5th year anniversary

Yes.
It has been five years.
After nine-teen years of abstinence, I made (or un-made?) a commitment.

Hi. My name is Heather, and I have been a non-vegetarian for five years now.

Why?

I was a vegetarian mainly because my parents were during my early formative years. While I was growing up, they believed a vegetarian diet was healthy and even when they added meat to their diets, they did not eat much. However, my parents also believed that we should eat whatever we are served - so out and about I was forced to eat some of any meat dishes others served us. I refused to eat meat and chose anything else when I could.

Never a strict vegetarian, a lacto-ovo vegetarian in fact, I consumed animal by-products like honey, dairy products, and eggs. For nine-teen years, I wore leather boots and also rode in a cow-hide saddle. I just didn't eat the meat - if I could help it.

Then my family attended For My Life conference in Thomaston, Georgia the last full week in January.
God used the teachers there to reveal to me my un-Christ-like attitude. (Think sheet with unclean animals...) I decided that week that I was no longer a vegetarian and implemented that decision immediately arriving home.

I have chosen to eat meat when it is served. If I want pizza and it happens to have pepperoni, I eat it!
Main line food is chicken? Ok!
Grandpa made split-pea soup with ham? Serve me up!

Even still, I eat mostly a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet. I still believe that you can eat balanced, healthy meals without meat. There are many main course veg-meals that I love - like homemade garden burgers. And I don't plan on ever becoming a meat & potatoes girl just because I'm not a vegetarian!

Over the last five years I have come up with a few things to contemplate:

I am confused how non-vegetarians can hardly go a meal without meat. Meat eaters seem to be so limited to their meats. My roommate and RA - neither had ever eaten purple cabbage!! Explore veggies people!

How can people stand fatty meat? The crunch of fat is worse than nails scraping a blackboard or rubbing corn starch between your fingers. And when it tears off meat... I feel nauseous...