Much of Thomas Edison’s life went up in flames when his West Orange, N.J., factory caught fire in 1914. As the fire raged, Edison’s 24-year-old son, Charles, searched frantically for his father. He finally found him, calmly watching the fire, his face glowing in the reflection, his white hair blowing in the wind.
Charles’ heart ached for his father. Edison was 67 at the time, and everything was gone. When he saw his son, he shouted, “Charles, where’s your mother?” Then he said, “Find her. Bring her here. She will never see anything like this as long as she lives.”
The next morning, Edison looked at the ruins and said, “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.”
Leaders always look for the positive, even in the direst of circumstances. This story about Edison, which came from Bits &