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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" }4 \& C; o. ]+ X' k 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.

9 |1 F6 n6 U6 |, V2 O# N Heaven
1 J+ ]8 I2 N! s1 _; Z 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.

The pebble's place in our world
# ?# |4 ~* N8 v4 S. o Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
7 U1 x6 x7 T/ C Its insignificance is transformed
; p. b# b7 K6 ?4 @" o. p) d  D$ K5 ]) A Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
8 q* S# }' _7 @+ b Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
# i& f* m4 ^9 e: z& b5 y3 D Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
! R6 }: ]- E* e3 Z9 r' }: u; [* J Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
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Aren't we all pebbles?
Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
( d! M1 m7 i$ k7 R+ f on a path into ourselves.
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" X: |5 @* e$ g+ P$ ~$ F# w- t It is true then:
Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
. t0 j1 u0 m2 h" q Creating ripples
) |" v% N* A6 V4 z. G that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
% z+ T+ a5 E4 m/ l: K not because of well meaning plans
9 C$ \% e% J2 x/ H But because of actions.

Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
6 U# f" w6 t! \2 c No matter how seemingly insignificant
Changes the course of the lives
Of those we touch.?
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. \' P9 T$ |: ]9 v! W And when the icy winds of death
; T) x8 v- n6 k, v- N/ x beckon our lasting attention
" {! K# \' N+ u7 \ We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
, F: g0 ]. R4 a) @& ` The world will never be the same.
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And then we have heaven …
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) \! T0 T# s8 v& @6 g4 o Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03