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.

1 E& q2 q9 l7 j, S! f) Q 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
+ d. J) N; c' ` The pebble is worn smooth
Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
! k, a% N4 I8 b& C0 y( z% `3 B An accidental offspring of a boulder
' ?2 g! k' i# z/ j But just a very small stone.

3 H& F5 K5 h$ z6 H3 ^ The pebble's place in our world
2 M! W% q8 L* O2 c Is neither understood nor appreciated
7 a( J% H% s# P+ i2 R But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.

# b/ D4 b1 ?( }: j  S The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
5 i! L. A8 H; f' X1 q/ e% M
The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
9 v2 n- a& ?5 I& s( R* l6 q  y Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

Aren't we all pebbles?
, L9 u9 c" {4 K, Y! k Feeling small and insignificant
9 `7 K( e- w& R9 Q2 C8 o But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
9 Q5 E9 O# e3 ]: \ Can never be measured in isolation
on a path into ourselves.
( b( V- `- w$ \7 S
It is true then:
  r4 b2 z& Q* V Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
- |  O  W5 o( T  E that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
' ?% [: h! J1 z' x But because of actions.

8 v) W( o1 E9 g+ Q Our life's prayers our answered
$ v+ g% H% p0 @! V/ X Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
* ]1 a8 k' v1 M Changes the course of the lives
; Y# X) x% q, K) p- E7 O. ?* [ Of those we touch.?

And when the icy winds of death
beckon our lasting attention
We will gently leave this life
* B. W: r8 s6 T7 Z7 ^; S With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.

' X; c! ~) |2 @# s# G0 d9 `4 ` And then we have heaven …
3 {1 B$ g+ U+ _
+ M0 T4 g! ^- L4 }$ L! e Ross Rosenberg
% K4 J3 i( a# a# ?( u: ^; V# H 8/18/03