You may have noticed this issue is smaller than usual, in fact about half the normal size in terms of story count.

I do apologize, and the reasons for this are several.

The key reason was that at the end of March my 90-year-old Aunt Jean unexpectedly was sent to a hospital in Bangor, Maine, and I flew out there with a one-way ticket to support her. That effort took most of my time and attention for a month, just when I would have been initiating multiple discussions with contributors about the summer issue.

I didn’t return until May 1, just two weeks before deadline, and there just wasn’t time to reach out to people, nor to expect anyone to fit writing a piece into their lives.

This issue has six stories instead of the usual 14. While there are some excellent pieces here, about some important developments, I’m sorry we can’t offer more.

We plan to rectify this in the fall issue, and I’m very interested in any tips or ideas you may have.

The smaller issue also reflects what a small and grassroots operation this is. We sometimes joke about NWDA Campus, but in fact a handful of dedicated people do most of the work out of their homes, with support from the larger community.

As you can see from other pieces in this issue, we’re hoping some new people will step forward to carry this torch forward. Northwest Dharma Association is in the vanguard of collaboration among Buddhist groups, as you can see from this story in the summer issue of Tricycle Magazine.

To people who have made this happen and who continue to do so, it’s important work that reflects the supportive and harmonious character of the Northwest. We hope you’ll come on board.