"As you're being emptied, you're being filled. I think the ebb and flow of emotions is healthy, as long as you are careful of extremes."

When I asked Leana if that "ebb and flow" had always come naturally to her, she said:

"No, not always. I find the emotional wear and tear of my job easier now because I've learned that I have to see and feel and accept my work with a sense of balance,"

For many, a sense of balance is learned from and sustained through interaction with the literacy network. Recognizing their realities and affinities, literacy workers are not afraid to reach out and ask for help or to share and exchange concerns and ideas. They are also quick to offer support to their colleagues when called upon. They share a love of learning and excitement in finding and working through new challenges. Even though most literacy workers work individually in isolated areas, their experiences have taught them the importance of working together. They are strong team players who actively contribute to and encourage the collective success of all the literacy work being undertaken throughout the province.

Jonathan Kowl ended his keynote address at The Literacy Conference by saying, "I wish you strength and nerve, and courage and irreverence and persistence ... and survival," Over and over again, literacy workers in Alberta demonstrate their strength and courage, and their ability to survive.

Pat Campbell beside her 1990 International Literacy Year
bulletin board at her office in Edmonton

Alice Bowie and Mary Norton setting up a World Literacy Day
display for the Learning Centre in Edmonton