SUCCESS... almost!

Today was a very satisfying day. We have our sacred space meetings on Tuesday mornings which are always encouraging. Sometimes, I feel a little bit dumb because I just sit there quietly the whole time. Usually at the end Paul will all of a sudden be like, "So Ciara, you've been quiet, what do you think?" That is everyone's cue to lean in towards me a little and wait while I stutter "Uhhh... I wasn't really... ummm... I agree with you..." haha. I find that among such intelligent people, it is so beneficial to just be silent.
Also, I had a really good conversation with Paul today. He is a smart, smart dude. One thing he said to me that I REALLY appreciated was that he respected me for coming to Ethnos, since my parents are there. It adds a completely new and confusing dimension to our relationship. Sometimes I don't want to tell my parents stuff because I am worried about how it will affect the church. Anyway, Paul basically told me that I shouldn't be worried aobut that. It is not my job to protect my parents from my relationships with other people. And they are the wise ones with the discernment to decide what is important church stuff and what is just Ciara stuff. So i shouldn't be limiting my relationship with them for the sake of church. That was a very good thing to hear. I felt a lot better after that.
When I came home, I spent the rest of the day working on my autobiographical trompe l'oeil. I am almost finished. I am pleasantly surprised at how well it is turning out. I have been painfully aware of my underdeveloped drawing abilities since I started at the Art Institute. And even though it is hard, it feels really good when I do something well. It takes a lot of time and practice.
I hope I get an A.