I Wish You Enough!

Last night, we had twenty members of our Sunday School class celebrate Christmas with us in our home.  We all had a wonderful time (with many pictures worthy of blackmail in the near future).  As I woke up this morning, I laid in bed thinking about how the dishwasher needed to be emptied, the tablecloth washed, etc., as more people gather over the next few days at our house.  I decided to check my email, and found this note from a coworker who found it worthy of forwarding this time of year.  I've only worked at the Sparks Bureau for a few months, but the people who work there have been nothing but kind and encouraging for my research.  They probably don't know how each year, JD and I try even more to focus less on the materialistic side of the holidays and more on the experiences and memories that will last forever.  Here is my coworker's  email:

Recently I overheard a Father and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure.

Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the Father said, 'I love you, and I wish you enough.'

The daughter replied, 'Dad, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Dad.'

They kissed and the daughter left. The Father walked over to 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. 'Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?'.

'I am old, and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - the 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 a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and 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' 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 no matter how grey the day may appear.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.

I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear 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 hellos to get you through the final good- bye.

He then began to cry and walked away.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them; but then an entire life to forget them.

Take Time To Live…

To all my friends and loved ones, I wish you Enough!

Wonderful Wednesdays & Advent Thoughts

Today, Wednesday, marks the beginning of my Christmas break.  What a wonderful Wednesday!  As I contemplate how to spend the coming weeks until the Spring semester begins, I am filled with an appreciation of how different this time of year has been from last year.  I have spent the better part of 2012 learning to slow down, take better care of myself physically and spiritually, give more in my relationships and learn that I 'can't do it all.'  As a result, this year has brought deeper friendships, better communication, near-perfect health that has led, no doubt, to this super-easy pregnancy we have been blessed with, and a lighter sense of self when dealing with life's daily stress.  I no longer try to fight everyone's battles.  I know that my faith is stronger because I lean on God more.  I wonder sometimes if God threw as much as He could at us in 2011 to teach me to let go.  Amazingly, it is through the process of letting go that I have become more confident.  When you aren't busy trying to be this ever-elusive 'wonder woman', you have more time to focus on what is important to you and your family, instead of what is important to society.

The Advent season is upon us, and someone asked me in church on Sunday what that meant.  My stock response was 'it is a season of preparation' to celebrate Christ's birth.   But, I didn't grow up in a church that celebrated the Advent season, so I looked up the meaning of Advent this week.  Turns out, I wasn't too far off, but Advent is more more than just a season of preparation, it is also a season for reflection and celebration.  The celebration aspect is easily seen as the Christmas holidays are observed, but I tend to reflect more these days as I know JD and I's lives will be changed forever as March approaches.

Typically, as the holidays approach, I spent my time adding various social gatherings to an already full calendar, getting the house decorated as quickly as possible, menu-planning, and spending countless hours stressing over what to purchase everyone and have it gift-wrapped under the tree by Christmas.  It's no wonder I have spent the last two Christmas seasons in the doctor's office with seasonal ailments. This year, we are doing things a little differently.  While we enjoy all of the Christmas parties we are invited to attend, our only reason for turning down an invitation is not because of a conflict this year.  I also take the time to think, will JD and I have any time at home that week?  Will four nights in a row of Christmas parties really be that relaxing?  Decorating the house was another issue.  Instead of consistently discussing how late in the month we actually get it done, we decided to make a weekend of it at the end of November.  JD and I put on the Christmas music and took our time decorating the house in high spirits, all the while knowing that delaying it wasn't an option due to his pending knee surgery.  No, we didn't get it all done, but friends and family pitched in to help out after his surgery and more memories were made that way.

Menu-planning can be both fun and overwhelming.  Instead of trying so many new recipes, I made sure this year to mix in a few old favorites that are dependable dishes that require little prep.  Our biggest change continues to be in the gift category.  Last year, the Abel clan decided to cut out gifts altogether.  We've been blessed enough in our lives that if there is something we need, we just go out and buy it.  It gives us greater joy to slow down and spend time together (while buying presents for my little niece of course).  There is nothing more stressful than being badgered by a family member about 'what you want for Christmas'.  If you don't know what I want, then spend more time with me to get to know me better.  You'll find out that there are very little consumer products that I mention.  It just doesn't fill my thoughts like that.

In keeping with the season of Advent, JD and I are also changing our gift-giving habits for each other.  When Jesus was born, he was visited by the wise men who brought three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.  If three gifts were sufficient for the King of Kings, I thought it would be neat to institute a three-gift policy for each other.  This gives us more flexibility in carefully selecting what we think each other would like, while reigning in some of the holiday consumerism that doesn't add anything positive to the holiday experience.  Unlike previous years, I am actually looking forward to selecting JD's presents because I know they represent three well-thought out selections that will bring a smile to his face.  If this goes well, I am thinking about expanding the three-gift policy to any of our future children - it will teach them to appreciate more what they receive than a mountain of haphazardly selected presents in an effort to impress others!

This pared down approach to the holiday season has allowed us to enjoy this Advent season while giving more of our time in church and in our volunteer activities.  Even Buddy has been more relaxed lately: