I Wish You Enough

I received this from a great friend that lives far away. It hopefully will let you take a moment - to be thankful for what has past.... appreciate and live the present ... and ponder the events of the future.

Recently I overheard a mother & daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure. Standing near the security gate, they hugged & the mother said, 'I love you, & I wish you enough.' The daughter replied, 'Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom.' They kissed & the daughter left.

The mother walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see she wanted & needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on her privacy, but she welcomed me in by asking, 'Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?' '

Yes, I have,' I replied. 'Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?'.

'I am old, & she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead & the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral,' she said. '

When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I wish you enough.' May I ask what that means?'

She began to smile. 'That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone.' She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, & she smiled even more. 'When we said, 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.'

Then turning toward me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory:

~~I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.

~~I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.

~~I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive & everlasting.

~~I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.

~~I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

~~I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

~~I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.

She then began to cry & walked away.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them; but then an entire life to forget them.