Tuesday, February 09, 2010

I wish you enough..

My Mom read this to me and it touched my heart. The pace of everyday life can so many times consume us and so this morning, take a moment and stop to cherish those close to you.

I WISH YOU ENOUGH.....

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

They kissed and the daughter left. The Father walked over to 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.. 'Forgive me for asking, but why is this a for ever good-bye?'.

'I am old, and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - the 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 a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and he 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, he shared the following as if he 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 and 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.

He then began to cry and 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.

5 comments:

Julie said...

Jen, this was emailed to me, it made me cry and touched me deeply. Love it.

teacherwoman said...

Oh my goodness. This brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for sharing.

n/a said...

Wow, that was very touching. Thank you for sharing.

Ashley said...

Jen- so glad your pregnancy has been going as good as can be expected. I hope this week isn't too hard on you without your husband there, but I'm sure you will both feel such love when he gets back.

I just wanted to tell you that I read about the book your husband left for you to read the baby and it touched my heart so much that I have been telling all my family about it. He is going to be a magnificent father.

I read you all the time because I originally found you through a common interest in running. I rarely comment though because I guess I don't have any advice to contribute because I have not yet had children. I absolutely love reading about your experience though and your dedication to your baby is inspiring. I hope I can show my baby (when the time comes) the same amount of care.

Much love,
Ashley

Mary M said...

All I can say to this post............

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!