I Wish You Enough

Earlier this month, I was scanning through a long list of emails I knew I wouldn’t have to time to read– a ready finger poised over the ‘delete’ key. The same heading as this essay, “I Wish You Enough,” captured my attention. The unique, simple four-word phrase begged me to click, pleaded with me to read beyond the title.

Below is the story shared with me from Fr. Greg, Rector at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago.  I urge you–just as Fr. Greg encouraged me–to pass this heart-warming message along:

Recently, I overheard a father and daughter in their last moments together. The airline had announced her departure and they were standing near the security gate. They hugged and he said, “I love you. I wish you enough.” 

She said, “Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all l 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, 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 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 you enough ‘Hello’s’ to get you through the final ‘good-bye.’” He then began to sob and walked away. 

Fr. Greg closed his email message by wishing his readership enough faith and courage, and then he wished us blessings and good health.

I cannot add any fresh wisdom to Fr. Greg’s precious story, but I can restate the obvious. We have all had enough. Enough fear and discord.  We want peace and leadership and money in our pockets for food. We want to feel safe with the promise of good health. We’ve had enough of “not enough”–the lack of socialization, personal time, and family time– it is eating away at our core. We are not our best selves. 

Take a moment to re-read the last paragraph of Fr. Greg’s story. Such simple, inspiring words, “I wish you enough,” clustered with the most basic of human needs and emotions. 

What is “enough?” 

Whatever it is that you need, whatever is ‘enough ‘for you, I wish that, and I wish you well enough.

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