I Wish You Enough!

A friend told me this story the last time she was flying to California. I thought it was very touching and that it would be interesting to those who are or have reached their golden years. Of course it should be interesting to everyone since it is one of those facts of life that many folks face daily. This is just another one of my post that touched me and my hope is that you will also be touched.

At an airport I overheard a father and daughter in their last moments together.

They had announced her plane's departure and 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 I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Daddy." They kissed him goodbye 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 goodbye 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 goodbye?" 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 goodbye 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 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. My friends and loved ones, I wish you ENOUGH!!!

God's time Management for you!

Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening the bank deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course!!!! Each of us has such a bank. Its name is TIME.

Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you. You can deposit into it a morning prayer to Almighty God, praise and worship of Him, joy unspeakable and full of glory, continual prayer all day long—for others and for your own needs, thanksgiving, meal times, and snack times, tithes and offerings of pure love for the Creator of all good things, Bible reading and study, (and don’t forget to add interest—lots and lots of interest,) meditation, and a bed-time prayer as a final deposit along with sweet dreams.

Each night the time bank burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day’s deposits to the fullest, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against “tomorrow”. You must live in the present on today’s deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, blessings, peace of mind, prosperity, and success! The clock is running.
Make the most of today.

To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade; or ask someone who has had a heart attack and missed a year of life; or ask an elderly person in a nursing home.

To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby; or the cancer patient whose doctor just told him, “you have one month left.”

To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper; or ask the single parent who just lost her job and won’t have a pay check for food or rent.

To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet or the African child waiting for an air drop of food, or a wounded soldier waiting to be carried off the battlefield.

To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train or ask the astronaut counting down to blastoff.

To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident, or ask a person who fell asleep in bed smoking.

To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won a silver medal in the Olympics; or the Lord, Jesus Christ, who will return again in the twinkling of an eye.
Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time with you because He invented it—in the beginning.

And remember that time waits for no one. Time marches on. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present!! Hours are such priceless things—each one of them has sixty wings—with which they fly on their unseen track; and not a minute ever comes back.

Friends are very rare jewels, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their heart to us. And if you have a friend who prays with you, you truly are blessed. Show God how much you love Him. Use your gift of time by investing it in Him.

Show your friends how much you care by investing your time in them—love them, pray for them. Show someone who does not know God how much you love them—take time to pray for those who spitefully use you or who persecute you .

And then it's Winter

I thought this was worth posting because it does hit home to all those thinking of retiring and to those who have already reached that thresh hold. It has nothing to do with hair except that at this age for some there is none and for others their appearance including their hair and makeup is very important.

It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. And yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. And I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams. But, here it is:

The winter of my life and it catches me by surprise. How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my life go? And where did my youth go? I remember well ... Seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like. But, here it is ...

My age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be. Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore. It's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will ... I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things. But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last, this I know, that when it's over - It's over!

Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done and things I should have done. But indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime.

So, if you're not in your winter yet ... Let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life, please do it now! Life goes by quickly. Do what you can today, because you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not! You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life . So, live today, and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember.

"Life is God's gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to God, and those who come after. Make it a fantastic one!"

One's Attitude in Life!

I was struck by this story about one's attitude in life. Some are born with it and others have to cultivate it but as we travel the road of life I believe this 92 year old lady has it right. Her 5 point rules of how to be happy is really your attitude once you reach those golden years. As you can see her attitude toward her well coifed hair and appearance tells you plenty about her attitude. This is her story:

The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.

As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window. "I love it," she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

"Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room.... just wait."

"That doesn't have anything to do with it," she replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it ...

"It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away, just for this time in my life.

Old age is like a bank account. My advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories. Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less. No one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.