Enough....

Recently, I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments

together at the airport. They had announced the departure.

Standing near the security gate, they hugged, and the mother said, 'I

love you, and 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, and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the

window where I was seated. Standing there, I could see she wanted and

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, and she lives so far away.. I have challenges ahead , and

the reality is - her 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, and 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 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.

Then, she began to cry, and walked a way.

They say, it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to

appreciate them, a day to love them, but an entire life to forget

them.

TAKE TIME TO LIVE...