It was a cold December night in West Orange, New Jersey. Thomas
Edison's factory was humming with activity. Work was proceeding
on a variety of fronts as the great inventor was trying to turn
more of his dreams into practical realities. Edison's plant,
made of concrete and steel, was deemed "fireproof". But it
wasn't.
On that cold night in 1914, the sky was lit up by a sensational
blaze that had burst through the plant roof. Edison's
24-year-old son, Charles, made a frenzied search for his famous
inventor-father. When he finally found him, he was watching the
fire. His white hair was blowing in the wind. His face was
illuminated by the leaping flames. "My heart ached for him,"
said Charles. "Here he was, 67 years old, and everything he had
worked for was going up in flames. When he saw me, he shouted,
"Charles! Where's your mother?" When I told him I didn't
know, he said, "Find her! Bring her here! She'll never see
anything like this as long as she lives."
Next morning, Edison looked at the ruins of the factory and said
this of his loss: "There's value in disaster. All our mistakes
are burned up. Thank God, we can start anew."
Moral: Don't worry when a seeming disaster hits you. It may just
be the chance to clear out all your mistakes and start afresh.
--------------------
(c) ManageTrainLearn 2009
Edison's factory was humming with activity. Work was proceeding
on a variety of fronts as the great inventor was trying to turn
more of his dreams into practical realities. Edison's plant,
made of concrete and steel, was deemed "fireproof". But it
wasn't.
On that cold night in 1914, the sky was lit up by a sensational
blaze that had burst through the plant roof. Edison's
24-year-old son, Charles, made a frenzied search for his famous
inventor-father. When he finally found him, he was watching the
fire. His white hair was blowing in the wind. His face was
illuminated by the leaping flames. "My heart ached for him,"
said Charles. "Here he was, 67 years old, and everything he had
worked for was going up in flames. When he saw me, he shouted,
"Charles! Where's your mother?" When I told him I didn't
know, he said, "Find her! Bring her here! She'll never see
anything like this as long as she lives."
Next morning, Edison looked at the ruins of the factory and said
this of his loss: "There's value in disaster. All our mistakes
are burned up. Thank God, we can start anew."
Moral: Don't worry when a seeming disaster hits you. It may just
be the chance to clear out all your mistakes and start afresh.
--------------------
(c) ManageTrainLearn 2009