A protest: I may be the least qualified person to be writing about living in balance. I live my life in a perpetual state of imbalance, juggling commitments of all sorts, perpetually behind, and struggling always to find enough time to spend with my family and my friends. My car is visible evidence of a life on the run: usually dirty, with debris from the last food delivery, papers for this meeting or that, junk from the last bunch of kids hauled somewhere, and too many meals eaten on the road.

But that's not the "in balance" this issue of JFL is about. That's why we chose for our cover Chagall's painting of the circus rider, precariously in balance for what may only be a split second, but blissfully and beautifully happy to be where he is: the center of attention in the center ring.

Putting out an issue of the Journal of Family Life is often like that, and come to think of it, so probably are the lives of the people who speak and write in this issue. Not that their cars are as messy as mine, but we have sought out people who have found balance - not in safety, but in the act of reaching, of doing something extraordinary. They speak to us about the balancing acts we all face, of seeking truth and wisdom in an age of dissonance, of finding the path that is right for us as we attempt to live in harmony and community.

First, a treat: our own Chris Mercogliano reports on his visit to a workshop by Thich Nhat Hanh. In Chris's vivid language, his visit becomes both an accessible entry into the teaching of this venerable Zen master and also the journey of a late 20th Century seeker, complete with car troubles, family conflicts and a life a bit too full for meditation. You may recognize a bit of yourself here. I know I did.

Our friend Starhawk returns to talk about what it is like to live in balance - and yet still live right on the edge. Her wisdom and her connection with the natural cycles of life are reassuring pointers along the way.

Michael Lerner, whose book The Politics of Meaning has done much to revive and refine progressive thinking about our broken political process, is here for a good long and satisfying visit. Michael's talk with Mary and Larry starts off on the subject of the transformation of society, leads us through a slightly different interpretation of the Moses story, introduces us to the "reality police" and family networks and much more.

Some of my favorite stories about balance are by people who are doing the balancing act in extraordinary ways. I'm thinking in particular of Ron Copeland's article about his little restaurant in Virginia, which transforms itself once a week into The Free - Food-For - All Soup Kitchen. I'm thinking also of our legless veteran, Ron Greenfield, who found wholeness with children who had also lost their legs. And I'm thinking of our friend Robert Phillips, who writes about how his family stays together despite his life in the corporate jungle 300 miles from home.

Balance would not be balance without stress. Kim Domenico explores balance in that most fragile of institutions - marriage. She gets us there through a series of personal realizations, to an understanding of why many marriages these days don't make it, and to a clear picture of what it takes to stay in balance with another person.

A few words about the Journal of Family Life. We who work on JFL have often noticed that we tend to take on the themes of each issue in our own lives and in the life of our community. It's sort of like going to a workshop - the moment you send in your money, the workshop has begun.

This issue, Living in Balance, is no exception. This is the first issue we have put together without Mary Leue. Mary is the founder of the Free School and the community that grew from the school; she is also the founding editor of SKOLE, the Journal of Alternative Education. JFL was Mary's idea, and for its first four years she was an important part of this journal's development, as well as our day - to - day operation. As she has moved on to another stage of her life, and to other endeavors, we have missed her energy, her intellect and her passion. At the same time, we welcome this as a chance to find balance in different ways.

This has been our time to create a new structure and to bring more people into our process. Welcome Kim, welcome Heidi, welcome David, welcome Lisa and Cari. As we change, the trick I think is to hang on to the collaborative creative process that makes us somewhat different. While we reorganize and streamline, we are determined not to give up the messy, imprecise but always soul - satisfying community work of creating each issue of this magazine; of finding writers and interviewees, of shaping the articles; of putting it all together in a way that not only makes sense but communicates the excitement and adventure to our readers. We have often said that our readers are valued friends, and because we who work on this enterprise are friends as well, we try to invite you into every meeting.

More than that, we want you to know that your letters and e - mails, your comments and your writings are part of what gives this family life.

Please, stay in touch!

Tom McPheeters