Forgiveness Sundays January 31, 2021

To be clear, I am not perfect. I have flaws and imperfections like everyone else. I fail multiple times a day. I ask for forgiveness numerous times a day.

Found this article on Mental Floss – How Man Who Bombed Oregon Became Honorary Citizen: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/87681/how-man-who-bombed-oregon-became-honorary-citizen. Much longer article; thought the first few paragraphs were a great start. This article is a great example of forgiveness. It was based on this article: https://www.toptenz.net/top-10-acts-of-forgiveness-to-give-you-hope.php with the title of the article for #10 Town Forgives the Man Who Bombed It,

BY Stacy Conradt October 20, 2016

Most people think the only attack on United States soil during WWII happened on December 7, 1941—Pearl Harbor. Actually, the U.S. was hit again, less than a year later … to much less drastic effect.

In September 1942, a Japanese navy pilot named Nobuo Fujita dropped firebombs over a forested area near the small town of Brookings, Oregon. By dropping incendiary devices and starting massive forest fires, the Japanese believed they could divert U.S. resources and potentially cause panic.

Luckily, the plan didn’t really work. Despite being spotted by a fire lookout, Fujita managed to drop two bombs—but due to light winds, rain, and speedy firefighters, the fires were quickly contained. The pilot eventually returned home, but what he had tried to do never left him.

In 1962, Fujita came back to Brookings to make amends, toting a family heirloom—a 400-year-old samurai sword to give to the town. If they refused to forgive him, the pilot intended to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) with it. “I was quite sure that once in Brookings I would be beaten up, people would throw eggs at me and shout insults at me,” he later admitted.

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https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/87681/how-man-who-bombed-oregon-became-honorary-citizen

Other Forgiveness Sundays posts: https://upsdownsfamilyhistory.wordpress.com