Heaven

khfacdgku

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.

$ W) f  P. ?9 E# G. m; l 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
' Q5 n, M  H6 X1 d: K8 _ The pebble is worn smooth
! g0 y8 W- d: i( K+ x 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
: @! ~. ^9 Q5 Z) j' q& m6 k But just a very small stone.

The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.

The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
5 L1 f! D8 Z, r8 p Spiral outwards
' Q) R* p! w' h7 M Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
) i. \) \: s5 f8 s
The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
% ~6 N; `6 ~; @: @, @# L* N
% L, A2 a7 G7 G" v Aren't we all pebbles?
5 I/ m( n* J2 v6 n$ r Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
8 X+ s8 w3 L3 `  {6 Z7 g4 m on a path into ourselves.

It is true then:
2 `9 G: @+ g  S! e Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
7 e) O% D- K* O- N. P Into the pond of life
' |6 X( ^" \+ w. E$ ?% ~# y; b9 w Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
5 D- [2 W- F4 `% t not because of well meaning plans
! k) `. _! c$ i( Y) r; q7 @ But because of actions.
5 R. s" A/ i& p8 i8 d! O# Z
Our life's prayers our answered
5 [( n- n/ U+ u. |/ r0 } Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
; m2 i7 W/ N4 i3 a5 S4 K Changes the course of the lives
Of those we touch.?
6 E% d6 ~& F2 W2 a8 \7 I% q
And when the icy winds of death
8 O$ A- ~* ~/ E. M, S# w  V: G; X beckon our lasting attention
+ O" K6 b9 Y8 L3 x We will gently leave this life
4 }4 \- K& r$ ~; X2 H9 } With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
' f2 Y3 [, S; G3 k The world will never be the same.

And then we have heaven …

% o* z: ^6 g9 A% ~ Ross Rosenberg
3 d$ C6 r* i/ h, O& K8 O 8/18/03