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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# c7 A/ {9 e5 V 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
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.
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) s% O. T1 x# e1 e7 ^5 o$ k' O The pebble's place in our world
; d8 u- W" I6 q& c Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
( g; C$ F" R1 Q$ B) B# F Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.

The instant the pebble kisses the pond
) C- d. S6 F  Y9 W- ] Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
  a6 m6 a! a  c4 n6 W Moving far beyond itself.
# U0 J( L) |! W" P/ F Gently affecting everything in its wake
( q! l0 C+ s2 m Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

The pebble creates its worth and meaning
7 d+ d& s" c: f6 Q7 S0 v! [! v9 \ By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
/ `) m) e' ?9 b Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
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/ C. _6 j- U( K% d9 [ Aren't we all pebbles?
' |5 C2 J2 K1 \  o( P9 w* Q Feeling small and insignificant
! \7 t+ N% h7 x( G But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
on a path into ourselves.

# g9 O$ R3 G) L% C It is true then:
Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
8 F. ?( X8 F- w3 S/ _ Not because of thoughts
' y- m. G9 t( l! Z( ^. M not because of well meaning plans
! |2 I& \7 B  \  i2 W: y: J# I But because of actions.
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Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
, \( V8 _+ \) S& \- Q1 G( f No matter how seemingly insignificant
/ G5 r9 \* k. D Changes the course of the lives
& Z# J1 f' c. c1 a/ z Of those we touch.?

And when the icy winds of death
beckon our lasting attention
! R; X: V1 ~5 W; e* T5 z$ z We will gently leave this life
3 X% @2 s! O% O' G With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.

And then we have heaven …

7 w9 K0 V% M* \, Q2 C6 ` Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03