I Am Happy To Be Who I Am Poem by Shalom Freedman

I am happy to be who I am
Even though I have had years
Of difficulty
And I have not come close to achieving
What I dreamed to achieve
And I have many disappointments in life
Even from those I most love
And I am quite old
And certainly have not so many years left
And a fraction only of what I have lived
I am happy to be who I am
Though I know my many weaknesses and failings
It is not that I did everything I could
Or lived in the best way
But generally there is a lot of alright in my life
And much to be grateful for
Thank God I am here in Israel in Jerusalem
And I have the wife I do
And the children and grandchildren and step-grandchildren I do
And I still have writing and reading
And loving to learn and to know
Thank God I have so much
However disappointing it has been
And however disappointed in myself I am
I am happy to be who I am
Thank God.