Yep, you read right! You can now find me at www.ladysportrait.blogspot.com. Hope to see you there!
Do you ever feel as if you are simply Scriptually ignorant? I have on more than one occasion, but never more so than when reading the book Ten Peas in a Pod by Arnold Pent III. Admiration for a man like Mr. Pent’s father swelled within me as I discovered more and more of the strict disciplines that he instilled in his family’s lives, the most impressive of which was his determination that no matter what, his family would read the Bible for 30 minutes after every meal AND spend 30 minutes to an hour in private devotions every morning. Mr. Pent relates that because of the constant pouring over of Scripture so many times a day, each member of the family could recite at least several books of the Bible by heart. His brother Paul must have been an over-achiever because he memorized the entire New Testament. Mr. Pent says that none of their family members have photographic memories. It was the hours spent every day pouring over the Scripture that instilled it in their hearts.
If I would simply start reading a chapter of Scripture after one meal of every day, how long would it take for me to memorize it? In the winter of ’08 I read Psalm 139 every night before going to sleep, and even though I wasn’t trying to memorize it, I eventually did because of the continuous reading. It wouldn’t hurt to try it again!
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thous sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
~Deuteronomy 6:7
Is it Miss Jane Austen out for a stroll with her sister Cassandra? Perhaps….
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Two weeks ago, I attended a summer leadership program in our area. The process to apply and get into the program was rather lengthy and competitive, especially for the homeschoolers applying. (Twenty-three homeschoolers applied, but only ten were going to be selected.) We had to send in three references from various teachers, mentors, and adult friends in our lives, along with the typical application form. The next step after that was to go for an interview. That had me slightly nervous. After all, up to that point in time, I had never been interviewed before! About a month after the interview, I learned to my great delight that I and my dear friend Missie had been selected along with thirty-eight other teenagers of various ages and schools.
Well, after much anticipation, the great day arrived. The following is a brief overview of my week.
Sunday Afternoon-Teambuilding Day.
Learned the basic principles of teamwork by various games which included a fruit pass, obstacle course, and blindfold walk.
Monday-Leadership Day.
Listened to some very inspiring lectures on leadership, learned some interesting facts about the other participants through the game "Two Myths and a Truth," and had a delicious luncheon which taught the basics of etiquette.
Tuesday-Community Service Day.
Listened to several talks about service programs in the community and helped serve lunch at the Salvation Army.
Wednesday-Government Day
Enjoyed the opportunity of visiting both the Justice Center and the courthouse, made a yummy ice cream sundae ,
and listened to several talks about public works.
Thursday-Career Day
My favorite day! Learned about interviewing skills, filling out a job application form, and had the opportunity to job shadow three public relations executives one on one which was great!
Friday-Diversity Day
Learned about the horrors of racism and heard an interesting lecture on Germany.
Friday Night-Graduation
Watched some of the other participants present a skit and present various overviews of each day of the week, helped set up the tableware (that was my contribution to graduation), and received my plaque saying that I have completed the leadership program.
The week of the program, I woke up at about six every morning, left the house about 8, and was home by 3:30. Then after a rest, I went to our church’s vacation Bible school at night and helped teach the 4th-6th graders Monday through Thursday.
After all that busyness, it was a delight to head for the beach for a week the Saturday after graduation. For the week, my sister, Marmee, and Daddy just relaxed on the beach and at the pool, rode bikes, read, shopped, walked, and ate delicious seafood.
We hardly took any pics at the beach, so I don’t have many to share, but I’ll try to download the few we did take.
So, that’s a brief overview of where I’ve been, I hope that you did not find the account too tiresome to read. 
This is a little note to say that this week and next week there will be NO formal posts at Portrait of a Lady because I will be away. This past week I have been participating in a leadership program for youth in our area. It has been a very interesting experiance, and I am looking forward to sharing some of what I have learned with you here. This Saturday, I am heading to the beach where I’ll be relaxing with my sweet family for a week. I am also excited about sharing some upcoming beach pics with you!
So please forgive my lack of comments on your blogs, and I’ll talk to you in two weeks!
Meg16