Who Am I?

a male senior citizen, retired but reasonably sentient; a former teacher of literature regarded by students as someone who knew his stuff but was a tough grader; a former supervisor of teachers new to the school; a husband in a 44-year marriage; a father of two married daughters, one a music teacher, the other an attorney, marvelous individuals whose advice I respect; a dedicated dog lover especially of St. Bernards which I have rescued ; a semi-southpaw; a sometimes dieting, exercise-contemplating guy striving to stave off senescence; a first generation son of immigrant parents from the "auld sod"; a student and teacher of Irish culture; a Catholic revert; a good lector; an insecure  singer; a rosary pray-er; an owner of too many tee shirts and coffee mugs with messages on them; a popcorn addict; a bibliophile; too often a lead-foot driver; a fan of the female voice in popular music; a non-fan of hip-hop and rap; selective about what films to see; a strong skeptic of anything labeled "new," "improved," or "cutting edge"; one who is almost convinced that computers and cell phones are satanic devices that threaten our souls--thus they are to be cursed without compunction; the "most impatient person she's ever known," according to my wife; a fellow who is sometimes too quick to judge and too slow to forgive; one who listens to advice and sometimes even heeds it; a person enamored of his own opinions who is comfortable with persons of similar ilk; a life-long theist, whether churched or un-churched; a political liberal who is more annoyed by the ineptness of political liberals than by the narrowness of hidebound conservatives; a believer in the sustaining presence of a good and loving God who has granted us the survival tool of humor, be it light or dark; and one who attests to the comfort to be drawn from the proverb made widely known by President Kennedy: "There are three things which are real: God, Human Folly and Laughter.  The first two are beyond our comprehension, so we must do what we can with the third."
     and finally, one who has himself been in need of the balm in Gilead and hopes always to learn new ways "to make the wounded whole" and "to heal the sin-sick soul."