A mother and daughter were sharing precious last moments together at the airport, as the daughter was returning home. The loud-speaker announced her imminent flight departure.
Standing near the security gate, they hugged each other for a long time, then the mother said, “I love you so much and as always, I pray you enough”. The daughter replied, “Mum, our life together has been more than enough … your love is all I ever needed. I pray you enough too Mum”. They kissed and the daughter, with a lingering look back, passed through the gate to the departure lounge.
The elderly mother found a chair and sat down. A waiting passenger could see tears in her eyes. She did not want to intrude on her private thoughts, but the lady herself volunteered: “Have you ever said ‘goodbye’ to someone you love knowing it would be forever?”
“Yes I have,” she replied, “but forgive for asking , can you tell me why this is a forever goodbye?”
“I am old”, the lady replied, “my daughter lives so far away and the reality is that I have big challenges ahead and short of a miracle, her next trip back will probably be for my funeral”.
“When you were saying goodbye,” the other ventured, “I heard you say, “I pray you enough”. May I ask what that means?”
The old lady answered, “That’s a prayer which has been handed down from generation to generation in our family … my parents used to say it and pray it for me and my brother. When we say “I pray you enough”, she said with a smile, “we are asking that that person will have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them and carry them through.”
Then she recited from memory:
“I pray you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I pray you enough rain to make you appreciate the sun more.
I pray you enough joy to keep your spirit healthy.
I pray you enough pain to make the smallest pleasure more appreciated.
I pray you enough gain to satisfy your needs.
I pray you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I pray you enough ‘Hellos’ to get you through the final ‘Goodbye’.”
And she let the tears fall freely as she walked slowly away.
It is said that it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, and an entire lifetime to know you will never forget them.
This story serves to remind us just how important it is to take time out of the ‘fast lane’ of life, just to let people in our lives know their worth and how much we appreciate and value each one. Perhaps we may even feel it is a perfect time to adopt and echo the words of the daughter’s wise mother.
We could start with –
“To my wonderful family, to all my loved ones and to my dearest friends – today and every day – “I pray you enough!”
