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.
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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.
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Heaven
  _+ q) r8 Y8 ^6 \. ^8 w0 E2 @ The pebble is worn smooth
Made small over time
4 d+ W0 K) D% H4 g, S, b! d A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
# j$ p! N# `1 m4 R* Z2 M2 Z& b. D But just a very small stone.
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The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
# z4 }# e8 S5 p0 `" _ Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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# z0 W8 I+ a! W9 f7 i The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
2 G( F) |# \0 F4 U: D Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
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# c. O# K& v" ^0 m" r' ` The pebble creates its worth and meaning
4 c/ u1 _- B  ^ By unleashing its unimagined power?
# ?" F6 W; U/ ?3 [ Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
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7 c- n# o% {: V+ X6 d: s Aren't we all pebbles?
Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
7 {) k7 {' \, K% i# F$ E Can never be measured in isolation
# L+ z% m9 l3 n' w; d; b" q on a path into ourselves.
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' F- Q7 U5 L6 A1 Q" Y' q8 i It is true then:
Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
9 ~: y$ i# F. i! P6 L* ~ Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
/ Z( ?/ l2 ~. i) _' L3 [ Not because of thoughts
! W; f) G& f0 v not because of well meaning plans
But because of actions.
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Our life's prayers our answered
# M! N! Q; G+ o% N4 d2 p8 F) a9 R6 M Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
Changes the course of the lives
8 a$ d* N8 j0 u: [1 u0 m4 S: l Of those we touch.?
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And when the icy winds of death
beckon our lasting attention
We will gently leave this life
% o  Z# _, M: ^ With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
3 S$ H( u  t+ c; L  t The world will never be the same.

4 b8 S" M& O5 @3 A And then we have heaven …
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3 G4 [4 q7 n3 @  [ Ross Rosenberg
4 ?6 M: t; Y- Z9 J( V- p8 \ 8/18/03