little ray of sunshine

The boys came back to CCP the next day. Their behavior was terrible, and I actually had to call in the 'heavy hitters'- their mentors. They had offered their services when we first started J and N in CCP, but I didn't think I'd ever actually have to call them in.

I felt so stressed when I went home that night.

Lucky for me, we left for Atlanta for our mid-year retreat the next day. I had dreams of warm weather and clear skies. So, of course, it rained.

I remember now how winter is in the South. Cold and damp.

Although, despite the cloudy skies and general wetness of the air, I marvelled at walking around without a hat and scarf. Sometimes, I wouldn't even have a coat- just my hoody sweatshirt.

We did a Myers-Briggs test, and I found that I am currently without personality. The one that I came up with (INTP) doesn't fit me at all. So then I read over the ones I've previously come up with (INFP and ENFP). They're both close, but I"m really somewhere between, I think.

Michael was INTJ. He laughed while he read the assessment and said, "It even tells me about my childhood!"

I got to ride a bike and eat at Waffle House and see my friend Elizabeth who kept me laughing while I ate pie and drank sweet tea. We also went bowling, and watched movies, and had quiet, tame prayer service/workshops. It was a very relaxing time.

And then the sun came out, right before we left. So that was nice.

Once back in Chicago, my community went to visit Sr. Fran, who worked as a facilitator with some problems we've been having recently. It was kind of a rough afternoon, and rather than being solved, I kind of feel like as soon as we left, everything was swept back under the rug. It's too much for me to deal with personally. I don't want to bring it up. I don't even want to talk about it here except to mention that there is some stress at home now.

But work certainly improved. J and N are opening up to me- sometimes a little too much. They're fifteen year old boys, in all their shining glory, and man oh man do I hear some interesting things from them.

They're doing well with their coursework. They've really made a lot of progress this week. And they're proud when they make progress, and it inspires them to work harder. Today, N told me that he's learned more here than in the high school he attended last year, which means at least that he enjoys it here.

No art class this week, but I think next week I'm going to put the comic book on hold, start the kids on charcoal, and then move on to clay sculpting. The comic was coming along so well, but then all the sudden became a daunting task that no one wanted to finish. I think we just spent too much time on the one thing.

I talked with Sr. Angie a while back, and I"m going to have a theatre program this summer. That is going to be a lot of fun, and a lot of work. But there are so many young adults intersted in theatre, that I think it will be awesome. I"m so excited about it.

It's a beautiful day out, and one person has visited the computer lab since J and N left. And he's a college student and certainly not in need of tutoring. I think I'm going to head out early- maybe play on the computer at home and try to make some headway on those posters for Hope Program.

Or maybe I'll just curl up with my laptop and get some more writing done...

Who knows?