Lo and Behold at the Library

On Thursday I went to the library.  I was on a mission.

The library is a remarkable place inside, but, lo and behold, this time there was something amazing outside – a pierogi truck.  The people next to me in the parking lot got out of their car and marched right past the library entrance to the pierogi truck, where a line was forming. 

Some people at our synagogue have suggested having a pierogi truck at the synagogue as a fundraiser.  My husband thinks it would be more suitable for the synagogue to have a falafel truck. I am not so sure.  I know how to spell falafel and what it is, but I think I’m the only non-Jew who knows this.  (On the other hand, I had to look up how to spell pierogi.)

Although other people were at the library just to buy pierogies, I was not.  I am not fond of pierogies; they are not my preferred form of carbohydrate.  For a Western Pennsylvanian, that’s almost as bad as saying that I am not a Steelers fan (which I am not saying here).  Falafel, on the other hand… mmm!  But really, who associates the library with food?

Last week I was helping my Mom tidy her apartment. She asked me to clean out the magazines that were under an end table.  When I crouched down to do this, lo and behold, I found a library book, from the Young Adult section of the Common Household’s local library!  It was titled The Magic Thief.

There was no telling how long The Magic Thief had been languishing away from its proper home.  For the Common Household Husband, there is hardly a greater sin than an overdue library book.  Even though I am more lax on this than he is, this book had to be super-overdue.  On Thursday I approached the library in a somber, confessional mood, knowing that the Common Household deserved chastisement from the librarian.

At the Library Confessional (the circulation desk) I was pleased to see my friend from the synagogue.  She would be sympathetic.  She looked up the book on the computer to see how much Youngest Daughter owed, and found, lo and behold, the book no longer existed in the catalog.  The Magic Thief was The Invisible Man of books, not recognized by society in general.  We had paid for it long ago, but I did not want to keep it, since this would seem to be rewarding irresponsible behavior.  But how could I return a book that no longer exists?

My friend said she would have to call a higher authority – the children’s librarian.  The higher authority appeared, and lo and behold, and it was my friend from church.  Whew!  She took a look at the book, declared it to be in good condition and said she would re-enter it into the library system.  And she has the power to do that.

The Magic Thief was redeemed.  God’s in the library and all’s right with the world.

Have you ever found something unexpected, like pierogies or redemption, at your local library?