In the early morning, as the sun made its way over the horizon, throwing out its bright light, Wascana Park was empty except for the odd jogger and it was still except for the awakening honking of the geese. There was no wind, not even a breeze on this day. The lake was quiet, the water pushing through winter's vanishing ice cover, and what was left was as thin as a cracker, and soon would turn to water. It was a rebirth of sorts. 

      As you neared the Albert Street Bridge, the longest bridge over the narrowest span of water in the world, you could hear the muffled rumble of the spring runoff pouring out of the lake, over the weir and down into the churning foam of Wascana Creek. The sounds were as if you were roused from a sleep at a seaside resort by the waves coming ashore.  

      Soon, the cars would roar across the bridge on their way to downtown and work. The buses would groan as they moved with the traffic. And, every once, in a while a siren would sound that would cut through the air like a knife, breaking the morning routine. 

      Radios would be turned on and Roger Currie would bring the latest news stories on CKRM and News Talk Radio would be trying to fill its hours with whatever it could find. 

      The big news of the day would be that the proposed condo development that will replace the soon to be demolished Plains Hotel would go beyond the original 20 stories and instead soar to 25 or 26 stories, making it the tallest building in the city. 

      The city seemed bursting with activity. Harbour Landing is dotted with new houses, the huge Wal Mart store, a hotel, and a condo development, all rising swiftly from what was once flat, empty prairie. And, there is so much more to come there. 

      Further west and a little north, has reared the warehouse for what they will call the hub for Western Canada's grocery gathering centre. Workers in huge machinery are digging out the land to expand the roadways, huge pipes are going into the ground, and there is no quiet on the western outskirts now. But it is the warehouse that is outstanding in its size. Regina has never seen anything like it. You have only to dive west on Dewdney, out into the country, to see it standing up to the south. 

      Throughout the city people once claimed was stuck in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do but breath dust there is action happening. New housing developments are going up everywhere. Condos are taking over what were once empty fields no matter where you go. And, the population of Regina and Saskatchewan is growing at a steady and enriching pace. 

      This is a great time to be in Regina, and people from across the country and around the world are realizing it, and coming here. We are in a boom. 

      Not long from now, a huge undertaking will occur in the area between Broad and Albert streets, north of Casino Regina, south of Dewdney, and the only domed stadium between Vancouver and Toronto will be built. You can bet on it, there is too much momentum for it not to happen. 

      The city is alive in more ways than you can imagine. Why, they are already beginning to lay the groundwork for a plan that will completely change downtown Regina. 

      We have become a city of riches we take for granted. 

      On Easter Sunday morning, in the area of Regina known as The Hood, you will find the Souls Harbour Rescue Mission on Elphinstone Street at 8^th Avenue. The Hood is where life is not always kind. There is poverty. There are gangs and drugs and prostitutes. There are homes boarded up. It was here, in The Hood, in a back alley, where the murdered body of a teen-ager was set on fire, and two other teens ended up in court over it. The Hood can be cruel. The Hood is a place where people are lucky if they get to eat good food every day. 

      Three times a year, Souls Harbour opens its doors to feed the hungry and the poor. Chris and Tasia Lygouriatis from Melrose Place North donate enough meals to feed up to 700 people with special dinners at Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is an amazing display of heartfelt charity. 

      This year, on Easter Sunday, people begin lining up outside a full hour before the doors would be open. Those driving by paid little attention to them. 

      On this day, hundreds would receive one of the few good meals they would receive all year long. Because somebody who has so much cared enough to do something for them. The next day, life would be back to normal. Some in the The Hood would be seen foraging through garbage bins looking for something to eat. 

      Not everybody in the growing city in the new spring has all that much to be thankful for. And not everybody realizes how blessed they truly are.