like a chest without its treasures

When I left my parents house yesterday morning, my mom printed off a story and handed it to me. She asked that I wait until I arrive home to read it, so I folded the page and placed it in my pocket.

The dogs greeted me in excitement, with jumping on the bed and off the bed and then back onto the bed. They licked me and gave me hugs. Once they were calm, I unfolded the page and settled into the couch to read it.

"I Pray you Enough" Anonymous Author
Recently, I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure. Standing near the security gate, they hugged, and the mother said, 'I love you, and I pray you enough.'
The daughter replied, 'Mom, our life together has been more than enough.. Your love is all I ever needed. I pray you enough, too, Mom.'
They kissed, and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there, I could see she wanted and needed to cry.. I tried not to intrude on her privacy, but she welcomed me in by asking, 'Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?'
'Yes, I have,' I replied. 'Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?'
'Well...I'm not as young as I once was, she lives so far away & has her own busy life. I have some challenges ahead, and the reality is - her next trip back will be for my funeral,' she said.
'When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I pray you enough.' May I ask what that means?'
She began to smile. 'That's a prayer that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone.' She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and she smiled even more. 'When we said, 'I pray you enough,' we wanted the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.'
Then, turning toward me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory.
I pray you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.
I pray you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.
I pray you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.
I pray you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.
I pray you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I pray you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I pray you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.
Then she walked away.


I sent a text message to my mom, letting her know I read the story, and she responded with "So, I pray you enough."

Right now, it feels like too much. It feels like there is no sun. It feels like there is no gain. It feels like there is more pain than joy. It feels difficult to find happiness. It feels like there is so much more loss right now.

But truly, it probably is just enough.

And maybe, just maybe, all this rain will soon turn into a beautiful rainbow.

(title from "a thousand daydreams" by tony lucca)