Heaven

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Seven years ago I was asked by a friend if I was "religious and if I believed in God?" As a (formerly) practicing agnostic I quickly answered:"no." However, I defended myself by explaining that I lived my life according to universal principals of "right and wrong" (as I understood them). Because I believed that our deeds create a lasting effect on the world, I felt confident in my everlasting future. In other words, I wasn't worried about there being a heaven or not. I told my friend that when I die, I am banking on knowing that my impact on the world will be ever lasting. My "heaven" will ultimately be the creation of the the sum total of all my actions.

I will never forget my friend's response: he looked at me with glassy eyes, and told me how deeply spiritual I was. I didn't see it. It took five more years to see what he meant. Such was the inspiration of the following poem I wrote.

Heaven
The pebble is worn smooth
' s6 h+ @  ^9 x5 a4 }0 S Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
But just a very small stone.

The pebble's place in our world
, g: V/ g8 A9 k* s' a Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.

0 p0 ~% p. z$ g4 K0 m2 ? The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
9 [( ]7 N# Q' E# j Moving far beyond itself.
# B4 {  J  \. g8 g9 e Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

. m! z5 w8 R% }' a+ Y# N" ^9 @ The pebble creates its worth and meaning
* `8 T' R4 W$ j By unleashing its unimagined power?
! [; x+ ^1 ^/ N1 J# O9 ^ Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
( q8 w  q1 ^8 L1 O Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
, A8 [' Z1 d, C9 j
Aren't we all pebbles?
Feeling small and insignificant
( a  z! R+ F, l3 o But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
on a path into ourselves.
5 `+ v' x$ ^; j
0 ^- U0 l% i; L' s It is true then:
2 v! u6 W7 s/ G" L- ]# W Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
: R% s4 I) G* R( |1 T Into the pond of life
) c$ ^& f* @7 ?/ E Creating ripples
3 j# }4 C- w2 a( Q0 V that leave unique mark on our world
# ]3 `; {* P4 W$ H Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
But because of actions.
) P! U6 X2 P/ ?8 l2 |; P) r, Q0 J" c
  z% }; u  e  b4 w, Y, P2 y Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
) l* k4 J( o5 ~- f/ P% c Changes the course of the lives
Of those we touch.?
1 E3 ~) a0 }6 E- E. V( g+ w! ^4 _, ^0 t
( z5 s3 \: Q' N2 k) M5 r$ J9 ~ And when the icy winds of death
5 h0 m3 q  S8 S; M beckon our lasting attention
We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
% E1 i, S, `& P. c. W. s/ O The world will never be the same.

8 d7 D" U) w! h  i# {8 _ And then we have heaven …

Ross Rosenberg
0 V% H6 v/ x8 E9 J* f5 @* o 8/18/03