Entropy

We've been studying physics in science lately, and with that came a brief introduction into the laws of thermodynamics. As I have been doing various tasks over the past few weeks, it has struck me how much time and energy is invested in fighting against entropy. For example, after I laundered the bedding that my sister's family used when they were here, I decided to take that opportunity to remove everything from the linen closet because it had been awhile since I straightened it up. It looks very neat and tidy right now, but I know it won't stay looking that orderly forever. I also recently did the same with the shelves that hold my sweaters and pants in our master bedroom walk-in closet. In some cases things must be repaired or replaced, it's not always just a matter of reorganization or dusting. A couple of days ago Oliver showed me a big hole in the front of his sneaker. This is one disadvantage of buying used shoes at yard sales and thrift stores, but the upside was the hand-me-down pair I gave him (used to be Ian's) which is a touch too big doesn't have any shoelaces. Although he

has learned how to tie his shoelaces, he hasn't learned how to double knot or undo knots yet.

A couple of weeks ago Paul noticed that our microwave turntable wasn't turning. He thought it was due to a plastic piece under the turntable that was very worn down. I purchased a replacement for that plastic piece because it only cost $10, but it turned out that didn't solve the problem. The next step would be to replace the motor for the turntable, which only costs about $14, but considering the microwave is more than ten years old and that is considered the average life expectancy for a microwave, I decided today to just go ahead and buy a new microwave rather than keep investing more money in what is considered to be an old microwave. In addition to knowing the part would be cheaper than replacing the entire microwave, the other reason I bought the part was I was thinking about landfills and hating to send the microwave there if it could be repaired. I wish appliances were built to last longer. My brother had a small red microwave in his apartment. That's what we've been using in the meantime. It's a small one - perfect for one person but not really ideal for a family. Also, it's red and our countertops are green. Although that's a great color combination for Christmas, it's not my preference for year round. Our previous microwave was white, which would still be my preference as that's the color of our refrigerator and dishwasher, but I ended up picking a steel colored microwave. I'm thankful we can use my brother's until the new one arrives. It had been stored in our basement since March. I didn't realize until I brought it up a couple of weeks ago that we hadn't cleaned the inside of it out. My brother didn't have a microwave cover to put on his plate, and the microwave was rather dirty. I cried as I cleaned it out. I miss my brother so much.

The weather forecast for this morning was not good as it included freezing rain and ice, but the roads looked fine so we headed to church. Attendance was definitely down. During the second service I was scheduled to teach the 1st/2nd grade girls' class. Many teachers didn't show up today, but there were far fewer children also so it wasn't a problem. I had the girls from K-5th grade, and I only had 9 girls. Usually there are more than 9 girls in just one of the classes. There were even fewer boys. They cancelled the youth (grades 6-12) class during the second service due to the weather. It's supposed to turn to snow this evening. We're praying it won't interfere with our travels to Great Wolf Lodge tomorrow morning. Today we talked to the man who leads the Bible bowl team at our church. I thought Nadia wouldn't join until next September since she has been in AWANA this fall, but it turns out students can join during the school year. Nadia and I started memorizing the first few verses of Hebrews today. She plans to start attending on Wednesdays from 4:30-6:00 starting in January. This year they are memorizing Hebrews, 1 Peter, and 2 Peter. If she participates in Bible Bowl through her senior year, she will memorize most of the New Testament. It's an eight year cycle, and they memorized John last year so she won't memorize that one. The books they do NOT memorize in the eight year cycle include Mark, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John, Jude, and Revelation. I am excited about the thought she might memorize 18 books of the New Testament over the next seven years. I am going to try to memorize along with her. The books I memorized previously include 1 and 2 Thessalonians, James, and Philippians. We've been memorizing verses for Core 52 each week as a family (along with our whole church) but aside from that I haven't memorized many verses over the past 25 years. I am looking forward to doing this with Nadia!