"goodness." a bi-annual journal showcasing the common good - Spring / 2026 - Tim Gilman;Christine Gilman

Welcome to the Spring 2026 Issue of goodness.

There are moments in a life that open quietly, almost without announcement. For me, one of those moments arrived in the late 1950s, when a full set of Encyclopedia Britannica landed on our doorstep-twenty volumes, two yearbooks, a wooden bookcase, and a slim book for children titled We Learn About Other Children. 

I remember the wonder in those pages, the sense that the world had suddenly grown wider. Curiosity found its way in and never left.

This issue is shaped by that same ever widening awareness of the good.

Within these pages, you'll meet faces from around the world, step briefly into my travels in China, and even wander across the bold, unpredictable carpets of Hampton Inns scattered across the country. 

We are honored to share the visionary work of John Simpkins, the clear and generous voice of Kim Stafford, the rebirth of The Paperclip Resistance Project through Ollie & Janice Pederson, and contributions from many others whose creativity invites us to see more deeply.

As you move through this issue, I hope you'll allow yourself a moment of pause-a breath, a widening, a softening. Let the work of these artists and storytellers open a small space within you. And perhaps, in that space, you'll sense the beginnings of your own offering to future issues.

Together, we continue the quiet, essential work of noticing 

the goodness that so often goes unseen.