Specialness...

I have come to realize that every thing that happens to me, I ask for, and receive as I have asked.  And everything that happens to me is for a reason and is a lesson I can choose to learn.
So far so good.
I also know now that this journey is taken in steps... one at a time.
So here I am in Larissa, thinking I am here to learn iconpainting, by a  great teacher who paints wonderful icons.  And I am here to learn that - but I am being given anothert lesson - on top of that.  I am so lucky!
I have been teaching iconpainting for maybe 4 or 5 years now.  I often hear from the students that I am good.  Good at painting straight lines, good at painting lovely eyes, and goodlooking hair etc. And I observe how much my ego rejoices in all this!
And I do not attack myself for that, I observe it - and leave it, without judging myself.  So far so good.
Today I had another great lesson presented to me.  On working with a particularly difficult part of one of Theodore's own icons, I just lost it.  Could not see the lines, misunderstood what he said, and all went totally wrong.
And then, my teacher told me that I must practice, try to teach my eyes to see, see different shades, darkness and light,   remember I am a beginner, paint straight lines, not too blurred, blurred on one side, not the other...
Of my God, I was just about to walk out of the whole thing. Why?  Someone tried to push me from my comfort zone, and my throne of specialness!!  I knew I wanted to be special, but that it was this big?
It really pissed me off.
So what to do here?  I am so glad I was able to observe this.   But observation is not enough.   I have to show the whole thing to the Holy Spirit, look at it with forgiving eyes, and not judging it.  Just see that this is how I am,  this is the way I react.  And slowly it lost its grip in me, and I could laugh at the whole thing, and I could also tell Theodore and Violeta about my observations.
I am so grateful that they  would listen to me,  it is of great help to get it out in the open so to speak...

So - besides being taught Theodore's way to paint an icon - there are also other great  lessons involved here!
And there is great help for me to read in A Course in Miracles.
When I came home I read the following lesson :

 Light and joy and peace abide in me (lesson 93)

This is the truth bout me