I can remember when I wrote the story, “I wish you enough!”

For the most part people loved it. There were, however, a few who just did not understand the message.

In particular, what is referred to as the “poem.”

“I Wish You enough!”
(c) 2001 Bob Perks

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 you enough “Hello’s” to get you through the final “Goodbye.”

Many times I would get terrible messages asking me what kind of person would wish someone “Pain” and “Loss?”

I believe it was the “pain” part they really couldn’t understand.

Without pain and loss we might not understand joy, hope, and love.

Since writing it, the number of people who contact me in anger has faded. I am no psychologist, but I am guessing that perhaps the world has experienced so much pain in recent years that they have begun to understand and appreciate more, the little things.

Maybe, they have discovered that “the joys in life appear much bigger.”

So, pain has purpose.

If you touch a hot frying pan, it burns you, but next time you will be more careful.

If you fall down, you get up and try again and again until you don’t fall as much.

If you run a race and lose, your feet and legs hurt for days afterwards.

But you learn to train more, prepare more and run faster. You appreciate the joy of winning.

If someone you love dies, you learn to love the people who remain even more.

If you experience humiliation, you learn how to be humble and to take time to praise, flatter and lift up others.

If you love so bad it hurts, you learn that love has two sides. To love and to be loved. They don’t always go hand in hand.

So, my friend, if you are experiencing pain in your life, ask God to show you the lesson to be learned from it.

“Pain has Purpose”

“I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.”

Bob Perks