Who I Am

I may not like a lot of the things that I did, but I like who I am.

I may not enjoy some of the effects that past choices have on my life
today, but I enjoy my life.

There are many times that I look at how much money I wasted; and I am
appalled. But I did what I had to do; Because I did not like the
man that I was before then. And I did not understand how to use what
I had wisely.

And so when I had money, I splurged, and dreamt large dreams; and I
acted big.

Out of that time that seems so long ago, came a patent that I wrote
on my own. From those times rose a man who I am proud to be.

There are many regrets in my life. And some of those regrets taken
on their own would crush a man. I know, because they have crushed me.

But when I look at the wrinkles that are starting to form in the
creases of my arms; or the lines that are beginning to show on my
forehead; I do not attribute those to painful memories. Because when
I look at my arms, I see my hands - they are strong and they never
tire. I can type for days without feeling any pain... even when I stop.

When I look at the lines on my forehead, or the gray in my hair - I
see my eyes. And they are eyes that look back into my soul with a
clarity that hides nothing: and I do not divert my gaze. I remember
the decades before when i could not look into that mirror -- or when
I would look into the glass and see something that I was not; and I
like what I see with such clarity today, for it IS me.

I have a deep and resounding faith in the God who showed me the way
to take what I have; accept it, and move on. And I am grateful that
I am alive.

What more could I ask for, than this:

To know that my redeemer lives;
To have my life as a mirror that reflects the truth of who I am today;
To have hands that are unfaltering, and eyes that are unswerving;
To have the love of a woman who completes me;
To have the sense of a higher purpose for which I am constantly
preparing myself to fulfill, even as I fulfill it;
To be able to catch a glimpse of the immensities of space, and the
majesties of God's firmament, even as I begin to understand it.

I like who I am.