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I Wish You Enough
At an airport I overheard a father and daughter in
their last moments
together. They had announced her plane's departure
and standing near the door.
She said, "Daddy, our life together has been more
than enough. Your love
is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too,
Daddy." They kissed good-bye and
she left.
He walked over toward the window where I
was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I
tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say good-bye to
someone knowing it would be forever?"
"Yes, I have," I replied. Saying that brought back memories I had
of expressing my love and appreciation for all my Dad
had done for me.
Recognizing that his days were limited, I took the
time to tell him face to
face how much he meant to me. So I knew what this
man was experiencing.
"Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?" I
asked. "I am old and she lives much too far away. I have
challenges ahead and the reality
is, her next trip back will be for my funeral, " he
said.
"When you were saying good-bye I heard you say, 'I
wish you enough.' May I
ask what that means?"
He began to smile. "That's a wish that has been
handed down from other
generations. My parents used to say it to everyone."
He paused for a moment
and looking up as if trying to remember it in
detail, he smiled even more.
"When we said 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting
the other person to have a
life filled with enough good things to sustain
them," he continued and then
turning toward me he shared the following as if he
were reciting it from
memory.
I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit
alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in
life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish enough "Hello's" to get you through the final
"Good-bye."
He then began to sob and walked away.
My friends and loved ones, I wish you ENOUGH!!!
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."
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