Finding Joy

        These are the years of memories. When you reach a certain (unspecified) age memories tend to flood in at unexpected moments. A scene in a movie, the scent of a meal or flower, the mention of someone’s name or even an inspiration spawned by a scripture reading... like this weekend’s readings. Imagine!

        “Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!” Thoughts come rushing back of younger days, working at a great, since defunct, company. Being part of Polaroid’s Vision Research Laboratory in the 80’s was at once challenging, rewarding and exciting. From one day to the next our lab never knew what we would be asked to find, prove or just try to see if the principle was sound. If we were successful Dr. Edwin Land would exclaim it “fun”, his favorite term for experiments gone well.

    One Spring afternoon, while attending a brain-storming meeting of minds discussing a perplexing obstacle to our experiment, I proposed a resolution, which was swiftly ignored much to my chagrin. By the end of that week we sat in a subsequent session to resolve the obstinate problem when a colleague offered the identical solution I had voiced a couple days prior. To my surprise this was received with great fanfare and hailed as a major break-through. It was not proper scientific etiquette to claim this was my original proposal.

         I departed work that day with some mixed emotions regarding what to do. My initial reaction was to speak up and claim at least a portion of the credit, which I believed I was due, for this solution. On thinking further, I decided silence might be the best avenue… the higher road. After all our project needed to be assembled, tested (played with) and presented in a couple days to Dr. Land. There was much to do and, as there were only a couple people in our lab with the ability to accomplish such a complex mission, forging ahead was the path I chose.

            That night, while seeing my youngest daughter to bed, I received a lesson in simplicity and humility. After the customary prayers and stories, I found her smiling a huge grin. When I asked what brought  her such joy she told me she couldn’t wait to go to sleep so she could wake up in the morning and enjoy another day, and all the wonderful things she’d do “while growing up.” The power of those words still amazes me!

  

           The next morning, I unlocked the laboratory door and dug in to complete our mission, happy to have been given the skills and intellect to do so, and to be part of a small team charged with accomplishing the near impossible. It was awe-inspiring to know God had provided me the gifts necessary to fulfill my responsibilities and the position in which to enjoy the fruits of these gifts… perhaps the greatest of which is another day to enjoy all the wonderful things I could do.

                Be happy! Be grateful! Stay well!

Reflection by Beau Stebbins