I recently had a life-imitates-art experience. It was late at night. The house was finally quiet. I was editing Irwin Karp's article about the importance of balancing work and family life when I heard what sounded like singing emanating from the bedroom of my two-year-old, Henry. How cute, I thought. Henry must be having a dream about singing.

As I entered Henry's room, I realized that he wasn't singing. He was delirious, and his forehead was blazing hot. He was obviously having a reaction to a vaccination. My wife Kris and I immediately removed Henry's pajamas and began cooling him down with a wet washcloth. Nearly two hours later, after giving him water and a fever reducer, we put our son back to bed. We then fell into bed ourselves. It was 1 a.m., and we had busy work days ahead.

The topic of this month's magazine, balancing work and family, is a matter near and dear to my heart. Even though my wife and son are the two great loves of my life, I sometimes feel that I need to invent a 40-hour day so that I can spend enough time with them and still get everything accomplished. It is a continuous balancing act because when your toddler is sick you have to drop everything. Our loved ones are much more important than any mere task.

In addition to Irwin Karp's excellent advice on balancing your family and work, several articles in this issue examine how local lawyers have chosen to balance these different parts of their lives. SCBA President Stuart Home explains how he manages to practice law in Sacramento while living with his wife and four children in Salinas. Marc Koenigsberg profiles Stephanie Finelli, who with her spouse parents two boys while practicing law and participating in community activities. Patent lawyer Carl Schwedler discusses the choices he and his wife have made in order to achieve balance between work and home. Lastly, Mary Pinard of the Sacramento County Public Law Library also identifies online resources that can help you with your own balancing act.