At an airport I overheard a father and daughter during their last moments together. Her flight was ready for boarding and they were standing near the departure 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 goodbye and she left. The man walked over towards the window near where I was seated. I could see that he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude upon his privacy, but he welcomed me by asking, "Have you ever said goodbye to someone knowing that it would be forever?" "Yes, I have." Saying that brought back memories I had of expressing my love and appreciation for all that my Dad had done for me. Recognizing that his days were numbered, I took the time to tell him, face to face, how much he meant to me. So I knew what this man was going through. "Forgive me for asking, but why is this goodbye 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. "I heard you say 'I wish you enough' May I ask what that means ?" He began to smile. "That is a wish that has been handed down through the generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." The man paused a moment, then looked up, as if trying to remember the details. "When we say I wish you enough, we want the other persons to have a life filled with enough good things to sustain them." He then turned to me and 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 spirits up. 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 Goodbye. Then the man began to sob and walked away.
