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.

$ Q  B! I4 t2 n+ ]7 i, G' Q 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
) r2 K3 P1 q% p" e The pebble is worn smooth
Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
* P; r4 b! B6 a  X1 T An accidental offspring of a boulder
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.
5 Z. y0 |4 f9 o: y
The instant the pebble kisses the pond
$ {0 n" Q# T5 P Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
% `; W, m$ z/ I2 p3 \! R; y Gently affecting everything in its wake
! @# K. d7 `2 U Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

& U8 X: `5 E/ F# p( R8 T, a The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
+ x9 r' L5 z3 Q1 j/ P Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
% z* f# D: u% ~! n5 o" {' L7 |! g
$ g3 O! s  S. Z Aren't we all pebbles?
6 ^* w0 e4 m1 h8 _# { Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
; Z, r& n  y, F4 \, i4 ] That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
! @- P- a0 |8 r! G+ M on a path into ourselves.

It is true then:
Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
! D  O0 I: }7 E Into the pond of life
& N/ ]3 p1 E! o7 j1 ]2 C6 C, e Creating ripples
$ |- a1 u9 U. y2 U; }5 ] that leave unique mark on our world
! x4 T. x5 C9 w% r* B Not because of thoughts
2 G# |4 R' [* W' v% U" u not because of well meaning plans
% A8 Z2 V: H6 d! q5 z But because of actions.

3 C4 Z* l  @( d2 ~# d Our life's prayers our answered
- U# V! U* B  E0 G' m Because even the smallest pebble
! E' i  O  }. }5 [% C' e No matter how seemingly insignificant
Changes the course of the lives
. B9 A; v3 D& N' q# j Of those we touch.?

And when the icy winds of death
# h; b4 U; Y: B  E: D% m1 _) y( m beckon our lasting attention
We will gently leave this life
0 y" b) p$ L$ ]$ R With the knowledge that
* @3 n# [  e& G) `/ R, k, ^% g, b6 z because of that one pebble
' }1 w, W" n7 c5 q7 X; [9 h& k9 q) N The world will never be the same.
$ X& p1 T; P0 z; E
! ?9 w2 o3 p. D And then we have heaven …

Ross Rosenberg
' a$ ]$ O5 y4 S8 o0 [4 c$ f3 M" {8 y 8/18/03