When the Homily is about Immunology

Leaving our Mark

Yesterday in the lab I found myself on a quest for some old lung tissue samples that a doctor wanted tested for Cytomegalovirus. Such quests are often frustrating because we are in fact inundated with many samples in many freezers. But as I sorted through freezers and boxes therein I began to notice that many of the handwritten labels on these various boxes make note of the individual who was in some way related to the samples or reagents within.

In semi-academic lab like ours (we are in part affiliated with the University of Washington), we frequently see under-grad, grad, and post-doc folks come and go. And as I see their many names show up during my quest my mind is flooded with remembrance of the person - sometimes for good and sometimes for bad! None-the-less, my quest became a trip down memory lane because of the marks these people had left...some as long as 6 years ago.

It got me thinking about how this applies to life in general and how we all leave our "mark" with people and places we leave behind. Years later these people will at some point call us into remembrance and we ought to strive to make sure that such a memory brings warmth and a smile.

Abba Agathon said, "I have never gone to sleep with a grievance against
anyone, and, as far as I could, I have never let anyone go to sleep with a
grievance against me."

Sayings of the Desert Fathers