Life as a homeschooler isn’t what I imagined it would be all those years ago. I suppose it takes a few years and enough failures to be humble enough to see the simplest lessons. If I were younger and reading my own words today, I’d still be filled with all the hope and joy of youth, and also the sometimes blinding idealism that sweeps reality far, far away, and embraces “what might be,” or “what I’m reading about that could be,” or, “how someone said it would be.” There is something about that idealism – it’s sweet in the moment, but add enough years and experiences and it runs away like a coward when reality rushes in – and you’re left with your intellect, willpower, and God’s grace.