Tuesday, March 25, 2006 My Turn • ‘I wish you enough’

On Tuesday, April 11, I received an e-mail from my sister-in-law passing along a message she had received from her cousin.

It told the story about a family that generation upon generation said to people as a parting phrase, “I wish you enough.” The focus of this story was time spent with a loved one as the end of life draws near.

“I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.”

It was a difficult time for my sister-in-law because her sister was to die of cancer one week later.

There are a multitude of inspirational e-mails passed from person to person via the Internet and most are quickly forgotten. Yet on occasion such a message arrives at the right time. I could tell this was the case for my sister-in-law.

Due to the circumstances, this message seemed to stick in my mind as well and I began to contemplate this concept of “enough” time with loved ones.

Circumstances and responsibilities of life require us to make choices, so to have “enough” means we must make the right choices.

I made the right choice the summer of 2004 when I took time off from work to join my father on his last river trip in the Yukon Territory after 25 years of faithfully paddling the expansive rivers to the north. In addition to my father, I traveled with my brother, sister and four nephews pitching tents on the river bank at night, eating from rations stored in the bottom of a kayak and bathing in the river.

It was one of the best experiences of my life, not so much for the adventure but for the memories created during the time we shared.

It was one of those times that make it enough should the number of days on earth for any one of us draw to an end.

There were other times I could pinpoint as well. For example, there is a photograph in my living room that captures a moment from my childhood.

It is a snowy day, quite unusual for the foothills of El Dorado County, and my three sisters, brother, three cousins and myself are sitting on a piece of tin my Uncle Frankie pulled behind his pickup as a sled. My uncle stands next to the cab of the pickup and my mom and aunt are behind the “sled.”

When I look at the picture,  I remember this day we all spent together playing in the snow. My cousin Ritchie and Uncle Frankie are no longer with us, but that day was one occasion that counted toward “enough.”

It is not so much the years, months, days or hours that count as “enough” but the intensity of that time spent together.

Good conversation with my husband over a cup of coffee in the morning counts, taking a few extra moments to enjoy the taste and smell of the coffee roast as we share our thoughts with one another before rushing off to start the day.

This simple e-mail message gave me a new perspective on time and how we are to make use of it.

We must learn to recognize those opportunities God gives us for I am sure in His great wisdom they are just “enough.”