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
The pebble is worn smooth
  V4 j8 y0 ?# Z! w. u Made small over time
$ h0 v  m% P# x2 w; B# w2 L A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
  k9 z$ b' H$ k3 O, F+ j+ G9 S A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
But just a very small stone.
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The pebble's place in our world
9 K9 Y4 Y; R, g5 g0 |1 I* s Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
) x$ \! T& U" L' _$ u Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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$ I- m+ e9 t9 e The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
; f% u5 r9 e) Q0 P Moving far beyond itself.
+ n% w4 k7 N2 r# c! W Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
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/ b3 ]( o+ O$ i4 C( [ The pebble creates its worth and meaning
& y0 ~. n. a) y  x2 v4 y+ ]. \ By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
6 d  H$ u# h, V/ X Creating karmic energy
/ N$ Y! E- h7 O1 Q& g7 n Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

' {7 i0 i  ?5 T* K! Z+ J# R; }  r8 | Aren't we all pebbles?
0 A  i2 ~& ?/ H2 {2 S7 X Feeling small and insignificant
. P0 U/ I5 z% @! I) Q But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
on a path into ourselves.
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It is true then:
/ I7 L7 F+ I, y7 b6 @/ C/ x Our everlasting future
& m. `* ~; n1 F5 ~  @9 J Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
- E: E1 P2 t& r3 I3 }8 D0 ]+ K Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
( D* ?/ I4 E4 u" [9 m3 [ not because of well meaning plans
" X% x1 v, b" L2 a But because of actions.
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) G2 o* i& A  d3 a7 i: b$ n Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
Changes the course of the lives
- t6 X5 o) a$ t Of those we touch.?

And when the icy winds of death
  D' p2 g: ^8 g" e: ^0 B, w0 m beckon our lasting attention
We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
) q1 y" {: G: Z The world will never be the same.

And then we have heaven …
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Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03