Happy Pi Day!

by Mama H.

Around our home, pie is certainly appreciated: apple, blueberry, pumpkin, coconut, strawberry-rhubarb, chocolate-hazelnut, pecan, peach.... well, it goes on for a while. 

But, a little known fact about our family is that Pi is also greatly valued: 3.1415926..... well, it seems that this Pi goes on for a while as well.  In fact, Pi goes on forever, as far as we know.  I do not believe any computer has been able to find the "end" of pi.  (Just as no one in our family could ever find the end to his enjoyment of pie!)

Today just happens to be 3/14/15.... and at 9:26, we'll have the first seven decimal places of Pi: 3.1415926 ! 
Don't worry: if you miss 9:26 a.m., you get another chance at 9:26 p.m.!  (Such worries!)
 
The nature of pi and of God who created it are very much alike.  
Did you know:

• Pi cannot be expressed as a common fraction.  It can only be approximated.  Can we ever come anywhere near to "defining" God?  We can only approximate Him (and poorly, at that).

• Pi's decimal representation never ends.  God is infinite. 

• In fact, that decimal part of Pi never even settles into any permanent repeating pattern. While God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, we cannot know what He will do or when.  We cannot understand Him, or predict His thoughts.

• Yet, Pi is a wonderful number:  it is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.  Any circle, large, small, or in-between.  God is Wonderful, having stamped his image on the human race, and left his fingerprints all over creation. (Try looking up the wonders of the Fibonacci numbers in pine cones and sunflowers!)From the smallest atomic particle to the vastness of the universe, God's signature is readily apparent.

Here in the Hellwig family, we love Pi.  In fact, years ago, it was a fun family challenge to memorize Pi to 7 digits.  I can remember the older ones, when they were little, coming to the dinner table with their recitations of Pi, proudly rattling off 3.1415926 as fast as their tongues could go!

Here in the Hellwig family, we also love pie!  In sure Hellwig tradition, Christianna will be making us a Pi-pie today.  View a  post about our past Pi-day celebration  here.

Of course, hugs are always appropriate for celebrations, but, what better way to celebrate the love, the glory and majesty, the masterful genius of the Creator of  Pi by giving someone you love a big, circular hug?  So, give a hug.  And have some pie with your Pi!  And praise the Lord of the Universe for His unspeakable gifts.

(Did you know that the word "Universe" comes from the Latin words for "one" and "word"?  With One Word  He spoke, and it was all created!  The Word is Jesus! I love how God has embedded His presence in our very languages and semantics!  I do believe I could write a whole other post about this...)

Stay tuned for a picture of Christianna's Apple Pi!