My Journal

Like a river my life run its course like this:

I was born from a middle income family with both my parents working we're happy with my sister. Then one day a tragedy struck my family. Father died!

Mother sent us home to the province. I was just 11 years old then, so young to face the difficulty without my mother. But, I cant do anything but to face life with grace. I resumed classes being a graduating student in elementary, enduring the hardships, trying to learn life in the barrio and accepting the fact that now, my mother is the only one doing the job so that, we can study. My Mother got sick away from us and it was a painful experience to me, for I cant see her nor comfort her in her situation. I just prayed to God that he would heal mother and help her in her aloneness. God listened to my prayer and mother got healed, then she went home to stay because she cant work anymore for her frail body could not stand the hardships. But, wisdom did not leave mother because she was able to secure a place for herself to have a business in town and by that was able to finance ourselves.

Years had passed and now I'm a graduating high school student and with God's help was able to overcome the obstacles like the river that run its course no matter what happen could still  reach its destination. I hope and pray that myself serve on its own purpose too- TO GIVE SERVICE.

My Reaction

It is a relevant story to me because it almost speaks of my own experience in life. Truly, the river in this story has created a great impact on the author. He saw the spiritual side of life as portrayed by the river's course: from the heights, down to the plains, reaching a scorching bed of sand then lost its way to be found again on the next stretch with all its beauty and river grace till it reach the sea. Spiritually life without God is a damn life. But, if you place your hope and thrust in God, you'll overcome the trials and the hindrances that you'll meet just like the river that still continue after the stretch of oblivion down to its destination.

The Summary

Bacong is the river's name situated by the ancestral homes of the author's wife. He had been visiting the place for a dozen of summers and as always been tracing the course of the river back to it's course.

In one of his visits however, the author had noticed a certain significant thing that made him connect the river's course to the life of men. It was the course that had stopped for quite a stretch of dry scorching sand and then resumed its pace until it reached its destination, the wide ocean.

This manner of running its course, the author regarded the life of people who have overcome the obstacles and the hindrances int heir lives and come out victorious either in glory or in nobility of silent and patient eking out to the end. There was also the parallel of a person's life, who, when faced of obstacles tend to make himself incognito and was unable to come out of it but just placidly went to oblivion.

How apt indeed that the river in this story had done finished its course because of the greater heights it had began thus has the strength the wisdom how to do its duty towards mankind and nature.

Rivers like men are here on earth to serve its purpose: To give clean water for plants and animals and to men, to provide soothing effect on weary lives and be a panorama of beauty as you gaze and observe its course that if you are a spiritual person would enjoy this blissful scenery of grace and music.

The will of the river is to do its duty and to finished its course, even to the end until it reach the vast immensity of the ocean for their bulk be deposited to be taken up again and repeat the cycle on and on...