Dear Homeschooling Friends,
Where do I begin? It feels a bit strange to write a letter from the editor – I never seriously thought that one day I would find myself as captain of the good ship Apricotpie. I suppose I assumed – as I assume most of us did – that our beloved Ben would guide our ship as our captain forever – well, at least indefinitely. But, there is a time and season for everything, and after ten wonderful years Ben felt that it was time for him to move on.
We have expressed it many times to him now, but I want to express again, on behalf of us all, our gratitude to Ben for creating this site and shaping its nature.
As Ben has put it so well:

"Apricotpie is a place for homeschooling students and homeschool graduates to share their thoughts, poetry, and fiction in a creative and thoughtful way with other homeschoolers.
"Its inspiration comes from: the beauty and mystery of the created world; adventure and the warrior; contemplation; the good as infinitely more powerful than evil; respect for innocence; quality over quantity; friendship born from common activity."

Apricotpie is a very special place.
In my almost three years here, I have come to appreciate many things about Apricotpie, including (but not limited to, and in no particular order):
1. It values quality over quantity.
2. It doesn't get so crowded with trivial stuff that we begin to feel lost (as we do with Facebook).
3. We can feel safe here, posting our thoughts in the form of creative writing for others to see.
4. The content of this site is unique – and I think it is a direct result of our homeschool experience and upbringing. We just tend to think and process things a bit differently than the population at large around us.
5. Although it's not necessarily overt, there is an overall Christian worldview and value system here.
6. The environment at the site fosters friendships – I have been especially struck by this fact, reading the testimonies in the posts and comments as many of us were saying our farewells.
This is a glimpse of the soul of Apricotpie.
Ben has left us a wonderful legacy, and I will do my best to lead as we all carry it on.
Thank you once again, Ben.
And thank you, fellow Apricotpie-ers, for all the writing you have done and continue to do. Thank you also for the encouragement and support you have shown me.
Hopefully, Apricotpie will continue to be a place for homeschoolers to write for many more years to come.
God bless you all!
James