1952 Magnet Yearbook

I
J ARVIS C OLI.EGIATE
.,
LIf E
.h TD Y HO ~ GAR D• -lA
Life i ~ II word poorly defined in the
best of di ct lonn r ies ; a t hing shrouded
in mystery ; II t hin g unexplained uy
medical men. scientiets and clergy.
To me. life is a r-iver, II great mighty
water rising up out of th e mists of
th e unknown. And I - I am II swimmer
:
The beginn ing of my journey along
t his r iver of life is quite easy. I appear
out of t he mis ts and am borne
along on the cu r rent. The r-iver
babbles ha ppilj.. to me in II strange
m usica l language : from out of a blue
sky the s un shi nes down on me : gentle
breezes ca ress me. and I am lulled
by t he melod ies of the bi rds.
But all I grow older the r iver
changes. It see ms wi der a nd deeper.
T he waters become rough : t he wind
a lit tle colder : the sky cloudy, lind
t he birds :-ling Jells freq uently. I must
sw im now. with su rer, more powerful
strokes, if I am to maintai n my place
in this mighty r-iver.
T his roughness, however. is not
per ma nent. but a preparation - a
preparation for the str uggtes th at lie
a head around t he curves of t he r-iver.
For arou nd these cur ves. a prize - a
.sorrow - a disa ppo int men t - a ba r­
rier - somet hing wa its ! T hese I
mu st face!
I round II bend. and t here in t he
distance is a green. in\'it inR meadow.
It shines in t he sp lendour of mor n­
ing sunlight : a place of rest, like an
oasis in a desert. I swi m now wit h
head down, heedless of fat igue, looking
up only occasionally to assure
myself that it is st ill there. Then at
last I reach it ! I look up! It's gone !
The meadow' s gone! Ah no - not
gone. but changed: Th e once green
grass is withe red. brown. dead ! T he
dull grey sky is swept by a cr uel
mocking wind t hat ech oes the hea r t­
less bitter lau ghter of Disappointment
:
I fall back into the grip of t he
waters. ) ly body aches with fatigue ;
my heart with disappointment . I am
too spent to swlm. but swim I must:
I will not be tossed about like a bit
of wood by t hese waters! Aga in I
s wim with st ro ng determined strokes
toward t he next bend. prepared to
meet whatever lies behind it !
Yes. fo r many of us, ou r journey
along the river of life is hard. pe r haps
too hard. But t his I know-c. At t he
end of t he r-iver is the great est prize
of all ! For t here . w iled in another
curta in of mist and guarded by a rainbow.
is the re wa rd for a job well done
- a grander. more su blime r-iver in
whose sac red wa te rs . t he real I ca n
continue to grnw - nrl tinit um .