Marnie and I talked about our children, married life, our dreams and our hopes for world peace but somehow, literacy was never far from whatever topic we were discussing. At one point Marnie said that she had become "more whole" since she started working in literacy. "I have a greater appreciation for me now," Marnie said gently. "I have seen that I can be good at many things in this job but I am also aware of my own weaknesses and the places where I feel inadequate. I have found that there is great strength in being inadequate because I feel more on par with all the people who walk into my office."

"I'm learning so much about the job and about me. It seems that I learn and then I notice I've learned - several hours, months, years down the road. Sometimes the learning is very blatant, sometimes not. What I know for sure though is that I'm a good learner and I like that."

Collen Hanley and her daughter out for a bike ride
near their home in Cold Lake