I WISH YOU ENOUGH…

The meaning of “enough” can be unique for everybody.  For some it is the bare minimum and for others it can be a great deal.  The literal meaning of the word enough is “occurring in such quantity, quality, or scope as to fully meet demands, needs, or expectations.”  Enough can satisfy people in different ways.  Those who are in the throes of grief experience “enough” in a different perspective.  They have faced the pain of loss and are having trouble finding their way back to an open appreciation of life. 

There are many versions of Bob Perks’ story from Chicken Soup for the Grieving Soul.  The story basically goes:

“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.’ They kissed and the daughter left. The father walked over to the window where I was seated. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but I could not refrain from asking: ‘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.

The father and daughter feel loss in an inspirational way.  He knows that he will probably never see his precious daughter again and the daughter intuitively knows the same loss is coming to her.  Yet, they both don’t get angry about the pain that will happen.  Instead, they accept the reality and are grateful for the time they had together.  Death is the ultimate reality and they know this and embrace the loss knowing that they truly valued their time together.”

We learn a simple lesson from this parable.  You really must experience pain in order to be able to experience the joys that life has to offer.  If you only experience good things, then you will be devoid of happiness.  All the bad in life helps us to appreciate every good moment, and make us cherish them even more.  Knowing that pain in life will have an upside eventually makes us value and appreciate every moment.  Life always brings one much pain.  I wish you enough courage to have the ability to make the choice as to how much you will suffer.

• I wish you just enough loss to appreciate all the good things in life.
• I wish you enough friends to keep you company.
• I wish you enough life experiences to keep your life full.
• I wish you enough fortitude to look at the future on a positive note.
• I wish you enough strength to find meaning in your loss.
• I wish you enough moxie to cherish all the memories you had with your beloved.
• I wish you enough to live in the moment and appreciate all the good things in life.
• I wish that you can conceptualize that I wish you enough.
• I wish you a life filled with enough.

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Laurie is the author of the book The Joke’s Over You Can Come Back Now: How This Widow Plowed Through Grief and Survived. She can be contacted via her website: www.lauriegrad.com or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Laurie-Burrows-Grad-2060571070637592/ or Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lauriegrad/