Touching history

 We went to the library last week; we've really enjoyed the library. I did something I've always wanted to do but never have: an interlibrary book loan. It was amazing. I found 3 books that I was hoping to read (and have been wanting to read for a while) in another library in our country and put a hold on it online. It arrived at the local library a few days later and I got to pick it up. I was super impressed! Also, one of the books I got on interlibrary loan seems to be a first print of the book (a Dorothy Sayers book from 1933). 

We were just about to leave the library when we saw a group of people head into the library with these black cases. I thought maybe they were musical instruments and there was going to be some kind of small concert in one of the meeting rooms in the library. I asked them and they said they were going to polish the sword in the library. The library we normally go to (the only public library in our town) has a sword called the Fujita sword in a glass (although it's probably plastic) case. In World War II a pilot was able to fly over the Oregon coast and dropped two bombs in the hillside by the town, with hopes that it would start a big forest fire. It rained the night before so there was no forest fire. Twenty years later, the pilot that dropped the bombs came to visit and gave his Samurai sword to the city as a gesture of friendship. It was a huge deal because the sword had been in his family for many, many years. Samurai swords are very special, are of super high quality, and have often been in the family that owns them for generations. So, this sword has been in the library for many years now. It always looks shiny and clean...and now I know why: they come and clean it twice a year! We just happened to be there the day they were cleaning it. It was a class of people learning to sword fight; each person had a Samurai sword. The teacher was teaching them how to clean their swords and cleaned the Fujita sword as well (named after the man who gave it: Mr. Fujita). They had an extra sword and asked if anyone watching wanted to help clean it and they let my oldest son clean it. It was a very memorable experience!