Recently I overheard a father and daughter in their last moments together.
They had announced her departure and standing near the security gate, they
hugged and he said, "I love you. I wish you enough."
She in turn 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 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, 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
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 just 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 "Goodbye."
He then began to sob and walked away.
