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A Resurrection Story

With the hope filled image of Easter fresh in my mind I have been reflecting on the resurrection story of Jesus Christ. What is a resurrection story if it is not a story of new life? Consider how the traditional image of Cape Breton is changing, as the viability of mainstays like the Steel Plant, the coal mines, the fishing industry and construction industry play see-saw with the livelihood of many, while in the rocking-horse of uncertainty our young people seek to develop new visions. Education in computer technology is one area that moves our young people onward considering options that can help us rise again to the challenge of new life and vitality here in Cape Breton. How many of us, as concerned Cape Bretoners, invite the doors to open for possibilities of new development and take the initiative to be part of this re-creation in positive ways? The choice to conduct - lead or direct - life-giving change is ours!

In recent years with our children moving on to make new lives for themselves, I'm experiencing a sense of loss, but I've also accepted a challenge for enriching change in my life. Last fall our oldest son Ralph afforded me the opportunity to audit an Advanced Writing course at the University College of Cape Breton. He could hardly have known what a life-giving challenge he presented to me through his encouragement and support. For me the writing course, taught by a very capable professor, is a resurrection story born out of the positive influence of many people. It reminds me of Ralph's teenage years when he sought assurance and direction to open a computer business at the age of seventeen, a business that eventually led to our physical separation, when he later moved to Ottawa to establish Doncaster Consulting Inc.

New life for him in the computer field brings new life for me too, for although our physical separation presents a challenge to me as his mother, it is a challenge familiar to families everywhere, whether young adults are leaving Cape Breton to go to Ottawa or Alberta, or leaving the turmoil of Yugoslavia to come to Cape Breton. Change and life beyond the children is a reality for most parents, as teenagers are transformed into adults who seek to discover the world for themselves. While Ralph has moved on, he continually challenges himself to advance in the field of computer technology and other areas of life. Correspondingly, he keeps an open line for us at home, encouraging us to grow increasingly computer literate. Email and web pages are a regular source of interconnectedness for our family today, as they are for many others too. Email allowed me to remain linked to the Advance Writing course at UCCB when I was sidelined with unexpected surgery this winter; it was a link that offered continued support and encouragement.

However important encouragement is for us as human beings, it can only take us so far. Whatever challenges we face, we ourselves have to seek the best ways to face those challenges, so that we can move forward and take the initiative to improve our lives, and others. For me personally, my faith in God has always given me the stability I've sought when I've been most greatly challenged. Accordingly, I believe that using our God given abilities, Cape Bretoners who continue to survive the incredible ups and downs of the Steel Plant, the coal mines, the fishing industry, and the construction industry, will survive and continue to rise up as leaders in the field of computer technology. This leadership must be complemented with other areas of educational leadership and growth as we work towards building bridges between our industrial past and our developmental future, allowing that change comes with growth and prosperity. We shall rise from the ashes of uncertainty, especially when we draw new life and hope from the motivational message of Easter. We Cape Bretoners shall live as a resurrection story!

(c) Viola Doncaster, East Bay, Cape Breton, April 1997.

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