The Pig in My Mother's Kitchen

My mother has a pig (dressed in a French chef’s uniform and holding a chalkboard) sitting on her counter. Whenever I go home, I am always flattered to see that the pig has been made aware of my impending visit, and has written a message for me. “Welcome home, Carrie Ann,” it says. Thanks pig.

On this last trip I noticed two things about the French pig. First, he had festively decorated his chalkboard with holly, and second, he was wearing a rather large and ornate cross conspicuously around his neck.

Here’s the deal about crosses in my house. Although we are most definitely Christian, we do not use the cross or crucifix in worship or in decoration, whether it be interior or exterior design, or personal adornment. This is simply because we worship the living Christ, the one who was resurrected.

It’s no big deal really (except to the Baptists and Evangelicals). We don’t mind that it’s the commonly accepted sign for Christianity; we just don’t use it ourselves. So when a friend would give us a cross necklace for our birthdays or Christmas, we would thank them sincerely and put it in a drawer or something (after they went home, of course).

So I am puzzled when I see a cross on the pig.

I asked my mother about it and she said that the pig was French, and that he had always been a Catholic. She says she has tried to talk to him about the church, but he’s just not interested. I think that by wearing a cross, the pig is trying to send a subtle message to my mom. Point well taken, pig.