diet, it would solve a host of problems worldwide. Personal health, pollution, poverty, all of it.”
“If someone’s not ready to hear it, or they’re in denial, you can beat them over the head with it. They won’t listen. They prefer to stay in their comfort zone.”
“Ha. Not comfort zone. Addiction zone. I know a lady with cancer who said she’d rather die than give up pork.”
“For some people, change is harder than for others. I know for me, it’s been a process. It started when I became a lot more mindful about what I was eating, so I just started to eat less overall. Then I started cutting out most of the meat. And last week, when I was in New York, I realized I’d hit a milestone. I passed by Dallas BBQ in Times Square and thought about pulled pork for lunch – something I used to love. But then, the thought of a pig suffering turned my stomach. So it’s a slow climb. I figure as long as I keep my eye on the mark, I’m already better off than I was when I started out. Dropped about forty pounds since December, for one thing. Whether or not you reach your intended goal or level of achievement, the journey alone helps you grow.”
We sat for a moment before realizing they were getting ready to turn off the lights, then headed to Su’s car. I watched Su and Michael for a moment as they walked together. They looked like they could have easily been father and daughter.
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