Inspired by Peter Marinelli
Every so often I am handed a piece that resonates so much with me. This is one of them from a friend David L.
I Wish You Enough
At an airport, I overheard a father and his daughter in their last moments together. The attendant had announced her planes 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. I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, “Have you ever said good-bye to someone, knowing it would be forever?” ‘Yes, I have, I replied.
Saying they brought back memories of expressing my love and appreciation for all that my dad had done for me. Recognizing that his last days were limited, I had taken 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 good-bye forever?” 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, 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. Then, turning toward me, he explained: “I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to help you 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 you enough ‘hellos’ to get you through the final “good-bye’.
He then sobbed 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 one a day to love one, but an entire life to forget one”.
Blessings,
Chop wood, carry water
Peter Marinelli
