Thank you, Lourdes. I really did need that encouragement. Yes, my son has definitely progressed this year with Beyond. Especially in his reading capacity. He used to NEVER want to read at home when he was in school, now he reads at reading time and at bedtime. He is currently reading the Narnia series, which is not an easy read! So, I have definitely seen that progression in him, as well as his reading aloud skills. They have GREATLY improved since we started.
He is just a very concrete, black and white kind of thinker, not an abstract, philosophical type like my younger son. I just have to accept this and see the beauty in his uniqueness. I tend to be more abstract and philosophical, whatever you want to call it. I was an English major in college, so I guess I tend to expect too much of him. Language Arts was always my strength, so I guess I am less patient in that area than I should be with him. He is a very intelligent child, but just not in the same way I am. He got up about an hour earlier than everyone else to get his work done this morning, like his math, reading, copywork, spelling. Then he asked if he could make breakfast. This is how he is. He is very much a doer and a server. He just started Taekwando a couple of weeks ago and LOVES it. To me, that would be so boring, but he is really enjoying it! He is very helpful, like with breakfast, grocery shopping, putting groceries away, doing his laundry, and all of those kinds of things. All of the things I DON'T like!
It is just more difficult for me to teach him in some ways because I feel that he comprehends things very slowly. But honestly, he is JUST like my husband in that respect.
My husband has a brilliant mind when it comes to engineering/math, but when it comes to reading comprehension, he has to read something several times to really get it. Sooo...
Thanks again for the encouragement. Homeschooling works on my heart even more than my children, I believe. I must remember that my Father already knows the plans he has for my son in life, and my job as his mother is to point Him in that direction, and into the direction of a relationship with Jesus. He can't and won't be good at everything! None of us are! By the way, he has accepted Christ in his heart as His Savior. Which is so awesome!
That was not my intention at all. My ds is 11 yo, and as Lourdes said, we have worked through each and every HOD guide inching along in writing skills to get to this point. I want to encourage you that these things cannot be rushed. Trying to push dc along just results in them missing things along the way. By systematically doing the HOD guides in order, your ds will continue to improve and grow in this area, as well as many other areas. That is such a joy to see! 
Your ds is doing just fine!!! It sounds like he is growing and moving along very nicely with Beyond, and he will most certainly continue to do so beautifully as this is the soundness of HOD's progression of skills.